From Yahweh to Yahoo!: THE RELIGIOUS ROOTS OF THE SECULAR PRESS (History of Communication) [Hardcover]

Doug Underwood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 2002 | ISBN-10: 025202706X | ISBN-13: 978-0252027062

Presenting religion as journalism's silent partner, "From Yahweh to Yahoo!" provides a fresh and surprising view of the religious impulses at work in the typical newsroom by delving into the largely unexamined parallels between religious and journalistic developments from the 'media' of antiquity to the electronic idolatry of the Internet. Focusing on how the history of religion in the United States has been entwined with the growth of the media, Doug Underwood makes the case that American journalists are rooted in the nation's moral and religious heritage and operate, in certain important ways, as personifications of the old religious virtues. Journalists believe they are serving a cause higher than the commercial goals of their news organizations, Underwood contends.He traces the influence on the press of the biblical prophets' complaints about moral corruption, the calls for reform arising out of the Protestant Reformation, and the principles that drove the muckraker and Social Gospel campaigns of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth. Underwood argues that one must see the profession of journalism in terms of its religious character to understand the tensions at work in today's media. He explores the forces that have pushed journalists away from identifying themselves with religion, yet notes the reverential way in which they approach such secular topics as science, technology, and psychology. His wide-ranging discussion includes the press' formulaic coverage of spiritual experience, its failure adequately to cover new and non-Christian religions in America, and the complicity of the mainstream media in launching the religious broadcasting movement.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Focusing on how the history of American religion and the growth of the media have been entwined, Underwood makes the case that American journalists are rooted in the US's moral and religious heritage and that they operate, in important ways, as personifications of the old religious virtues." -- J.D. Hamlet, CHOICE "From Yahweh to Yahoo! is a carefully researched and highly readable book that leavens our understanding of American journalism." American Journalism

Book Description

This wide-ranging study--hailed by American Journalism as one of the year's best books--provides a fresh and surprising view of the religious impulses at work in the typical newsroom by delving into the largely unexamined parallels between religion and journalism, from the "media" of antiquity to the electronic idolatry of the Internet. Focusing on how the history of religion in the United States has been entwined with the growth of the media, Doug Underwood argues that American journalists are rooted in the nation's moral and religious heritage and operate, in important ways, as personifications of the old religious virtues.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press (April 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 025202706X
• ISBN-13: 978-0252027062
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,559,686 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fresh look at complicated issue, September 18, 2002

By 

Peter Kerr (Washington DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Yahweh to Yahoo!: THE RELIGIOUS ROOTS OF THE SECULAR PRESS (History of Communication) (Hardcover)

I found this book to be a very useful and fresh approach to the complicated relationship between religion and the media. My own research efforts have discovered similar hints, that the media may indeed have a kind of liberal Christian ethic, which makes them oppose right-wing Christianity. This book gives a solid historical analysis, and is written in a very engaging style--I highly recommend it.

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Nothing original, May 11, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: From Yahweh to Yahoo!: THE RELIGIOUS ROOTS OF THE SECULAR PRESS (History of Communication) (Hardcover)

First, this book contains almost no original research in it at all. Some of it is so unoriginal as to be cliched, such as his essay on how Jesus would be covered by today's news media. Second, Underwood finds evidence of religion's influence anywhere and everywhere in the news media, which defies the facts, logic, and common sense. Third, it is usually difficult to tell when Underwood is stating his own opinion or interpretation versus summarizing one of his source's, and it also is often difficult to tell whether or not he agrees with the sources that he's quoting or paraphrasing. The book is mostly a waste of time unless you have never previously read anything on religion and U.S. news media.