After Broadcast News Media Regimes, Democracy, and the New Information Environment

"After Broadcast News does more than any book I know to explain why the old distinctions between news, opinion, and entertainment are breaking down and why these changes are not a catastrophe! Williams and Delli Carpini provide a powerful, critical revisionist history of journalism's so-called golden era, trimming it down to size as simply the latest - and not necessarily the greatest - 'media regime' since the dawn of American democracy. As economic, cultural, and technological forces create the conditions for a new order, the authors present ample evidence of talk show hosts, filmmakers and actors, comedians, musicians, bloggers, and engaged citizens making creative use of media for democratically-useful ends. Journalism will continue to have an important role to play. At the end of the day, though, what's really important is not who produces politically-relevant discourse, but simply that it is created and disseminated as widely as possible. This book will change the way you see the world. It's a compelling call to arms to stop fighting the last era's media battles in order to better direct the changes to come."
- Rodney Benson, New York University