Synopses & Reviews
< div=""> < div=""> During the gravest moments of George W. Bush& #8217; s tenure& #8212; the response to 9/11, the buildup to war with Iraq, the Abu Ghraib scandal& #8212; the media largely reported reality as his administration scripted it. Why, in these times when we most need a critical, independent press, does this essential pillar of democracy fail us? A sobering look at the intimate relationship between political power and the news media, < i=""> When the Press Fails<> argues that reporters& #8217; dependence on official sources disastrously thwarts coverage of dissenting voices from outside the beltway.< br=""> < iv=""> < div=""> & nbsp; < iv=""> < div=""> 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 hard-hitting interviews with journalists and analysis of content from major news outlets, the authors show that such catastrophic blind spots, particularly during the Abu Ghraib controversy, have stemmed from a lack of high-level sources within government willing to question the administration publicly. Contrasting these grave failures with the refreshingly critical reporting on Hurricane Katrina& #8212; a rare event that caught officials off guard, enabling journalists to enter a no-spin zone& #8212; < i=""> When the Press Fails<> concludes by proposing new practices to reduce reporters& #8217; dependence on power.< br=""> & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; < iv=""> < div=""> The authors ultimately contend that if ordinary Americans& nbsp; start to hear alternative perspectives aired in the legitimizing arena of the mainstream press, they just might begin to act as a public& #8212; no longer suffering with private shock and awe as world-changing events unfold before their eyes. < iv=""> < iv="">
Review
and#8220;
When the Press Fails is a valuable and clarifying book for people in the news mediaand#8212;and perhaps even more for members of the public who feel abused by the pressand#8217;s failures. Inside and outside the news business, everyone knows that something serious is wrong with the way Americans get and assess information. This book does a very good job of explaining what that something is, and what parts of it can be addressed.and#8221;
Review
"The boldest thesis in this book, the one I was most delighted to seeand least able to assert is really trueis that this attitude of timidity and obeisance [by the media] is actually bringing on the decline in readership and viewership that it, in part, seeks to avoid."--Jim Boyd, Nieman Reports -- Marvin Kalb, founding director and senior fellow of the Joan Shorenstein Center
Review
"An important book which will become a must read in future analyses that focus on press-government relations. It is well written, in a way that would make it completely comprehensible to nonscholars who care more about press freedom, government spins, and the coverage of the Iraqi war than about political communication theories." -- Jonathan McDonald Ladd, Georgetown University - Perspectives on Politics
Review
"The boldest thesis in this book, the one I was most delighted to see--and at least able to assert is really true--is that this attitude of timidity and obeisance [by the media] is actually bringing on the decline in readership and viewership that it, in part, seeks to avoid."--Jim Boyd, Nieman Reports
Review
"The breadth is so thorough and the prose so engaging that this book has the potential to become the definitive account of media politics during the Bush years. . . .
When the Press Fails is an excellent book. Its positive arguments are a model of good social science research. I suspect that they would also work well in an undergraduate class, as a first exposure to serious media research. Furthermore, the books normative assertions are well argued, provocative, and a good place to start a class discussion about the proper role of the media in a democracy. In summary, if you want an introduction to how the media operates in the modern American political system, this is a good place to start."Jonathan McDonald Ladd,
Perspectives on Politics -- Jim Boyd - Nieman Reports
Review
"Their analysis of the weaknesses of Washington journalism deserves close attention."Russell Baker, New York Review of Books -- George Pendle - Financial Times
Review
"This is a vigorously researched book, showing how crises, such as the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, flare up and are swiftly extinguished: torture is diluted to abuse, to mistreatment; culpability is segregated to a few bad apples." -- Russell Baker - New York Review of Books
Review
and#8220;Not all Washington journalists will applaud the arrival of
When the Press Fails, but they should and probably will read it. It is a stinging critique of media coverage of the Bush administration, especially its policy in Iraq, and it raises serious questions about how the White House has and#8216;spunand#8217; much of the media into a form of docile dependency on official handouts, leading to an overall failure of accountability. Thus is the public shortchanged. and#160;Between the lines is a cry for the media to wake up to its social and political responsibilities.and#8221;andlt;Marvin Kalb, founding director and senior fellow of the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, Harvard Universityandgt;
Review
and#8220;Political partisans have tried for years to discredit journalists, resulting in a press corps now overly conscious of its image. This book illustrates how Americaand#160;gets hurt when journalists are too intimidated to do their jobs.and#8221;
Review
"Bennett, Lawrence, and Livingston are indisputably right about the news media's dereliction in covering the administration's campaign to take the nation to war against Iraq."
Review
"The hand-in-glove relationship of the U.S. media with the White House is mercilessly exposed in this determined and disheartening study that repeatedly reveals how the press has toed the official line at those moments when its independence was most needed."
Review
“
When the Press Fails confronts some of the most important questions now facing the press, the public, and our shared democracyand does so with rare precision and insight. This book has the power to ignite a much-needed public discussion about the role of ‘the media in public life and it should be required reading in newsrooms across the country.”Dan Rather, global correspondent, HDNet
-- James Boylan - Columbia Journalism Review
Synopsis
A sobering look at the intimate relationship between political power and the news media,
When the Press Fails argues the dependence of reporters on official sources disastrously thwarts coverage of dissenting voices from outside the Beltway.and#160;The result is both an indictment of official spin and an urgent call to action that questions why the mainstream press failed to challenge the Bush administrationand#8217;s arguments for an invasion of Iraq or to illuminate administration policies underlying the Abu Ghraib controversy. Drawing on revealing interviews with Washington insiders and analysis of content from major news outlets, the authors illustrate the mediaand#8217;s unilateral surrender to White House spin whenever oppositional voices elsewhere in government fall silent.and#160; Contrasting these grave failures with the refreshingly critical reporting on Hurricane Katrinaand#8212;a rare event that caught officials off guard, enabling journalists to enter a no-spin zoneand#8212;
When the Press Fails concludes by proposing new practices to reduce reportersand#8217; dependence on power.
and#160;
and#8220;The hand-in-glove relationship of the U.S. media with the White House is mercilessly exposed in this determined and disheartening study that repeatedly reveals how the press has toed the official line at those moments when its independence was most needed.and#8221;and#8212;George Pendle, Financial Times
and#160;
and#8220;Bennett, Lawrence, and Livingston are indisputably right about the news mediaand#8217;s dereliction in covering the administrationand#8217;s campaign to take the nation to war against Iraq.and#8221;and#8212;Don Wycliff, Chicago Tribuneand#160;and#8220;[This] analysis of the weaknesses of Washington journalism deserves close attention.and#8221;and#8212;Russell Baker, New York Review of Books
About the Author
W. Lance Bennett is professor of political science and the Ruddick C. Lawrence Professor of Communication at the University of Washington. Regina G. Lawrence is the Kevin P. Reilly Sr. Chair of Political Communication in the Manship School of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University. Steven Livingston is professor of media and international affairs in the School of Media and Public Affairs and the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.
Table of Contents
PrefaceAcknowledgmentsINTRODUCTION
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
APPENDIX A
Evidence Suggesting a Connection
between Abu Ghraib and U.S. Torture Policy
APPENDIX B
Methods for Analyzing the News Framing of Abu Ghraib
APPENDIX C
Further Findings from the Content Analysis
APPENDIX D
Interview ProtocolNotesReferencesIndex