Despite increasing criticism of the US media, little serious discussion has emerged as to what concrete steps are needed for lasting reform. The Future of Mediacollects the most up-to-date thinking from the vanguard of media theorists, commentators, journalists, scholars and policymakers, who examine where we are now and lay out a five- to 10-year roadmap for change.

Edited by Robert McChesney, Russell Newman and Ben Scott, The Future of Media: Resistance and Reform in the 21st Centuryconsiders how open access to the Internet relates to tomorrow's wireless technologies, how the problems in commercial journalism stem from poor regulatory policy in broadcasting, how the concerns of media workers should be shared by media consumers and much more. The book establishes the poor performance of the media in guiding our democratic political debate and demonstrates how the policy battles, commercial expansion and social resistance of the next few years will reshape the media landscape for decades to come, determining who will be tomorrow's media gatekeepers. Contributors include FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, Representative Bernie Sanders, renowned journalist Bill Moyers, media scholar Robert W. McChesney and Newspaper Guild President Linda Foley.

The publication of The Future of Mediaanticipates and will appear in time for The Second National Conference for Media Reform to convene in St. Louis, Missouri, in May 2005. In addition to the editors of the present volume, the conference will bring together activists, media creators, academics and lawmakers to discuss visionary and practical solutions to the problem of narrowly owned media.

The Future of Mediashines a light on a wide array of media issues with direct impact on our lives and is a comprehensive handbook for activists, students and concerned citizens.

Journalists, academics, activists, and government officials detail the full-blown journalistic crisis they see in the US, and optimistic signs of resistance to the cheerleading war news, the consolidating media ownership, the corruption of lawmakers by big media, and the increasing political censorship. They cover the threat to a free press; systematic marginalization; media regulation in the public interest; the politics of convergence, new media, and innovation; and the future of media in a global age. Bill Moyers provides a 16-page foreword.
Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Heraled as a modern day Thomas Paine and "one of the nation's most important analysts of the media," McChesney has written or edited 8 books, including "Telecommunications, Mass Media, and Democracy" and "Rich Media, Poor Democracy." He's a professor at the University of Illinois and hosts a weekly radio show on WILL-AM.