Research Catalog
When the press fails : political power and the news media from Iraq to Katrina
- Title
- When the press fails : political power and the news media from Iraq to Katrina / W. Lance Bennett, Regina G. Lawrence, and Steven Livingston.
- Author
- Bennett, W. Lance.
- Publication
- Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2007.
- Supplementary Content
- Contributor biographical information
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| Status | Format | Access | Call Number | Item Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Text | Request in advance | PN4738 .B37 2007 | Off-site | |
Not available - Please for assistance. | Text | Use in library | Off-site |
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Details
- Additional Authors
- Description
- xiii, 263 pages : illustrations; 24 cm.
- Summary
- "Why, in these times when we most need a critical, independent press, does this essential pillar of democracy fail us? A look at the intimate relationship between political power and the news media, When the Press Fails argues that reporters' dependence on official sources disastrously thwarts coverage of dissenting voices from all but the most influential circles." "The result is both an indictment of official spin and an urgent call to action that begins by questioning why the mainstream press neglected to cover considerable evidence against the presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Drawing on interviews with journalists and Washington insiders and analyses of coverage by major news outlets, the authors show that such catastrophic blind spots, particularly during the Abu Ghraib controversy, have stemmed from the media's reluctance to use other credible sources when high-level officials are not questioning the administration publicly. Contrasting these failures with the critical reporting on Hurricane Katrina - a rare event that caught officials off guard, enabling journalists to enter a no-spin zone - When the Press Fails concludes by proposing new practices to reduce reporters' dependence on power."--BOOK JACKET.
- Series Statement
- Studies in communication, media, and public opinion
- Uniform Title
- Studies in communication, media, and public opinion.
- Subjects
- Bibliography (note)
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 235-249) and index.
- Contents
- Introduction : the press and power -- 1. Press politics in America : the case of the Iraq War -- 2. The semi-independent press : a theory of news and democracy -- 3. None dare call it torture : Abu Ghraib and the inner workings of press dependence -- 4. The news reality filter : why it matters when the press fails -- 5. Managing the news : spin, status, and intimidation in the Washington political culture -- 6. Toward an independent press : a standard for public accountability -- App. A. Evidence suggesting a connection between Abu Ghraib and U.S. torture policy -- App. B. Methods for analyzing the news framing of Abu Ghraib -- App. C. Further findings from the content analysis.
- ISBN
- 9780226042848 (hardcover : alk. paper)
- 0226042847 (hardcover : alk. paper)
- LCCN
- 2006034501
- OCLC
- OCM74492048
- 74492048
- SCSB-5328987
- Owning Institutions
- Columbia University Libraries