Our Media, Not Theirs (Open Media Series) (Paperback)

~ John Nichols (Author), Robert W. McChesney (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Much of the U.S. media is consolidated in the hands of a few large companies, which results in journalism biased toward the corporate point of view, this book contends. The authors argue for local control, chronicle the rise of grassroots media activism, and conclude with a proposal for meaningful improvement.

About the Author

Heraled as a modern day Thomas Paine and "one of the nation's most important analysts of the media," McChesney has written or edited 8 books, including "Telecommunications, Mass Media, and Democracy" and "Rich Media, Poor Democracy." He's a professor at the University of Illinois and hosts a weekly radio show on WILL-AM.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Open Media; Revised edition (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583225498
• ISBN-13: 978-1583225493
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #464,847 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Conservative and Liberals Will Agree on This One, December 3, 2002

By	C. Colt "It Just Doesn't Matter" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

'Our Media Not Theirs' is one of two or three books that convinced me that the gulf between conservatives and liberals in the United States is relatively small while the one between powerful corporations and the majority of American citizens is enormous. In this refreshing, intelligent, and down-to-earth book, McChesney and Nichols provide an astute analysis of increasing corporate media consolidation and its harmful impact on life and democracy in America. As this trend continues, according to McChesney and Nichols, media content is increasingly geared toward profit and provides no significant analysis or factual reporting. As a result, Americans are left with massive advertising whose requirements not only displace news content but actually begin to shape it. The news, according to McChesney, and Nichols is evolving into a massive infomercial--a trend that is deeply opposed by Americans on all ends of the political spectrum.

McChesney and Nichols dispel many commonly held myths of the American media including the notion that it merely 'gives the people what they want'. The authors demonstrate that media content is not determined by popular demand but by corporate and advertising requirements. Many well documented surveys, hearings, and town meetings indicate that Americans of all political stripes hunger for a real media, for one that provides objective reporting of facts, meaningful analysis, and an examination of different points of view.

The authors also explain the puzzling myth of the media's liberal bias. Conservative zealots such as Rush Limbaugh and Anne Cultur often accuse the media of excessive and, in their opinion, offensive liberal views, while many liberals view the media as the propaganda wing of the political and economic elite. McChesney and Nichols trace the myth of media liberal bias back to the Reagan era when any questioning of the president's character or competence was immediately labeled a liberal bias. But when it comes to the most significant stories of the past two years (The dysfunctional 2000 presidential election, government and corporate corruption resulting in the collapse of major companies such as Enron, and the causes of 9/11 and the resulting 'War on Terrorism') the media refuses to provide meaningful, fact-based, and analytical coverage of events. This is especially evident in the case of Enron and similar companies, in which the media simply categorized the phenomenon as a bad business problem and ignored its massive implications of political corruption. In the case of 9/11, the media desisted from any meaningful analysis of the facts and instead produced paean after paean for President Bush.

Does the media deliver any meaningful content to anyone at all? McChesney and Nichols argue that, sure, they provide round the clock business coverage for a tiny minority of bankers, traders, and corporate executives. But when it comes to operating a free press that provides a variety of coverage that is essential to any functioning democracy, the media doesn't deliver. Most media legislation such as the Telecommunications Act of 1996 is performed behind closed doors and almost always results in increasing consolidation.

This book would be pretty depressing if it were only a critical analysis of the corporate media, but fortunately there is more to it than that. McChesney and Nichols chronicle both the dissatisfaction that Americans of all political persuasions feel toward the media and the burgeoning movement for media reform. In asking concerned readers to get involved with media reform, the authors compare this situation with reform movements of the past to illustrate that it is difficult but by no means impossible. At the end of the book the authors produce a very practical list of required events for media reform and of things that the average person can do. They point out a significant number of existing media watchdog and reform groups and urge them to pool their efforts in the coming months. Personal involvement in media reform can, according to the authors, stem the tide of increasing corporate media consolidation, diminished reporting and analysis, and of the ever increasing intrusion of commercials and advertising in every facet of American life.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants more out of televised and printed news than massive commercials and meaningless coverage of events. Excluding the political and economic elite, I suspect that as much as conservatives and liberals disagree with each other, both would rather see their difference reported and examined by the media in a meaningful fashion instead of in a superficial, branded one. The title of this book, 'Our Media Not Theirs' in no way refers to political distinctions such as liberal and conservative. Instead, it refers to the fact that the media should reflect the needs of the majority of Americans, not its ever-shrinking handful of corporate owners. When this happens, America will truly have a free press instead of the current institution that masquerades as one.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An urgent call to media reform, January 2, 2003

By A Customer

This concise book deals with the deplorable state of the news media in the United States. Whereas the propaganda system wants us to believe that the media is pluralistic and open to opposing points of view, the reality is that the media is heavily tilted towards espousing corporate interests that are at odds with the interests of the general population. The result is that democracy is greatly weakened because a functioning democracy depends on an informed public to make decisions. This current state of affairs stems from the simple fact that the media is owned by wealthy individuals and corporations who only allow us to hear and see what is in their interests. In addition to exposing the corruption of the media, if you will, this book gives some guidlines as to how citizens can make the media more responsive to our needs.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Out of The Margins, June 11, 2003

By	Edward M. Melendez (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The key issue today is media reform.

An aggressive and adversarial press is crucial to our democracy.
Much of the apathy and disappointment that people express with the state of the world is due in no small part to the media. In my opinion, Americans have always been somewhat self-absorbed and apathetic. Also, there is really no such thing as "objective" journalism. Never was, and unlikely there ever will be. Everyone has their own biases and assumptions, especially journalists. What's different today is that media consolidation has reduced the number of competing voices to a very small, advertiser-focused group of companies, who are trying to deliver news as cheaply as possible. That.s why you know more about J. Lo than about, say, the fact that the US is giving no longer giving any aid to Afghanistan -- after eviscerating their government and decimating the country. There's just no profit in telling Americans the real news, or so it seems.

What's the usual problem with "lefty" type books, especially those written by academics? They usually spend an inordinate amount of time trying to prove their thesis correct, and by the time they have beaten you over the head with facts and statistics, they peter out on any suggestions for solutions, and the reader is left feeling helpless, angry and more depressed than when they started reading. That's a recipe for the marginalization of progressives, especially during these conservative times.

McChesney and Nichols don't fall into that trap with this book, however. They do indeed beat you over the head with the statistics and facts, but they make concrete suggestions and point to real models of success in the world today.