Synopses & Reviews
The start of the 1990s saw the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany into one new nation that would be a formidable economic force around the world. But to many Americans educated by the news and entertainment media, the image of Germany remained a holdover from World War II and the Holocaust. When the American media were not presenting an outdated, jackbooted view of Germany, they were portraying it as a country epitomizing the world's Communist/Capitalist struggle. For three decades the American news and entertainment media presented the image of Germany as being a country hopelessly divided. Now they were faced with a new country and a new set of images to deal with just as Germany exerts itself more powerfully than ever on the world economic scene.
How much attention has this new Germany received in the American media, and how accurate are the new portrayals? Have the media images changed during the 1990s and, if so, how much and in what direction? Willis examines these issues as well as the status of international news in the American media. The result is a book of great interest to scholars, researchers, and students involved with the mass media, contemporary affairs, and European Studies.
Synopsis
Examines how and why American images of Germany are formed as they are.
Synopsis
The images that most Americans have of Germany are holdovers from World War II and the Holocaust. Yet Germany has been the driving force behind the creation of the European Economic Community and exerts a substantial influence on world trade and currency. It is also the most open country in all of Western Europe for foreign immigrants. Willis examines how the American media devises its images of Germany and how accurate they are.
About the Author
JIM WILLIS is Professor of Journalism and holds the Hardin Chair of Excellence in Journalism at The University of Memphis. Professor Willis has published widely on news gathering and other topics in journalism.
Table of Contents
Cross-Cultural Perceptions: Germany as a Metaphor
The History, Politics, and People of Germany
Television and Newspaper Coverage of Germany and the World
International News Flow in Cyberspace
Germany and the United States Mirrored in Each Other's Media
The Image of Germany in Books
Germans and Their Images in Movies
The Reception of Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List in the German Media
Appendices