Buy New

$16.00

Only 9 left in stock (more on the way).

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

This item ships to France. Want it Tuesday, Sept. 11? Order within and choose AmazonGlobal Priority Shipping at checkout. Learn more

Deliver to

Buy Used

$9.96

FREE Shipping on orders over $25.

Deliver to

Used: Good | Details

Sold by Hawthorne Academic

Fulfilled by Amazon

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Added to

Unable to add item to List. Please try again.

Other Sellers on Amazon

Add to Cart

$10.00

Sold by: MBooksnMore

Add to Cart

$15.82
+ $5.24 shipping

Sold by: PBShop US

Add to Cart

$17.00
+ $4.57 shipping

Sold by: BOOK- LAND

Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 3 images

Breaking The News: How the Media Undermine American Democracy Paperback – January 14, 1997

by James Fallows (Author)

22 customer reviews

See all 3 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$16.77

$9.94

$0.10

Paperback

"Please retry"

$16.00

$9.07

$0.10

Why do Americans mistrust the news media? It may be because show like "The McLaughlin Group" reduce participating journalists to so many shouting heads. Or because, increasingly, the profession treats issues as complex as health-care reform and foreign policy as exercises in political gamesmanship. These are just a few of the arguments that have made Breaking the News so controversial and so widely acclaimed. Drawing on his own experience as a National Book Award-winning journalist--and on the gaffes of colleagues from George Will to Cokie Roberts--Fallows shows why the media have not only lost our respect but alienated us from our public life.

"Important and lucid...It moves smartly beyond the usual attacks on sensationalism and bias to the more profound problems in modern American journalism...dead-on."--Newsweek

Frequently bought together

Total price: $26.87

One of these items ships sooner than the other. Show details

Buy the selected items together

This item:Breaking The News: How the Media Undermine American Democracy by James Fallows Paperback $16.00
Only 9 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman Paperback $10.87
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

James Fallows

58

Hardcover
$17.37
Neil Postman

503

in TV & Video Engineering
Paperback
$10.87
Janet Malcolm

47

Paperback
$14.60
James Fallows

14

Paperback
$9.34
Robert W. McChesney

25

Paperback
$15.22
Michael Schudson

4

Paperback
$22.52

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Featuring a new afterword, "Fallows's rousing jeremiad is an important beacon for everyone concerned about the news media's poor performance in helping the public make sane choices about the way we live, work and govern," said PW.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Scientific American

Important and lucid . . . It moves smartly beyond the usual attacks on sensationalism and bias to the more profound problems in modern American journalism . . . dead-on.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product details

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Vintage; 1st Vintage Books Ed edition (January 14, 1997)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0679758569
ISBN-13: 978-0679758563
Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 22 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #781,023 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #699 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Specific Topics > Censorship
- #1161 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Elections & Political Process > Elections
- #4517 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Pop Culture > General

Would you like to tell us about a lower price?
If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support?

Be the first video

Your name here

Customer reviews

1 star (0%)

Write a customer review

See all 22 customer reviews

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Simone Signoret

An outstanding book by an outstanding author.

July 23, 2014

Verified Purchase

Outstanding journalist James Fallows wrote this biting critique of the Press in 1996 - yet it is more than ever relevant. An example of a prophet crying in the wilderness. Fallows lays out clearly why the American people have lost their respect for this important profession and its practitioners, and how the Press fails its calling. It does so in two major ways: One is focusing on the sensational instead of on the important, and lacking sorely in fact checking. A well-informed public is indispensable to the proper functioning of a republic; and the fact that our republic is not well functioning at all is in large part due to a Press that does not fulfill its duty to the people.

2 people found this helpful3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Comment

Pantagruel

The content is as brilliant as its title

February 25, 2017

Verified Purchase

The content is as brilliant as its title. A few years old now, but this book is even more relevant today. It provides a frame to help process and understand the flood of media information.

3 people found this helpful4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Comment

Superb book on our most important national issue!

January 14, 2004

Verified Purchase

Appalled at the biases, distortions and omissions in the media, which have been worsening since 9-11, I recently launched on a campaign of study in regard to learning about the deterioration of the media and the influence of corporate control - and what we can do to counter it. This is one of the best, most informative and most readable of the six books on the subject I've read. I can't emphasize enough how important it is, how much our corporate-run media influence political thinking, decisionmaking and voting and influence not only the outcome of elections but the agenda and actions of politicians - and how motivated we need to become in order to counter it, to become informed about political realities rather than propaganda and myth, and as a country, to become more of a democracy and less of a plutocracy. The biggest difficult we face is that the media itself is not likely to publicize its own corruption, and is actively blocking attempts of people concerned with these issues inform the public. I also highly recommend the books on media disinformation and reform by Robert McChesney, including his mini-books Corporate Media and the Threat to Democracy and Our Media, Not Theirs.

37 people found this helpful38 people found this helpful

Helpful

Comment

terence m. mcnay

written in '96 the book is still very good at explaining why the news media are failing to ...

August 19, 2014

Verified Purchase

written in '96 the book is still very good at explaining why the news media are failing to help the public know the truth about how our society works or does not work.

3 people found this helpful4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Comment

T.L.Walker

on target

December 7, 2009

Verified Purchase

uses examples that are easy to follow and a clear writing style. It is for anyone who has a interest in the world of media.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Comment

John Smith

Unique deep Insight in the world of Journalism showing authors and publishers battles.

June 25, 2018

Verified Purchase

Deep analysis of what goes wrong that makes it impossible to get any real data out of Journalism. Why do authors sweetie using numbers that would give us a sense of proportion?

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Comment

SOL STERN

Two Stars

October 8, 2017

Verified Purchase

outdated

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Comment

Acute Observer

Analyzing the Corporate Media

July 1, 2017

Breaking The News

James Fallows is the Washington editor of ‘The Atlantic Monthly’ and author of “Looking at the Sun” and “National Defense”; he won the National Book Award. His weekly commentaries are on National Public Radio. This 1996 book has a ‘Contents’, six chapters, ‘Notes’, but no Index for its 296 pages. Since the 1980's Americans have hostility towards the press (‘Introduction’). There is a decline in people who read newspapers or watch the news on TV. Is it the fault of the audience or the corporate media? The essence of real journalism is to provide information that is useful to the public (p.7). Presenting politics as a struggle among scheming politicians doesn’t explain the issues. The proper job of journalists is to provide accurate information to people. [There has been a consolidation of newspaper ownership and a decline in advertising and news readership since the Bush Great Recession.]

Why has the media become so unpopular (Chapter 1)? Journalists are employees who have to follow orders, so that may explain why they talk about the game of politics(p.24). They avoid the real issues (p.29). Are commentators affected by their financial links (p.37)? Whose values and policies do they represent? Who writes their scripts? The “reportorial elite” have an outlook different from average Americans (p.49). [But isn’t that true of the rich in general?] TV news is expected to show a profit by attracting viewers and advertising dollars. Issues of long-term national significance are rare (p.57). [In discussing “60 Minutes” do they edit the show to create questions to dramatize the answers (p.58)?] There was a decline in newspapers, big stores and shopping centers (pp.67-71). The quality of reporters changed (Chapter 3); few were like their readers (p.76). Media coverage of NAFTA was favorable (p.81). So too coverage of taxes (p.82). Speaking fees for journalists tend to corrupt them (p.103). Are TV talk shows like episodic comedies (p.116)? Fallows compares “The Simpsons” to “The Capital Gang”.

Why do we need the news (Chapter 4)? For meaningful and useful information. [“Will it rain later?] What is important may be crowded out by novelties (p.131). [People have limited time to listen to a radio for news.] Events are reported but the historical backgrounds omitted. One reason for disaster coverage is it seldom involves politics or economics (p.144). Isn’t the concept of the “culture of poverty” an excuse to do nothing (p.153)? Fallows’ remarks on the Smoot-Hawley tariff are wrong, the Great Depression began years before 1930 (p.155). Are polls meaningful when people know little (p.167)? Wrong predictions are not a problem for journalists. The OJ Simpson case replaced the more important North Korea issue (p.174).

There is a formula for TV news (p.200). Does reporting distort the news (p.201)? The health insurance companies ran TV ads of “Harry and Louise” to influence people who could not distinguish them from real news (p.218). Misinformation was used to attack Clinton’s health care bill (p.228). [Those restrictions are to prevent costly and unneeded treatments.] A Talk Radio show broadcast false information (p.231). The modern age of propaganda began in World War I (Chapter 6). Does the media properly report the issues or treat them as a form of entertainment? Should any newspaper take charge in leading public opinion rather than civic organizations? Do conflicts make the news (p.264)?

Twenty years have passed since this book was published. There have been economic declines in this country, newspapers have been affected. What would he write today if this book was republished?

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Comment

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway

This item: Breaking The News: How the Media Undermine American Democracy

Set up a giveaway

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

James Fallows

58

Hardcover
$17.37
Jon Meacham

514

in U.S. Immigrant History
Hardcover
$17.17
James M. Fallows

4

Hardcover
$26.03
Bruce Katz

8

Hardcover
$20.04
Sarah Kendzior

168

Paperback
$9.20
Alissa Quart

43

Hardcover
$16.79

Buy New

$16.00

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Buy Used

$9.96

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Other Sellers on Amazon

Breaking The News: How the Media Undermine American Democracy Paperback – January 14, 1997

Frequently bought together

Customers who bought this item also bought

Sponsored products related to this item (What's this?)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

From Scientific American

Product details

Related Video Shorts (0)

Be the first video

Sponsored products related to this item (What's this?)

Customer reviews

Read reviews that mention

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Most recent customer reviews

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Buy New $16.00

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Buy Used $9.96

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Sorry, there was a problem.

Sorry, there was a problem.

Other Sellers on Amazon

Breaking The News: How the Media Undermine American Democracy Paperback – January 14, 1997

Frequently bought together

Customers who bought this item also bought

Sponsored products related to this item (What's this?)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

From Scientific American

Product details

Related Video Shorts (0)

Be the first video

Sponsored products related to this item (What's this?)

Customer reviews

Read reviews that mention

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Most recent customer reviews

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Buy New

$16.00

Buy Used

$9.96