Attack the Messenger: How Politicians Turn You Against the Media (American Political Challenges) (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 1988, Vice President George H.W. Bush successfully evaded Dan Rather's questions about his Iran-Contra affair involvement by going on the attack in a live interview on CBS. Crawford, a TV pundit and Congressional Quarterly columnist, identifies this event as the turning point in the media's relationship to both politicians and the nation. In this impassioned dissection of the rapid devolution of the media's power in today's political environment, he asserts that the public's distrust of the news media has reached at a high point, an issue he considers one of "the most hazardous political challenges now facing Americans." Politicians—liberals and conservatives alike (though Republicans bear the brunt of Crawford's ire)—have deflected criticism and convinced the public to blame the media. Though Crawford makes no startling observations or conclusions, he marshals convincing evidence for his argument, from the decline of PBS's editorial independence to the "televised smack-downs" between reporter Helen Thomas and former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer during the lead-up to the Iraq War. Slim as Crawford's book may be, it does a decent job of pulling together the principal moments of the ongoing struggle between the press and the government. (Oct.)
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Product Description

These days the truth is hard to find. If the press is not believed--or believable--because politicians have turned the public against it, then the press is not free, and without a free press, there is no democracy. Includes behind the scenes stories about reporters and politicians in conflict, an objective look at the ongoing debate over liberal and conservative bias in the news media, an engaging story of the Internet's positive and negative impact on the reliable flow of information, and a media resource guide to the best sources of objective reporting.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. (October 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0742538168
• ISBN-13: 978-0742538160
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #319,935 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Vote! It Just Encourages Them!, October 17, 2005

By	Alan Smithee (Mount Vernon Ave, VA) - See all my reviews

With a sardonic wit rarely heard in today's vacuous media echo chamber, MSNBC-CBS-Imus-CQ political pundit Craig Crawford provides an erudite treatise on why political journalism is in such turmoil. His analysis is as clear as Ketel One vodka on the rocks; his interpretation of the new media's impact on political coverage is as meaty as a triple-decker club sandwich. In this era of gotchya journalism and the politicians who hate it, Crawford provides a scholarly take on the hows and whys on the modern blabbocracy.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a fantastic book!, September 11, 2005

By	Marisa - See all my reviews

Once I picked it up I didn't want to put it down again. Craig Crawford has provided compelling and insightful criticism of the role of politicians and the press in the erosion of public trust in the media. A sobering look at the intersection of politics and media as it exists today. A must read for consumers of news and information, but should be of particular interest to students of Journalism, Public Policy and Political Science.

Craig offers much needed historical context for the breakdown in trust between the politicians, the press and the public. He makes an eloquent case for the importance of a free press to a healthy democracy. We all benefit when the press is free to serve its ultimate purpose of watchdog and informant for the public, and we all suffer when that process is eroded. Everyone should read this book.

Buy this book! Buy this book! Seriously, you'll be glad you did.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Needed Debate, September 16, 2005

By	C. Todd - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Crawford brings to the mainstream a debate that's been taking place among journalists for years. As citizen journalism grows, the power of the "MSM" will only grow as someone will always be looked to, to call "balls and strikes." This means the strategy of politicians (no matter their party) attacking the media will continue. (The Clintons were just as bad about attacking the media, er, messenger, as the Bushes) And this book details just how harmful the discrediting of journalism is to the Republic.

Crawford has a unique ability to see things with a vision most in DC don't have. It helps that Crawford never forgets his roots, something that's always refreshing during his must listen to appearances on "Imus." He's never a "conventional wisdom" rehasher.

Crawford also brings to light the debate about "bias." He correctly reminds readers that all journalists have bias. Sometimes the bias is for an ideology, sometimes for a person and sometimes for an issue. A good journalist is "Fair and Biased."

Bottom line, whether you are a casual follower of politics or an up-and-coming journalist/blogger, this is a must read book. You won't be disappointed.