Despite the criticisms that have been leveled at news organizations in recent years and the many difficulties they face, journalism matters. It matters, argues Schudson, because it orients people daily in the complex and changing worlds in which they live. It matters because it offers a fact-centered, documented approach to pertinent public issues. It matters because it keeps watch on the powerful, especially those in government, and can press upon them unpleasant truths to which they must respond. Corruption is stemmed, unwise initiatives stopped, public danger averted because of what journalists do.

This book challenges journalists to think hard about what they really do. It challenges skeptical news audiences to be mindful not only of media bias but also of their own biases and how these can distort their perception. And it holds out hope that journalism will be for years to come a path for ambitious, curious young people who love words or pictures or numbers and want to use them to improve the public conversation in familiar ways or in ways yet to be imagined.

About the Author
Michael Schudson is Professor of Journalism at Columbia University.

Reviews

"Michael Schudson has written a thoughtful, comprehensive, balanced, eloquent, and passionate book about the worth of journalism in present times. A must-read."
Pablo Boczkowski, Northwestern University

"This book is vintage Schudson. A concise, matter-of-fact recitation of why we should care about journalism, it will top syllabi everywhere in explaining journalism's singular importance and in nurturing its future survival."
Barbie Zelizer, University of Pennsylvania

Book Information
ISBN 9781509538546
Author Michael Schudson
Format Hardback
Page Count 120
Imprint Polity Press
Publisher John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Weight(grams) 227g
Dimensions(mm) 193mm * 130mm * 18mm