Democracy under attack: How the media distort policy and politics - Hardcover

Dean, Malcolm

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1847428487 ISBN 13: 9781847428486

Publisher: Policy Press, 2011

Synopsis

The ongoing News International phonehacking scandal has made abundantly clear that the media’s influence over politics is both immense and largely hidden from public scrutiny. As the scandal grows, a question arises: even when they stay on the right side of the law, to what extent do the media influence the political process? In Democracy under Attack, one of the media’s own—Malcolm Dean, the Guardian’s long-standing chief monitor of social policy—expertly indicts his fellow journalists, revealing the ways their distorted coverage undermines democracy. Based on four decades of upperlevel UK government briefings and interviews with over one hundred senior policy makers, Democracy under Attack overflows with incisive observations and colorful stories, culminating in a damning list of the seven deadly sins of modern journalists. Dean’s long experience and insider status inform his detailed and disturbing account of news production in Britain, revealing the connections between what goes on in newsrooms, lobbyists’ offices, and Parliament as well as how those connections decisively shape government policy.

About this title

About the Author

 Malcolm Dean worked for the Guardian newspaper as roving reporter, social affairs leader writer, editorial writer, and editor of the society section for over forty years. He is also an associate member of the politics group at Nuffield College, Oxford University.

Review

“Malcolm Dean had a media seat in the stalls of social policy through four tumultuous decades. He’s been there, seen it—and knows it better than anyone. A vital subject: a definitive book.” (Peter Preston, former editor of the Guardian 2012-01-24)

“Malcolm Dean’s fascinating book explores an under-discussed dimension of politics—how policy and political decisions are shaped by the popular media. Many of his examples should cause us great concern.” (Baroness Shirley Williams 2012-01-24)

“If ever there was a bible of evidence to expose how the popular press has not simply abused but undermined the very nature of the democratic process, then this is it.” (Camden New Journal 2012-01-24)

Edition details

• Publisher: Policy Press
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1847428487
• ISBN 13: 9781847428486
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 432