Politics and the media

The book is a tour de force, described by Hall as “a culmination of my professional, scholarly, and teaching experience,” is a timely addition to national and academic debates on the media’s role in shaping political discourse. From the rise of “fake news” and social media disinformation campaigns to the rejections by millions of Americans of the 2020 election results and the Covid-19 scientific consensus, the author writes, “major news organizations have seen attacks on their credibility and even their right to report.” Despite growing public skepticism toward the media, the author notes, most Americans still believe in its pivotal role as a watchdog institution. And even with the attacks in recent years, the media continue to play a central role in shaping and directing national political conversations. In this well-researched, convincingly argued work, the author explores “how we got here, what is happening today, and what may be future directions” of the politics and media relationship. The book provides an overview and historical contextualization of the current media and political landscape in the first four sections. They also offer expert analysis on the modern media’s theoretical and ethical underpinnings and the evolution of political advertising in presidential elections since World War II. The book is well versed in the scholarly literature as well as pop-culture references found in contemporary television shows and movies. But what stands out in the volume’s research is its utilization of interviews conducted by the author that provide a range of perspectives on the media and politics. This endeavor is complemented by a generous array of photographs from various sources, diagrams, timelines, text-box vignettes, and other visual aids. The book’s comprehensive nature makes this a definitive resource on politics and the media for years to come. TW