Covering America: A Narrative History of a Nation's Journalism
A comprehensive, fresh telling of an important dimension of American history. Covering America adds shape and new understanding to the intriguing stories many of us know as myths of origin, from Ben Franklin's escape from printer's devil servitude to biographies of such greats as David Halberstam and H. L. Mencken. Daly is skeptical enough to dig into the facts behind the legends, but happily he is not on a debunking crusade. His obvious faith in journalism as an honorable estate (as Louis Rubin calls it) and learned profession (as Robert E. Lee tried to envision it) comes through. --Douglas Cumming, author of 'The Southern Press: Literary Legacies and the Challenge of ModernityThis is grand narrative as it should be deftly balancing nuanced and consequential portraits of individual characters (Mencken, Luce, Hearst, Winchell, Lippman) with compelling accounts of the big developments. . . . I learned much from it and I truly enjoyed it. --Bruce Schulman, author of 'The Seventies: The Great Shift in American Culture, Politics, and Society'Essential reading for anyone who cares about American history, media, or culture. This is a great story about the entire tradition of journalistic storytelling, told smartly and thoroughly. --Susan Orlean, staff writer for 'The New Yorker' and author of 'Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend' and 'The Orchid Theif'In this scholarly yet readable volume, Daly presents a surprisingly spirited and detailed account of American journalism and the many ways in which the press has impacted the trajectory of American history, and vice versa. . . . Any history book runs the risk of being bland, but Daly peppers the text with amusing anecdotes and intriguing facts. In addition to the interesting stories, Daly makes many cogent arguments about what the press has meant to the country's shared history and identity. --Publishers WeeklyDaly provides a lively, interesting review of journalism's many personalities, events and trends. It is an excellent work of history concerning the profession and business of journalism, filled with anecdotes and intriguing facts. It surely belongs on the shelves everywhere journalism is celebrated. --BookviewsIn Covering America: A Narrative History of a Nation s Journalism, Christopher B. Daly has written a masterful, meticulously researched work that should be celebrated by not just those in the field but every informed citizen. In this landmark account, he has brilliantly examined the economic, political and social forces that have shaped America s media since their beginnings 'as a tiny and timid affair conducted by a handful of people in a remote backwater of the great British Empire.' . . . A professor of journalism now at Boston University, Daly spent 10 years as an AP editor and reporter and a decade at The Washington Post before moving to academia. He knows his subject inside-out (as it were). He also knows how to write and the proof is this compelling, character-driven account filled, almost novelistically, with iconic, colorful and distinctly American characters. --Providence JournalA handful of vintage black-and-white photographs illustrate this meticulous , methodical, and absolutely invaluable recommendation especially for public and college library collections. --Midwest Book ReviewThis is a useful, very up-to-date one volume narrative summary of the story. . . . For students of the history of information, this is a welcome addition to the literature on who supplied many types of publications to the American public and how they functioned. It is a practical volume for both students of American history and for participants in American media, such as journalists, editors, and publishers. In the vernacular of today's media, it is also 'a good read.' --Information & CultureThe strength of Covering America is Daly's emphasis on story. In a genre awash in mind-numbing recitations of names and dates, Daly has pared matters down to their essentials and given his characters room to breathe. . . . But it is in Daly's attention to larger forces, including technology, that makes Covering America stand out. --Nieman Journalism Lab