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.