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The Political Economy of Media: Enduring Issues, Emerging Dilemmas

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Robert W. McChesney (Professor in the Department of Communication, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) presents The Political Economy of the Media: Enduring Issues, Emerging Dilemmas, a sharply worded critique of how journalism has decayed in today's modern, overly commercialized culture. On the bright side, an emerging media reform movement has arrived in response to the degraded ability of the modern media to be a watchdog for democracy and consumers. An in-depth social treatise concerning the crucial role the media plays in human society worldwide, The Political Economy of the Media is highly recommended especially for college library collections, as well as political science and media studies scholars.

Don't let the title of the review fool you; the reviews on the back of the book assure me that it's a thrill to read for the master media critic, as well, but since I know next to nothing about contemporary media criticism, I can only view it through the novice lens. Let me finish my preface by saying that I'm reading this book because I'm in the author's course on "Money, Media, and Power"

McChesney classifies himself as a Political Economist of Media: a member of the class of media critics who aren't afraid to scrutinize the structure of the media, economy, and political system being analyzed. By viewing the most pressing issues in communications today without being afraid to examine the role of the institutions the issues are situated in, Political Economists of Media in general and McChesney in particular are able to gain a perspective that is both unusually broad and long.

The result is that the book raises profoundly under-asked questions that address core issues facing every member of American society, and the book hints at solutions that might rely on incredibly radical reforms. However, if you read the book objectively, you'll be more convinced than ever that our system is fatally flawed and the only types of reforms that will work will be very radical indeed.

McChesney's book has the power to ignite a strong movement against the corporate control of mass media institutions. It is one of the most pressing and relevant issues faced by the world that demands immediate action and active campaigning.

Academics in the field of media and communication must read this book. Read it, and you will know why I recommend this book.

I posted the following review of McChesney's previous incarnation of this book, "Rich Media, Poor Democracy":

"This book contains a gross error of an incident about me that was widely, and accurately, covered by other media, most notably the Washington Post and Columbia Journalism Review. (See "Blasting the Boss in Boston", Stephen J. Simurda, Columbia Journalism Review, September 2000.) I contacted McChesney when I discovered it; he apologized and said he would correct it in any future editions of this book. There have, however, been no future editions and it would be good of him to uphold the journalistic responsibility about which he so passionately preaches by providing an insert to any copies sold. I have no knowledge that he has done so. Readers should therefore be forewarned of the scholarly deficiency of this work."

Well, guess what? The new book is copyrighted 2008 - at least six years after our conversation - and contains the same error. This is beyond unacceptable and renders worthless any criticism McChesney may have of the evils of mainstream media or whatever he is railing about. Ridiculous.