This book is the first systematic study of investigative reporting in the post-Watergate era. The authors examine the historical roots, contemporary nature, and societal impact of this controversial form of reporting, which they call "the journalism of outrage." Contrary to the conventional wisdom that depicts muckrakers and policymakers as antagonists, the authors show how investigative journalists often collaborate with public policymakers to set the agenda for reform. Based on a decade-long program of research--highlighted by case studies of the life courses of six media investigations and interviews with a national sample of over 800 investigative journalists--they develop a new theory about the agenda-building role of media in American society.

Combining empirical methods and media sociology, the authors probe the impact of investigative reporting on public policy, and challenge conventional assumption that investigative journalism is generated within newsrooms without external influences. The authors follow the life span of six investigative stories, written or broadcast from 1981 to 1988, from the story's inception through its preparation and eventual public impact. They find that public officials and other expert policymakers are normally involved at the time of a newsroom decision to begin an investigation. They empirically measure the effect of each story on public opinion, governmental officials, and policymakers. The impact of investigative stories to change public and expert opinion is found to be inconsistent, which results in public policy alternatives ranging from reassessing public employee job efficiency to extensive changes in regulatory law. ISBN 0-89862-314-6: $30.00.

From Derek Hunter—one of the most entertaining political writers today—comes an insightful, alarming look at how progressives have taken over academia, pop culture, and journalism in order to declare everything liberal great, and everything great, liberal. Progressives love to attack conservatives as anti-science, wallowing in fake news, and culturally backwards. But who are the real denialists here? There are three institutions in American life run by gatekeepers who have stopped letting in anyone who questions their liberal script: academia, journalism, and pop culture. They use their cult-like groupthink consensus as "proof" that science, reporting, and entertainment will always back up the Democrats. They give their most political members awards, and then say the awards make their liberal beliefs true. Worse, they are using that consensus to pull the country even further to the left, by bullying and silencing dissent from even those they've allowed in. Just a few years ago, the media pretended they were honest brokers. Now a CNN segment is seven liberals versus a sacrificial lamb. MSNBC ate their sacrificial lamb. Well, Chris Matthews did. Tired of being forced to believe or else, Derek Hunter exposes the manufactured truths and unwritten commandments of the Establishment. With research and a biting, sarcastic wit, he explains: The growing role of celebrities in the political world, and movies with a "message" that dominate awards season, but rarely the box office. The unquestioning reporting on "studies" that don’t prove what they say they prove. The hidden bias of "fact-checking," when the media cherry picks which facts they check. Celebrity scientists like Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse Tyson blending liberal activism with pretend expertise outside their fields. Clever, controversial, and convincing, Derek Hunter's book gets to the root of America's biggest cultural war lies.

A stimulating expose on how the roots of today's partisan rage lie in the "outrage industry" - deregulated, commodified media markets that will do anything for money and attention.

This text explores the aesthetics, underlying logics, and histories of two seemingly distinct genres - liberal political satire and conservative opinion talk - making the case that they should be thought of as the logical extensions of the psychology of the left and right, respectively.

"Editorials are the soul of the newspaper," Gartner says in the book's introduction. "Maybe the heart and soul. And, on a good newspaper that knows and understands and loves its hometown, or its home country, the editorial is the heart and the soul of the town, or the nation, as well."

"One of America’s most experienced and exemplary journalists has written an unsparing analysis of the dreadful consequences -- for journalism and the nation -- of ‘how the news lost a race to the bottom with itself.’” -- George F. Will In this national bestseller, Chris Stirewalt, a former Fox News political editor, takes readers inside America’s broken newsrooms that have succumbed to the temptation of “rage revenue.” One of America’s sharpest political analysts, Stirewalt employs his trademark wit and insight to reveal how these media organizations slant coverage – and why that drives political division and rewards outrageous conduct. The New York Times wrote that Stirewalt’s book "is an often candid reflection on the state of political journalism and his time at Fox News, where such post-mortem assessments are not common..." Broken News is a fascinating, deeply researched, conversation-provoking study of how the news is made and how it must be repaired. Stirewalt goes deep inside the history of the industry to explain how today’s media divides America for profit. And he offers practical advice for how readers, listeners, and viewers can (and should) become better news consumers for the sake of the republic.