Synopses & Reviews
“News: The Politics of Illusion is a smart, provocative introduction to media and American politics. Bennett argues that the American political information system – with news at its center - is broken, with serious consequences for democracy. Bennett lays out his case, and invites readers to make up their own minds.” – Paul Freedman, The University of Virginia
“This book is written smoothly in flowing prose, free from the jargon that obscures to much social science writing. Bennett is critical, but never carping, praising the news system for what he considers its many strengths and condemning it for what he perceives as its shortcomings.” - from Doris Graber’s Foreword
Synopsis
Updated in a new 9th Edition, News: The Politics of Illusion, by W. Lance Bennett discusses and analyzes the dramatic shifts in news consumption and creation that have both ended and begun new eras of journalism in our time. How well does the news, as the core of the national political information system, serve the needs of democracy? In exploring this core question, this book examines both how political actors work their messages into the news and how journalists and news organizations report the news.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1. The News about Democracy: Information Crisis in American Politics
Chapter 2. News Stories: Four Information Biases that Matter
Chapter 3. Citizens and the News: Public Opinion and Information Processing
Chapter 4. How Politicians Make the News
Chapter 5. How Journalists Report the News
Chapter 6. Inside the Profession: Objectivity and the Political Authority Bias
Chapter 7. The Political Economy of News and the End of a Journalism Era
Chapter 8. All the News that Fits Democracy: Solutions for Citizens, Politicians, and Journalists