The Death and Life of American Journalism: The Media Revolution That Will Begin the World Again.

• Author: Fischer, Raymond L.
• Position: Book review

BY ROBERT W. MCCHESNEY AND JOHN NICHOLS

NATION BOOKS, PHILADELPHIA

2010, 334 PAGES, $26.95

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The authors write about three major concerns: the collapse of traditional news media business models; the vulnerability of democracy and republican governance without "bona fide" structures for gathering and disseminating news and analysis, and what can be done to prevent the collapse of journalism as it exists. The book "cuts through the confusion and suggests that the solution lies in returning to our democratic roots."

Highly qualified to write about the present crisis, the authors have been researching and collaborating together for more than 10 years and have lectured to audiences across the U.S. and the world. Robert W. McChesney, endowed professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois, has written or edited 17 books; John Nichols, the Washington correspondent for The Nation and associate editor of The Capital Times in Madison, Wis., has authored or coauthored eight books on media and politics. The two have coauthored three earlier books: It's the Media, Stupid (2000), Our Media, Not Theirs (2002), and Tragedy and Farce: How the American Media Sell Wars, Spin Elections, and Destroy Democracy (2005). In 2002, together with Josh Silver, the authors founded Free Press, a media reform group.

The book documents in great detail the causes and extent of the present media crisis. Although the Internet has been a key factor in the collapse of commercial news media, media owners themselves have created the "deep-seated" and long-term crisis by making commercial and entertainment values "dramatically" more important than the civic and democratic values vital to good journalism and a good society. The present financial fiasco has had a huge impact as well, forcing media-owning corporations to reduce the number of reporters, editors, and bureaus. According to the American Society of News Editors, 5,900 reporters, columnists, and editors lost their jobs in 2008. Media-related job cuts for 2008 totaled 16,000 and reached 17,000 in 2009.

The authors detail the longstanding tension between editorial integrity of the newsroom and the desire of news media owners to maximize profits. Corporate pressure has resulted in altering news in a manner that never would have occurred if the newsroom had been "independent and freestanding." Media organizations controlled by large corporations have lost their ability to serve...