Choice 评论
Johnston accuses the US mass media of stealing the country's future, killing its culture, and scaring its population to death. Using extensive data and case studies, the author argues that in claiming their right to free speech the owners of the media provide news containing little information while limiting access to media for those who question what corporate media presents. She claims owners and advertisers abandon democratic principles in order to invoke techniques designed to frighten the public, and that they lobby for laws and regulations that bypass democratic processes and cut out public input. And she castigates educators, particularly in schools of journalism, for their failure to encourage understanding of how mass media work. Extensive statistical data and examples reveal how the existing corporate media-- through gatekeeping--limit advocacy, allow the public access to only a narrow channel of information, and thus shape public perceptions. In her final chapter, Johnston leans heavily on public education and the need for a public voice in media regulation. Though the author is probably overly optimistic about how much the public is willing to alter its appetite for entertainment and its belief in consumerism, her book should be a required reading for students of media literacy in all high schools and colleges. R. Cathcart; emeritus, CUNY Queens College