The Political Economy of Media: Enduring Issues, Emerging Dilemmas / Edition 1

by Robert W. McChesney

Overview

The influence of media on society is unquestioned. Its reach penetrates nearly every corner of the world and every aspect of life. But it has also been a contested realm, embodying class politics and the interests of monopoly capital. In The Political Economy of Media, one of the foremost media critics of our time, Robert W. McChesney, provides a comprehensive analysis of the economic and political powers that are being mobilized to consolidate private control of media with increasing profit — all at the expense of democracy.
In this elegant and lucid collection, McChesney examines the monopolistic competition that has created a global media that is ever more concentrated and centralized. McChesney reveals why questions about the ownership of commercial U.S. media remain off limits within the political culture; how private ownership of media leads to the degradation of journalism and suppression of genuine debate; and why corporate rule threatens democracy by failing to provide the means for an educated and informed citizenry. The Political Economy of Media also highlights resistance to corporate media over the last century, including the battle between broadcasters and the public in the 1920s and 1930s and the ongoing media reform movement today. The Political Economy of Media makes it clear that the struggle over the ownership and the role of media is of utmost importance to everyone.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781583671610
Publisher:	Monthly Review Press
Publication date:	05/01/2008
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	589
Sales rank:	647,357
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.31(d)

About the Author

Robert W. McChesney is the Gutgsell Endowed Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is the author of The Political Economy of Media, Communication Revolution, The Problem of the Media, and Rich Media, Poor Democracy.

Table of Contents

Preface     7
Introduction     11
Journalism     23
The Problem of Journalism     25
A Century of Radical Media Criticism in the United States     67
Upton Sinclair and the Contradictions of Capitalist Journalism     83
Telling the Truth at a Moment of Truth: U.S. News Media and the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq     97
How to Think About Journalism: Looking Backward, Going Forward     117
Critical Studies     155
The Battle for the U.S. Airwaves, 1928-1935     157
The Payne Fund and Radio Broadcasting, 1928-1935     181
Media Made Sport: A History of Sports Coverage in the United States     213
Public Broadcasting in the Age of Communication Revolution     233
The New Theology of the First Amendment: Class Privilege Over Democracy     249
The Commercial Tidal Wave     265
Noam Chomsky and the Struggle Against Neoliberalism     283
The New Economy: Myth and Reality     291
The Political Economy of International Communications     305
Politics and Media Reform     339
Off-Limits: An Inquiry into the Lack of Debate Over the Ownership, Structure, and Control of the Media in U.S. Political Life     341
The Internet and U.S. CommunicationPolicymaking in Historical and Critical Perspective     355
U.S. Left and Media Politics     383
Global Media and Its Discontents     393
Theses on Media Deregulation
Rich Media, Poor Democracy: Communication Politics in Dubious Times     425
The Case for U.S. Public Broadcasting and Implications for Philanthropists     445
The Escalating War Against Corporate Media     461
The U.S. Media Reform Movement Going Forward     491
Notes     501
Index     569