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

by McChesney, Robert W.

• ISBN13: 9781583671061
• ISBN10: 1583671064
• Format: Hardcover
• 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	7	(9)
Political Problem, Political Solutions	16	(41)
Media, Markets, and Policies	18	(7)
U.S. Media System Not ``Naturally'' Profit Driven	25	(8)
Subsidizing the Press	33	(5)
The Rise of Broadcasting	38	(10)
The Neoliberal Period	48	(9)
Understanding U.S. Journalism I: Corporate Control and Professionalism	57	(41)
Journalism's Great Crisis	58	(6)
Rise of Professional Journalism	64	(3)
Limitations of Professional Journalism	67	(10)
The Commercialization of Journalism	77	(12)
Covering the Corporate Scandal	89	(9)
Understanding U.S. Journalism II: Right-Wing Criticism and Political Coverage	98	(40)
Conservative Critique of the ``Liberal Media''	99	(12)
Right-Wing Political Campaign against the Media	111	(7)
Partisan Coverage in Peace and War	118	(5)
Journalism's Litmus Test: Election Coverage	123	(9)
Missing the Story--From DC to Florida	132	(6)
The Age of Hyper-Commercialism	138	(37)
Rise of Advertising	139	(6)
Hyper-Commercialism and Media	145	(8)
The Crumbling Wall	153	(5)
Hyper-Commercialism's New Frontiers	158	(10)
Advertising and Policy	168	(7)
The Market Uber Alles	175	(35)
Is the Media System a Competitive Market?	176	(7)
Conglomeration and Synergy	183	(6)
Is the Market Appropriate to Regulate Media?	189	(3)
Creativity versus Commerce in the Conglomerate Era	192	(6)
So Do Commercial Media Give People What They Want?	198	(7)
The Case for the Status Quo	205	(5)
Media Policies and Media Reform	210	(42)
Technology and the Internet	211	(6)
Policy Making in the Internet Era	217	(7)
Media Ownership Policies	224	(11)
Media and Antitrust Law	235	(5)
Public Broadcasting, Yesterday and Today	240	(8)
Invigorating Public Media	248	(4)
The Uprising of 2003	252	(46)
Media Reform Movement Comes to Life	255	(4)
Powell and Copps Take the Stage	259	(5)
Beltway Opposition Stiffens	264	(4)
Powell's Three Arguments	268	(5)
Opposition Grows Beyond the Beltway	273	(6)
Left and Right Unite	279	(4)
From FCC to Congress	283	(5)
Trench Warfare	288	(7)
Epilogue: The Hardest Battle Has Been Won	295	(3)
Notes	298	(55)
Index	353