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An updated edition of the “penetrating study” examining how the current state of mass media puts our democracy at risk (Noam Chomsky).
What happens when a few conglomerates dominate all major aspects of mass media, from newspapers and magazines to radio and broadcast television? After all the hype about the democratizing power of the internet, is this new technology living up to its promise? Since the publication of this prescient work, which won Harvard’s Goldsmith Book Prize and the Kappa Tau Alpha Research Award, the concentration of media power and the resultant “hypercommercialization of media” has only intensified.
Robert McChesney lays out his vision for what a truly democratic society might look like, offering compelling suggestions for how the media can be reformed as part of a broader program of democratic renewal. Rich Media, Poor Democracy remains as vital and insightful as ever and continues to serve as an important resource for researchers, students, and anyone who has a stake in the transformation of our digital commons.
This new edition includes a major new preface by McChesney, where he offers both a history of the transformation in media since the book first appeared; a sweeping account of the organized efforts to reform the media system; and the ongoing threats to our democracy as journalism has continued its sharp decline.
“Those who want to know about the relationship of media and democracy must read this book.” —Neil Postman
“If Thomas Paine were around, he would have written this book.” —Bill Moyers
What happens when a few conglomerates dominate all major aspects of mass media, from newspapers and magazines to radio and broadcast television? After all the hype about the democratizing power of the internet, is this new technology living up to its promise? Since the publication of this prescient work, which won Harvard’s Goldsmith Book Prize and the Kappa Tau Alpha Research Award, the concentration of media power and the resultant “hypercommercialization of media” has only intensified.
Robert McChesney lays out his vision for what a truly democratic society might look like, offering compelling suggestions for how the media can be reformed as part of a broader program of democratic renewal. Rich Media, Poor Democracy remains as vital and insightful as ever and continues to serve as an important resource for researchers, students, and anyone who has a stake in the transformation of our digital commons.
This new edition includes a major new preface by McChesney, where he offers both a history of the transformation in media since the book first appeared; a sweeping account of the organized efforts to reform the media system; and the ongoing threats to our democracy as journalism has continued its sharp decline.
“Those who want to know about the relationship of media and democracy must read this book.” —Neil Postman
“If Thomas Paine were around, he would have written this book.” —Bill Moyers
Price: $22.95
Pages: 496
Publisher: The New Press
Imprint: The New Press
Publication Date:
02 June 2015
Trim Size: 9.25 X 6.13 in
ISBN: 9781565849754
Format: Paperback
"Robert W. McChesney is one of the nation's most important analysts of the media."
—Howard Zinn
"If Thomas Paine were around, he would have written this book. If Paul Revere was here, he would spread the word."
—Bill Moyers
"[McChesney] takes the beast directly by the throat."
—Molly Ivins
"Those who want to know about the relationship of media and democracy must read this book."
—Neil Postman
—Howard Zinn
"If Thomas Paine were around, he would have written this book. If Paul Revere was here, he would spread the word."
—Bill Moyers
"[McChesney] takes the beast directly by the throat."
—Molly Ivins
"Those who want to know about the relationship of media and democracy must read this book."
—Neil Postman
Robert W. McChesney (1952–2025) was the Gutgsell Endowed Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the author of some two dozen books on media and political economy, including Digital Disconnect, Communication Revolution, and the award-winning Rich Media, Poor Democracy; a co-author, with John Nichols, of Tragedy and Farce; and a co-editor, with Ben Scott, of Our Unfree Press, and, with Victor Pickard, of Will the Last Reporter Please Turn Out the Lights (all published by The New Press). McChesney and Nichols are also the co-authors of the award-winning Dollarocracy: How the Money and Media Election Complex Is Destroying America. McChesney’s work has been translated into thirty-one languages.