Uncertain guardians : the news media as a political institution / Bartholomew H. Sparrow.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sparrow, Bartholomew H., 1959-

Series:

Interpreting American politics

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Journalism--Political aspects--United States.

Journalism--Political aspects.

Press.

United States.

Mass media--Political aspects--United States.

Mass media--Political aspects.

Press and politics--United States.

Press and politics.

Press--United States--Influence.

Physical Description:

xxi, 277 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, [1999]

Summary:

The news media are often presumed to be a fourth estate, or fourth branch of government, serving as a check on the other three. In Uncertain Guardians, political scientist Bartholomew Sparrow argues that this is a mistaken notion. Instead, the media -- print, radio, and television -- affect policy making just as other political institutions do, whether the Congress, the electoral system, or public administration. The media decide what to report, when, and how, and these decisions affect both the processes and outcomes of the political system. But the routine production of the news demands that reporters, editors, publishers, and news executives work with the major political and economic actors of the political system in order to get the news and sell the news, and thus ensure the livelihoods of their news organizations. Because of this dependence, however, the news media are highly constrained in their reportage.

Blending original interview material with his own institutional analysis, Sparrow shows how the major U.S. news organizations act contrary to the interests of the American public and democratic government. Because individual journalists and news organizations face serious and similar uncertainties with respect to their political credibility, their access to news sources, and their commercial performance, they rely regularly on the same practices to report the news. But these shared practices enable both journalists and politicians to manipulate political communication, government officials to mislead the public, and advertising and other business factors to have significant influence on the news; they also cause journalists to regret the damage done to democratic government.Sparrow investigates important recent examples in foreign policy, economic policy, and health policy in which the news media were unable to serve as guardians of the public interest, He also often proposals to revitalize the news media to better serve the American public and the cause of representative government.

By providing an in-depth analysis of the news media's role in the American political system, Uncertain Guardians challenges us to re-evaluate much of what we take for granted as news consumers and to think about how to improve political communication.

Contents:

2 Media Attack Dogs 25

3 Media Lap Dogs 55

4 Making Money and Making News 73

5 Organizational News, Ordered News 105

6 The Watchdogs That Didn't Bark 138

7 Reforming Political Communication 180.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [205]-266) and index.

ISBN:

0801860350

0801860369

OCLC:

39868219