The Troubles of Journalism: A Critical Look at What's Right and Wrong With the Press PDF
Preview The Troubles of Journalism: A Critical Look at What's Right and Wrong With the Press
The Troubles of Journalism A Critical Look at What's Right and Wrong With the Press LEA'S COMMUNICATION SERIES Jennings Bryant/Dolf Zillmann, General Editors Selected Titles in Journalism (Maxwell McCombs, Advisory Editor) include: Bunker • Critiquing Free Speech: First Amendment Theory and the Challenge of Interdisciplinarity Friedman/Dunwoody/Rogers • Communicating Uncertainty: Media Coverage of New and Controversial Science Garrison • Professional Feature Writing, 4 Edition lorio • Qualitative Research in Journalism: Taking It to the Streets Kaid • Handbook of Political Communication Research McCombs/Reynolds • The Poll With a Human Face: The National Issues Convention Experiment in Political Communication Merritt/McCombs • The Two W's of Journalism: The What and Why of Public Affairs Reporting Salwen/Garrison/Driscoll • Online News and the Public Titchener • Reviewing the Arts, Third Edition For a complete list of titles in LEA's Communication Series, please contact Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, at www.erlbaum.com. The Troubles of Journalism A Critical Look at What's Right and Wrong With the Press Third Edition William A. Hachten LAWRENCE ERLBAUM ASSOCIATES, PUBLISHERS 2005 Mahwah, New Jersey London Copyright © 2005 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by photostat, microform, retrieval system, or any other means, without prior written permission of the publisher. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Publishers 10 Industrial Avenue Mahwah, New Jersey 07430 Cover design by Kathryn Houghtaling Lacey Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The Troubles of Journalism: a Critical Look at What's Right and Wrong With the Press, Third Edition, by William A. Hachten p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8058-5166-6 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 0-8058-5167-4 (pbk. : alk. paper) Copyright information for this volume can be obtained by contact ing the library of congress Books published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates are printed on acid- free paper, and their bindings are chosen for strength and durability. Printed in the United States of America 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents Preface To Third Edition vii Preface ix Introduction xiii 1. Best News Media in the World? 1 2. Global Impact of American Media 14 3. Freedom of the Press: Theory and Values 30 4. Recent History of the Press 42 5. Bigger, Fewer, and More Like-Minded 54 6. News on the Air: a Sense of Decline 71 7. The Fading American Newspaper? 85 8. Why the Public Mistrusts the Media 102 9. The Clinton Scandal and Mixed Media 113 10. Foreign News Revived? 121 11. Covering Wars in an Era of Terrorism 133 12. News and Comment on the Internet 148 v vi CONTENTS 13. Educating Journalists 159 14. Conclusion: Journalism at a Time of Change 170 References 177 Author Index 181 Subject Index 183 Preface To Third Edition The second edition of The Troubles of Journalism came out in early 2001 before the seismic events of September 11th and subsequent upheavals in American life. The U.S. news media, in what critics considered their finest hour, magnificently reported this historic event. Confronted with a war on terrorism, the American press now has a slightly different and perhaps more serious perception of itself and how it should serve the American public. Some matters that before were consid ered important are no longer so pressing; in other ways, the news media probably have changed little—certainly less than media critics had hoped. Since 9/11,the nation has been "at war" with terrorism but Americans cannot agree what kind of war and who indeed are the enemies of America and other Western nations. Some say the enemy is Islamic fascism or totali tarianism, but others here and in Europe are not so sure. Does this amor phous and vague "war" constitute a very real threat to American lives or is it more of a threat to the American way of life and its freedoms (including press freedom), constitutional protections, and our values because of the ways the war has been conducted? These are some of the matters the press must deal with in this asymmetri cal war against an elusive and shadowy opponent. One journalist probably overstated the challenges of defending the "homeland" when he said, "Now we are all war corespondents." In the months after Sept. 11, 2001, the news media responded to three historic, interrelated challenges—the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington DC, a prolonged war against the Taliban in Afghani stan, and a full-scale war against Iraq with its continuing and unresolved af- Vll viii PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION termath. The pluses and minuses of uneven media performance since 9/11 need to be analyzed. Other significant recent challenges to the media have involved (a) con tinuing mergers and consolidation of media ownership; (b) new concerns about press credibility and bias, as exemplified by The New York Times' or deal over Jayson Blair; (c) the expanding and controversial role of cable news channels; (d) the growing impact role of news and comment on the Internet; and (e) continuing globalization and controversy over the role of American media in international communications. To do justice to these recent "troubles" of the news media, important additions and modifications have been made in every chapter of this re vised edition.
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