Shame the Devil: How Critics Keep American Journalism Honest

When the press loses sight of truth and falls prey to bias, American press critics push back to safeguard our free and democratic nation.

Journalists are no strangers to criticism and some have even seen disagreements turn to outrage and acts of violence. There is another history of press criticism, though. This one as a rule doesn’t resort to physical threat or denunciation. Nevertheless, it can be merciless when critics think the press has become too slanted in one direction, has fallen short of some ideal, is too concentrated for its own good, or seems to be underreporting or ignoring some critical story of the day.

Shame the Devil is a sweeping look at this other history. Beginning with Walter Lippmann, rightly regarded as the first modern press critic, Shame the Devil provides a chapter-by-chapter profile and analysis of his successors. Many critics work within the profession of journalism, while some consider it from the outside. These include: George Seldes, A. J. Liebling, Ben Bagdikian, Reed Irvine, Neil Postman, and Noam Chomsky. A concluding chapter brings together a diverse group of contemporary critics, including Sharyl Attkisson, Brooke Gladstone, Eric Deggans, Amy Goodman, Janine Jackson, and Candace Owens.

Merging history, biography, and a candid analysis of various critical points of view, Shame the Devil moves from press commentary in the bitter aftermath of World War I to the head-spinning paradoxes of the post-truth era. Throughout, some of America’s best critics contend with both the big events of their day and the big issues of journalism to ask the always vital question: How can the press help to create and sustain a more democratic society?

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Shame the Devil: How Critics Keep American Journalism Honest

When the press loses sight of truth and falls prey to bias, American press critics push back to safeguard our free and democratic nation.

Journalists are no strangers to criticism and some have even seen disagreements turn to outrage and acts of violence. There is another history of press criticism, though. This one as a rule doesn’t resort to physical threat or denunciation. Nevertheless, it can be merciless when critics think the press has become too slanted in one direction, has fallen short of some ideal, is too concentrated for its own good, or seems to be underreporting or ignoring some critical story of the day.

Shame the Devil is a sweeping look at this other history. Beginning with Walter Lippmann, rightly regarded as the first modern press critic, Shame the Devil provides a chapter-by-chapter profile and analysis of his successors. Many critics work within the profession of journalism, while some consider it from the outside. These include: George Seldes, A. J. Liebling, Ben Bagdikian, Reed Irvine, Neil Postman, and Noam Chomsky. A concluding chapter brings together a diverse group of contemporary critics, including Sharyl Attkisson, Brooke Gladstone, Eric Deggans, Amy Goodman, Janine Jackson, and Candace Owens.

Merging history, biography, and a candid analysis of various critical points of view, Shame the Devil moves from press commentary in the bitter aftermath of World War I to the head-spinning paradoxes of the post-truth era. Throughout, some of America’s best critics contend with both the big events of their day and the big issues of journalism to ask the always vital question: How can the press help to create and sustain a more democratic society?

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Shame the Devil: How Critics Keep American Journalism Honest

Shame the Devil: How Critics Keep American Journalism Honest

by Wayne J. Guglielmo
Shame the Devil: How Critics Keep American Journalism Honest

Shame the Devil: How Critics Keep American Journalism Honest

by Wayne J. Guglielmo

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Overview

When the press loses sight of truth and falls prey to bias, American press critics push back to safeguard our free and democratic nation.

Journalists are no strangers to criticism and some have even seen disagreements turn to outrage and acts of violence. There is another history of press criticism, though. This one as a rule doesn’t resort to physical threat or denunciation. Nevertheless, it can be merciless when critics think the press has become too slanted in one direction, has fallen short of some ideal, is too concentrated for its own good, or seems to be underreporting or ignoring some critical story of the day.

Shame the Devil is a sweeping look at this other history. Beginning with Walter Lippmann, rightly regarded as the first modern press critic, Shame the Devil provides a chapter-by-chapter profile and analysis of his successors. Many critics work within the profession of journalism, while some consider it from the outside. These include: George Seldes, A. J. Liebling, Ben Bagdikian, Reed Irvine, Neil Postman, and Noam Chomsky. A concluding chapter brings together a diverse group of contemporary critics, including Sharyl Attkisson, Brooke Gladstone, Eric Deggans, Amy Goodman, Janine Jackson, and Candace Owens.

Merging history, biography, and a candid analysis of various critical points of view, Shame the Devil moves from press commentary in the bitter aftermath of World War I to the head-spinning paradoxes of the post-truth era. Throughout, some of America’s best critics contend with both the big events of their day and the big issues of journalism to ask the always vital question: How can the press help to create and sustain a more democratic society?


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781538174821
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date: 04/15/2023
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 308
File size: 2 MB

About the Author

Wayne J. Guglielmo is a former senior editor at Medical Economics magazine, where he won awards for both his feature and special issue reporting. He has also been a contributor to other print and online publications, including Newsweek, WebMD, New Jersey Monthly, and BMW Magazine. He has taught expository writing and literature at Queens College, CUNY; Indiana University, Bloomington, where he received an MA in American literature; Hofstra University, New York; and Ramapo College of New Jersey. He lives with his wife, Maria Cornea, in Northern New Jersey.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1. Walter Lippmann: The Evolution of a Press Critic

Chapter 2. George Seldes: The Last Muckraker

Chapter 3. A.J. Liebling: Comedy of Errors

Chapter 4. Ben Bagdikian: Media for the People

Chapter 5. Reed Irvine: The Advocate

Chapter 6. Neil Postman: News as Entertainment

Chapter 7. Noam Chomsky: News as Propaganda

Chapter 8. Contemporary Critics in the Post-Truth Era

Epilogue: The Once and Future Critics

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