Mightier Than the Sword

by Streitmatter, Rodger

• ISBN13: 9780813346304
• ISBN10: 0813346304
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-12-27
• Publisher: Westview Pr

Summary

In this path-breaking book, Rodger Streitmatter takes readers on a sightseeing tour of American history as influenced by the public press, visiting sixteen landmark events in US history, from the American Revolution and the civil rights movement to Watergate and 9/11. These are events that stir the political imagination; but, as Streitmatter shows, they also demonstrate how American journalism, since the 1760s, has not merely recordedthis nation's history but has played a role in shapingit. This book is the first of its kind. Streitmatter avoids the mind-numbing lists of names, dates, and newspaper headlines that bog down the standard journalism history textbook. Instead, he focuses on a limited number of episodes, identifying common characteristics within the news media. The third edition includes an entirely new chapter on social media and the election of Barack Obama. This edition also looks beyond traditional journalistic outlets such as newspapers and television news reports to examine the modern-day role that the Internet and its various venues play in reporting the news and shaping history.

Author Biography

Rodger Streitmatter is professor of journalism at American University. A journalist and historian, he is the author of several books and has contributed to numerous popular and scholarly periodicals.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. vii
Preface	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
Introduction	p. xiii
Sowing the Seeds of Revolution	p. 1
Abolition Turning Americas Conscience Against the Sins of Slavery	p. 17
Slowing the Momentum for Women's Rights	p. 32
Attacking Municipal Corruption The Tweed Ring	p. 47
Journalism as Warmonger The Spanish-American War	p. 63
Muckraking The Golden Age of Reform Journalism	p. 80
Defying the Ku Klux Klan	p. 94
Father Coughlin Fomenting Anti-Semitism via the Radio	p. 110
Creating "Rosie the Riveter" Propelling the American Woman into the Workforce	p. 124
Exposing Joe McCarthy Television's Finest Hour	p. 139
Pushing the Civil Rights Movement onto the National Agenda	p. 155
Vietnam War Bringing the Battlefield into the American Living Room	p. 171
Watergate Forces the President to His Knees	p. 188
Rush Limbaugh Leading the Republican Revolution	p. 202
9/11 Failing the American Public	p. 216
Electing an African-American President A Case Study in News Media Bias	p. 232
How the News Media Have Shaped American History Focusing on the How	p. 246
Notes	p. 257
Bibliography	p. 291
About the Book and Author	p. 297
Index	p. 299
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