Behind the Front Page [Paperback]

David S Broder (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Broder, longtime political correspondent for the Washington Post, takes a gentlemanly look at contemporary journalism and comes up with a mild surprise or two. He is impressed, for example, by the way our neighbors to the north handle media coverage of national campaigns and proposes that "catching up with the Canadians" wouldn't be a bad way for our own media to begin improving itself. Unfortunately, he isn't altogether clear on what needs improving. (He admits that he doesn't take seriously the charge of media bias, for one thing.) The book is, for the most part, a sprawling discussion of the way presidential campaigns are covered, the relationship between journalists and public officials in general and , in particular, the relationship between the White House press corps and what he calls "the White House propaganda machine." Major ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

An eminent political columnist for the Washington Post, known for his insightful commentary, maintains that explanatory tone in considering news coverage of presidential aspirants and White House incumbents. Broder asks why the public is confused about political news and commentators' views. The truth that each reporter feels he or she presents may, in truth, be his or her own truth. Columnists and reporters, Broder says, need to hear from readers and viewers to understand how their bias or their intentionally bias-free writing is perceived. This book should assist readers in seeing how reporters shape what they write, and why. For general and specialized media/politics collections. Abraham Z. Bass, Journalism Dept., Northern Illinois Univ., DeKalb
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743205502
• ISBN-13: 978-0743205504
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,923,330 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "~All The News That's Fit To Print ..., March 26, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Behind the Front Page (Paperback)

...of unsubstantiated rumor that we've heard in the last 24 hrs~".

I read this when it first came out so I'm forced to paraphrase Mr. Broder, Pulitzer Prize winning political commentator, in that quote.

This is a fantastic book. A fascinating, unbiased, inside look at how the news is made. An extremely even keeled examination that is riveting from beginning to end. Personally I would strongly suggest it to any high-school government class, college level media class, and an absolute must for anybody that watches the news on TV or reads the paper.

Find out how politicians manipulate the news, about sound bites, false stories, newspaper owners, and just about everything and anything that deals with news and Mr. Broder does it in an entertaining way. Forget everything you know or think you know about how the news is made. David S. Broder calls it how he's seen it, from the front lines and "behind the front page".

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inside view of the news business, October 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Behind the Front Page: A Candid Look at How the News Is Made (Hardcover)

Too bad this is out-of-print! Mr. Broder is not nearly as dry as he is in his newspaper columns in this book but just as insightful and non-partisan. He offers valuable inside criticism on the news media and also answers some common criticisms that he does not feel valued (like the claims of a "conservative" or "liberal" media). Very informative and well worth reading.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent look at the media, still relevant to today, October 18, 2009

By 

S. J. Snyder "De gustibus non disputandum" (Various, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Behind the Front Page (Paperback)

Other than the Internet and Fox News, everything David Broder discussed about the media, warts and all, and some people warning of its demise, is as true today as it was 25 years ago.

I'd love to see Broder do an update, and look more at the business side of the media.

That said, as a newspaper editor myself, I say that Broder rights true. There are certainly elements of competitive rush, cliqueishness and more, but they're not killers of good news. Especially in political news coverage, he has some good prescriptions from back then that have yet to be fully adopted.

Anyway, if you want to see how nothing is new under the sun in the media biz, get this book.