Media Debates: Great Issues for the Digital Age (with InfoTrac) - Softcover

Dennis, Everette E.; Merrill, John C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0534579337 ISBN 13: 9780534579333

Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing, 2001

Synopsis

These renowned scholars present 19 issues specific to the interplay of media and society and debate them in this text. After a thoughtful introduction to the issue in that chapter, each author takes a pro or con position to debate the contested topic. Dennis and Merrill provide a context for students to think critically about key media topics and their impact on society by providing a balanced range of timeless and current issues in this unique format.

About this title

About the Author:

Everette E. Dennis is the Felix E. Larkin Professor of Communication and Media Instructor at Fordham¿s Graduate School of Business in New York City. He was founding director of the respected Media Studies Center at Columbia University and founding president of the American Academy in Berlin. He has been a dean at the University of Oregon and taught at the Universities of Minnesota, Kansas State and Northwestern. Dr. Dennis recently completed a major study of the digital strategies of the top 25 media companies¿the same year he won the coveted Eleanor Blum Award for service to research from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Review:

Preface. About the Authors. Introduction. 1. FREEDOM OF THE PRESS. Challenge - Dennis: Press freedom is not a settled issue. Response - Merrill: Press freedom is mostly a settled issue. 2. MEDIA?GOVERNMENT RELATIONSHIP. Challenge - Merrill: The media and government should not be adversaries. Response - Dennis: The media and government should be adversaries. 3. MEDIA AND DEMOCRACY. Challenge - Dennis: The media should be more democratic. Response - Merrill: The media need not be more democratic. 4. CONCENTRATION OF MEDIA OWNERSHIP. Challenge - Dennis: The new concentration of media ownership ultimately benefits the public. Response - Merrill: Concentration of ownership is dangerous for people and society. 5. MEDIA AND THE PUBLIC TRUST. Challenge - Merrill: The media exist mainly to make profits. Response - Dennis: The media must serve the public interest and make profits. 6. THE RIGHT TO KNOW. Challenge - Dennis: There is no right to know. Response - Merrill: There is a right to know. 7. MEDIA BIAS AND POLITICAL LEANINGS. Challenge - Dennis: The news media are not biased. Response - Merrill: The news media are biased. 8. MEDIA, POLITICS AND ELECTIONS. Challenge - Merrill: The media cover, but don?t control elections. Response - Dennis: The media influence?and often control?elections. 9. PUBLIC OPINION AND THE POLLS. Challenge - Dennis: The media structure and shape public opinion through polls. Response - Merrill: Polls in the media mainly report on public sentiment. 10. DECIDING WHAT?S NEWS. Challenge - Dennis: Market forces, not editors? judgments, should decide what is news. Response - Merrill: Editors? judgments, not market forces, should decide what is news. 11. MEDIA ETHICS. Challenge - Merrill: Journalists and other media people are essentially unethical. Response - Dennis: Journalists and other media people are essentially ethical. 12. JOURNALISTIC OBJECTIVITY. Challenge - Merrill: Journalistic objectivity is not possible. Response - Dennis: Journalistic objectivity is possible. 13. CIVIC/PUBLIC JOURNALISM. Challenge - Merrill: Civic or public journalism is a healthy trend for the media. Response - Dennis: Civic or public journalism is an unhealthy trend for the media. 14. DIGITAL STRATEGIES?THE INTERNET AND NEW MEDIA. Challenge - Merrill: The Internet and new media are debasing journalism. Response - Dennis: The Internet and new media are strengthening journalism. 15. RACE, ETHNICITY AND GENDER. Challenge - Dennis: Diversity needs rethinking and reassessment. Response - Merrill: Diversity does not need rethinking and reassessment. 16. WAR, TERRORISM AND NATIONAL EMERGENCIES. Challenge - Dennis: News should be mostly unconstrained, even during wars and national emergencies. Response - Merrill: News media should be constrained, under some circumstances, during wars and national emergencies. 17. JOURNALISM IS A PROFESSION. Challenge - Merrill: Journalism is not a profession. Response - Dennis: Journalism is a profession. 18. ADVERTISING. Challenge - Merrill: Advertising is a negative social force. Response - Dennis: Advertising is a positive social force. 19. PUBLIC RELATIONS. Challenge - Dennis: Public relations manipulates the news. Response - Merrill: Public relations provides an essential news service. 20. GLOBALIZATION AND THE MEDIA. Challenge - Dennis: Globalization greatly benefits people, the media and freedom of expression. Response - Merrill: Globalization harms national and local media thus impairing freedom of expression. Media Debates Web Resources. Index.

About this edition

• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0534579337
• ISBN 13: 9780534579333
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 232