Problem of the Media : U. S. Communication Politics in the Twenty-First Century

by McChesney, Robert W.

• ISBN13: 9781583671054
• ISBN10: 1583671056
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-03-01
• Publisher: Monthly Review Pr

Summary

The symptoms of the crisis of the U.S. media are well-known--a decline in hard news, the growth of info-tainment and advertorials, staff cuts and concentration of ownership, increasing conformity of viewpoint and suppression of genuine debate. McChesney's new book,The Problem of the Media, gets to the roots of this crisis, explains it, and points a way forward for the growing media reform movement.Moving consistently from critique to action, the book explores the political economy of the media, illuminating its major flashpoints and controversies by locating them in the political economy of U.S. capitalism. It deals with issues such as the declining quality of journalism, the question of bias, the weakness of the public broadcasting sector, and the limits and possibilities of antitrust legislation in regulating the media. It points out the ways in which the existing media system has become a threat to democracy, and shows how it could be made to serve the interests of the majority.McChesney'sRich Media, Poor Democracywas hailed as a pioneering analysis of the way in which media had come to serve the interests of corporate profit rather than public enlightenment and debate. Bill Moyers commented, "If Thomas Paine were around, he would have written this book."The Problem of the Mediais certain to be a landmark in media studies, a vital resource for media activism, and essential reading for concerned scholars and citizens everywhere.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. 7
Political Problem, Political Solutions	p. 16
Media, Markets, and Policies	p. 18
U.S. Media System Not "Naturally" Profit Driven	p. 25
Subsidizing the Press	p. 33
The Rise of Broadcasting	p. 38
The Neoliberal Period	p. 48
Understanding U.S. Journalism I: Corporate Control and Professionalism	p. 57
Journalism's Great Crisis	p. 58
Rise of Professional Journalism	p. 64
Limitations of Professional Journalism	p. 67
The Commercialization of Journalism	p. 77
Covering the Corporate Scandal	p. 89
Understanding U.S. Journalism II: Right-Wing Criticism and Political Coverage	p. 98
Conservative Critique of the "Liberal Media"	p. 99
Right-Wing Political Campaign against the Media	p. 111
Partisan Coverage in Peace and War	p. 118
Journalism's Litmus Test: Election Coverage	p. 123
Missing the Story--From DC to Florida	p. 132
The Age of Hyper-Commercialism	p. 138
Rise of Advertising	p. 139
Hyper-Commercialism and Media	p. 145
The Crumbling Wall	p. 153
Hyper-Commercialism's New Frontiers	p. 158
Advertising and Policy	p. 168
The Market Uber Alles	p. 175
Is the Media System a Competitive Market?	p. 176
Conglomeration and Synergy	p. 183
Is the Market Appropriate to Regulate Media?	p. 189
Creativity versus Commerce in the Conglomerate Era	p. 192
So Do Commercial Media Give People What They Want?	p. 198
The Case for the Status Quo	p. 205
Media Policies and Media Reform	p. 210
Technology and the Internet	p. 211
Policy Making in the Internet Era	p. 217
Media Ownership Policies	p. 224
Media and Antitrust Law	p. 235
Public Broadcasting, Yesterday and Today	p. 240
Invigorating Public Media	p. 248
The Uprising of 2003	p. 252
Media Reform Movement Comes to Life	p. 255
Powell and Copps Take the Stage	p. 259
Beltway Opposition Stiffens	p. 264
Powell's Three Arguments	p. 268
Opposition Grows Beyond the Beltway	p. 273
Left and Right Unite	p. 279
From FCC to Congress	p. 283
Trench Warfare	p. 288
Epilogue: The Hardest Battle Has Been Won	p. 295
Notes	p. 298
Index	p. 353
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