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A Study of American Journalism (POD)

ISBN-13: 9780252071102
Publisher: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS PRESS
Imprint: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS PRESS
By Upton Sinclair
Price: AUD $49.99
Stock: 0 in stock
Availability: This book is temporarily out of stock, order will be despatched as soon as fresh stock is received.
Local release date: 14/01/2003
Format: Paperback 480 pages Weight: 0g
Categories: Media studies [JFD]

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Google Preview: In this systematic critique of the structural basis of U.S. media -- arguably the first one ever published -- Upton Sinclair writes that American journalism is a class institution serving the rich and spurning the poor. Likening journalists to prostitutes, the title of the book refers to a chit that was issued to patrons of urban brothels of the era. Fueled by mounting disdain for newspapers run by business tycoons and conservative editors, Sinclair self-published The Brass Check in the years after The Jungle had made him a household name. Despite Sinclair's claim that this was his most important book, it was dismissed by critics and shunned by reviewers. Yet it sold over 150,000 copies and enjoyed numerous printings. A substantial introduction to this paperback edition by Robert W. McChesney and Ben Scott asserts the book's importance as a cornerstone critique of commercial journalism and a priceless resource for understanding the political turbulence of the Progressive Era.; ''This unruly classic, originally published by the author in 1919 and last reprinted fifty-seven years ago by Haldeman-Julius, the old socialist publishing house, has now been trotted out into the light of the twenty-first century... No writer on the press has ever matched the old muckraker Sinclair (1878-1968) for exuberance and abundance. He is always personal, but always reaching beyond the personal; he did not fear to use his own divorce to illustrate newspaper malice and malfeasance. His portrait of the press of his era (and in particular The Associated Press) is thoroughly disheartening - an institution in thrall to corporate policy and publishers' whims, using untruths, dirty tricks, and blackouts to serve political ends... [In their new introduction, Robert W. McChesney and Ben Scott] contend, with good reason, that Sinclair's thesis is still valid - that America lacks a press worthy of a democracy.'' - James Boylan, Columbia Journalism Review; Google Preview content

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A Study of American Journalism (POD)