How the Cold War Broke the News - by Barbie Zelizer

Book Synopsis

Most of us would agree that American journalism has problems. Rushed reporting and thin coverage. Timidity in the face of adversity. Polarized perspectives and euphemistic language. Groupthink about complicated events.

While much blame has been levelled at big tech, Barbie Zelizer traces the decline of American journalism to the Cold War. She makes the bold claim that Cold War-era practices are to blame for the state of journalism today, undermining a once trusted media environment. This groundbreaking book shows how journalism's current problems can be traced back to customs developed over half a century ago and demonstrates how they've continued to upend journalism, journalists and the news ever since.

We all need a news environment that works. This book tells us why it doesn't and offers a plan to make it better. If our news is better, so is our democracy. And, if our democracy is better, we may be too.

Review Quotes

"Timely and original, Zelizer's book is both an urgent call for journalism to meet the moment of our democratic emergency and an exposé of how Cold War narratives, logic, and emotions still drive news coverage."
Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present

"Zelizer brilliantly demonstrates that 'the past is never dead. It�s not even past' in contemporary US journalism. With a keen eye for detail, she convincingly dissects the historical weight of the Cold War on professional conventions that continue to afflict journalism. The book is packed with insights about how old news tropes are sadly woven in the present, and why we should be worried."
Silvio Waisbord, author of An Introduction to Journalism: Thinking Globally

About the Author

Barbie Zelizer is Raymond Williams Professor of Communication and Director of the Center for Media at Risk at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania.