Tragedy and Farce: How the American Media Sell Wars, Spin Elections, and Destroy Democracy

Bestselling authorities on the media analyze recent election coverage and its contribution to the decline of American democracy. "A popular government without popular information or the means of acquiring it is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy or perhaps both." —James Madison, 1822 James Madison's worst fears were realized in 2004, when voters in a popular election lacked popular information and the means to acquire it. More than anything John Kerry, George Bush, or even Karl Rove did, the media's miscoverage of the campaign decided the election. Most disturbingly, the problems with the election coverage reflect long-term problems with U.S. journalism. John Nichols and Robert W. McChesney, two of the country's foremost media analysts and founders of the national media reform group Free Press, dissect the troubling trends in journalism that surfaced in 2004—the decline in resources and standards for political journalism and the organized campaign by the political right to control the news cycle. They show how government decisions made without the informed consent of the American people have led to a media system that undermines democracy. Including newsmaking interviews with John Kerry, Howard Dean, Barack Obama, and other key players in the political process, this book is both an exposé and a call to action. View Less