We had a couple articles in this month’s newsletter that spotlighted particularly egregious flaws in journalism, so we felt it was only appropriate that the Book Spotlight should shed some more light on the subject.  We hope you enjoy…

“The Death and Life of American Journalism: The Media Revolution That Will Begin the World Again” by Robert McChesney

American journalism is collapsing as newspapers and magazines fail and scores of reporters are laid off across the country. Conventional wisdom says the Internet is to blame, but veteran journalists and media critics Robert W. McChesney and John Nichols disagree. The crisis of American journalism predates the Great Recession and digital media boom. What we are witnessing now is the end of the commercial news model and the opportune moment for the creation of a new system of independent journalism, one subsidized by the public and capable of safeguarding our democracy.

Synopsis:

The “Paul Revere and Tom Paine” (according to Bill Moyers) of media reform propose a bold and controversial response to the current crisis of journalism

About the Author

Robert W. McChesney is a Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He hosts Media Matters on WILL-AM radio. John Nichols is the Washington, D.C., correspondent for the Nation and the associate editor of the Capital Times.