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The Problem of the Media: U.S. Communication Politics in the 21st Century

Friday, April 16, 6:30pm, Free admission
The New School, 66 West 12th Street, Wollman Hall

With Robert W. McChesney and Mark Crispin Miller

The symptoms of the crisis of the U.S. media are well-known: a decline in hard news, the growth of info-tainment and advertorials, staff cuts and concentration of ownership, increasing conformity of viewpoint and suppression of genuine debate. McChesney's new book, The Problem of the Media (Monthly Review Press), gets to the roots of this crisis, explains it, and points a way forward for the growing media reform movement.

The Problem of the Media combines a rigorous reinterpretation of U.S. media history with a detailed analysis of contemporary media policies and practices. The book provides a comprehensive critique of journalism and a chilling review of the commercialization of the culture. Moving consistently from critique to action, the book outlines the many ways citizens can intervene to make this a vastly superior media system. The book concludes with a riveting account of the public campaign to oppose the relaxation of media ownership rules in 2003.

Introduced by Mark Crispin Miller, Robert W. McChesney will discuss his new book, followed by a question and answer session and book signing. This event is co-sponsored by Monthly Review Press, FAIR, Seven Stories Press, The New Press, The Nation, and the Wolfson Center for National Affairs at The New School. For further information, call Monthly Review Press: 212.691.2555 or visit www.mediaproblem.org.