Journalism does not create democracy and democracy does not invent journalismbut what is the relationship between them? This question is at the heart ofthis boo... » 

Journalism does not create democracy and democracy does not invent journalismbut what is the relationship between them? This question is at the heart ofthis book by world renowned sociologist and media scholar Michael Schudson.Focusing on the U.S. media but seeing them in a comparative context Schudsonbrings his understanding of news as at once a storytelling and factcenteredpractice to bear on a variety of controversies about what public knowledgetoday is and what it should be. Should experts have a role in governingdemocracies? Is news melodramatic or is it ironic or is it both at differenttimes? In the title essay Schudson even suggests that journalism serves theinterests of free expression and democracy best when it least lives up to thedemands of media critics for deep thought and analysis passion for thesensational event may be news at its democratically most powerful. Livelyprovocative unconventional and deeply informed by a rich understanding ofjournalisms history this work collects the best of Schudsons recentwritings including several pieces published here for the first time. «