The Journalism of Outrage: Investigative Reporting and Agenda Building in America

by David L. Protess, Fay Lomax Cook, Jack C. Doppelt, James S. Ettema, Margaret T. Gordon

Overview

This book is the first systematic study of investigative reporting in the post-Watergate era. The authors examine the historical roots, contemporary nature, and societal impact of this controversial form of reporting, which they call "the journalism of outrage." Contrary to the conventional wisdom that depicts muckrakers and policymakers as antagonists, the authors show how investigative journalists often collaborate with public policymakers to set the agenda for reform. Based on a decade-long program of research—highlighted by case studies of the life courses of six media investigations and interviews with a national sample of over 800 investigative journalists—they develop a new theory about the agenda-building role of media in American society.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780898625912
Publisher:	Guilford Publications, Inc.
Publication date:	06/05/1992
Series:	The Guilford Communication Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	301
Sales rank:	820,970
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.72(d)

Table of Contents

I. MEDIA MUCKRAKING: MEANING, ORIGINS, AND IMPACT
1. The Quest for Reform.
2. The Investigative Tradition.

II. CASE STUDIES OF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
3. "The Home Health Hustle.''
4. "Rape: Every Woman's Nightmare.''
5. "Beating Justice.''
6. "Wasted Time.''
7. "Missing?''
8. "Dialysis: The Profit Machine.''

III. INTERSECTING INTERESTS: AGENDA BUILDING ON MEDIA AND
POLICYMAKING ARENAS
9. Building the Investigative Agenda.
10. Building Media and Policy Agenda.

Interviews

Professionals and students in the fields of mass communications, journalism, sociology, political science, social psychology, and history.
 

Editorial Reviews

"An illuminating, lucid, and compelling work."

Political Science Quarterly

"This is an impressive work, required reading for any student of investigative and public affairs reporting, media ethics, media sociology, or public opinion/political communication. ...Likewise, it should be read in every serious news organization and by anyone with a stake in public policy debates."

Journalism Quarterly

"This is an impressive work, required reading for any student of investigative and public affairs reporting, media ethics, media sociology, or public opinion/political communication. ...Likewise, it should be read in every serious news organization and by anyone with a stake in public policy debates.'' —D. Charles Whitney in Journalism Quarterly

"All investigative journalists hope to change society for the better, to have a positive impact on the lives of individuals. But rarely do we know if we are making a difference or reporting and writing in vain. THE JOURNALISM OF OUTRAGE helps answer our questions in a systematic, readable way." —Steve Weinberg, Editor, The IRE Journal, and Associate Professor of Journalism, University of Missouri-Columbia

"...Two perspectives on journalism—investigative reporting and agenda building—come together in this exciting new book, THE JOURNALISM OF OUTRAGE. This is a creative merger of contemporary case studies, historical background and analysis, and agenda-building theory..." —Maxwell McCombs, Chairman and Jesse H. Jones Centennial Professor in Communication, University of Texas at Austin
 

From the Publisher