Journalism & Mass Media Studies: Books & Media

Journalists have failed to respond adequately to the challenge of the Internet, with far-reaching consequences for the future of journalism and democracy. This is the compelling argument set forth in this timely new text, drawing on the most extensive ethnographic fieldwork in American newsrooms since the 1970s. David Ryfe argues that journalists are unable or unwilling to innovate for a variety of reasons: in part because habits are sticky and difficult to dislodge; in part because of their strategic calculation that the cost of change far exceeds its benefit; and in part because basic definitions of what journalism is, and what it is for, anchor journalism to tradition even when journalists prefer to change. The result is that journalism is unraveling as an integrated social field; it may never again be a separate and separable activity from the broader practice of producing news. One thing is certain: whatever happens next, it will have dramatic consequences for the role journalism plays in democratic society and perhaps will transform its basic meaning and purpose.

No other textbook offers a more engaging and accessible approach to newswriting than Inside Reporting. While emphasizing the basics, this new edition offers a wealth of information on digital reporting and packaging stories in modern, interactive ways. It also includes more useful advice on feature writing—from stories to reviews and column-writing—than any other textbook in the field.

This book explores the crucial question of what is responsible for the upheaval in the media we used to rely on to inform us about public affairs. Veteran editor and newspaperman Jack Fuller locates the sources of change: in the collision between a revolutionary new information age and a human brain that is still wired for the threats faced by our prehistoric ancestors. This book not only offers unprecedented insight into the causes of change but also clear guidance, strongly rooted in the precepts of ethical journalism, on how journalists can adapt to this new environment while still providing the information necessary to a functioning democracy.

The New New Journalists are first and foremost brilliant reporters who immerse themselves completely in their subjects. Jon Krakauer accompanies a mountaineering expedition to Everest. Ted Conover works for nearly a year as a prison guard. Susan Orlean follows orchid fanciers to reveal an obsessive subculture few knew existed. Adrian Nicole LeBlanc spends nearly a decade reporting on a family in the South Bronx. And like their muckraking early twentieth-century precursors, they are drawn to the most pressing issues of the day: Alex Kotlowitz, Leon Dash, and William Finnegan to race and class; Ron Rosenbaum to the problem of evil; Michael Lewis to boom-and-bust economies; Richard Ben Cramer to the nitty gritty of politics. How do they do it? In these interviews, they reveal the techniques and inspirations behind their acclaimed works, from their felt-tip pens, tape recorders, long car rides, and assumed identities; to their intimate understanding of the way a truly great story unfolds.

Weingarten captures the verve--and the nerve--it took to create and sustain new journalism from its breeding grounds at the Herald Tribune and Esquire to the assortment of writers and editors, including Clay Felker, Tom Wolfe, Norman Mailer, Truman Capote, and Hunter S. Thompson. He details the careers of these now famous writers as they tested the boundaries of conventional journalism, forever changing the way news and cultural trends are reported. Thompson's new journalism approach to the Nixon reelection bid was a refreshing change from more conventional coverage, while John Sack's Vietnam reports provided the first real look at the war in 1967 and severely departed from the World War II coverage, which emphasized heroism at the expense of realism. Weingarten also details the personal demons and vanities of these writers, the alcoholism and drug abuse of some, and the personal foibles of others. By placing these journalists in the broader historical context of advocacy journalism and the turbulent times in which they wrote, Weingarten provides a perspective on how journalism has changed.

Taking Sides volumes present current controversial issues in a debate-style format designed to stimulate student interest and develop critical thinking skills. Each issue is thoughtfully framed with Learning Outcomes, an Issue Summary, an Introduction, and an Exploring the Issue section featuring Critical Thinking and Reflection, Is There Common Ground?, and Additional Resources. Taking Sides readers also offer a Topic Guide and an annotated listing of Internet References for further consideration of the issues.

As recently as the early 1970s, the news media was one of the most respected institutions in the United States. Yet by the 1990s, this trust had all but evaporated. Why has confidence in the press declined so dramatically over the past 40 years? And has this change shaped the public's political behavior? This book examines waning public trust in the institutional news media within the context of the American political system and looks at how this lack of confidence has altered the ways people acquire political information and form electoral preferences. Jonathan Ladd argues that in the 1950s, '60s, and early '70s, competition in American party politics and the media industry reached historic lows. When competition later intensified in both of these realms, the public's distrust of the institutional media grew, leading the public to resist the mainstream press's information about policy outcomes and turn toward alternative partisan media outlets. As a result, public beliefs and voting behavior are now increasingly shaped by partisan predispositions. Ladd contends that it is not realistic or desirable to suppress party and media competition to the levels of the mid-twentieth century; rather, in the contemporary media environment, new ways to augment the public's knowledgeability and responsiveness must be explored. Drawing on historical evidence, experiments, and public opinion surveys, this book shows that in a world of endless news sources, citizens' trust in institutional media is more important than ever before.

Digital media is changing the ways in which we communicate: we watch TV and movies online, call friends on computers, and read newspapers on cell phones. John V. Pavlik and Shawn McIntosh, use the technologies we employ every day to explain our current media environment--and to project where we might be headed.

Present contrasting perspectives on mass media, gleaned from journal and newspaper articles, books, documents, and speeches, all written during the 1990s. Selections discuss how television affects society, whether advertising is harmful to society, how the media influence politics, whether pornography on the Internet should be regulated, and whether television content regulations are beneficial for children. Includes section and reading introductions, b&w cartoons, quotations, discussion questions, and a list of organizations.

"A survey history of our media of communication, considers how all of us are affected by the means we have devised for recording and communicating information."