Attacks on the American Press
Subtitle: A Documentary and Reference Guide
By: Jessica Roberts and Adam Maksl
Edition: 1st ed.
Series: Documentary and Reference Guides
Publisher: Greenwood
Published: 2023
Place of publication: Westport, CT
Language: eng
Number of pages: 414
ISBN-13: 9798400615702
Subjects: Propaganda
Description: This authoritative annotated document collection surveys and explains efforts to censor, intimidate, suppress-and reform and improve-news organizations and journalism in America, from the newspapers of colonial times to the social media that saturates the present day.  This primary source collection will help readers to understand how the press has been vilified (usually by powerful political or corporate interests) over the course of American history, with a special focus on current events and how these efforts to censor or influence news coverage often flout First Amendment protections concerning freedom of the press. Selected documents highlight efforts to intimidate, silence, condemn, marginalize, and otherwise undercut the credibility and influence of American journalism from the colonial era through the Trump presidency.  Most of the featured documents focus on efforts borne out of self-interested attempts to shape or conceal news for political or economic gain or personal fame, but coverage also includes instances in which press actions, attitudes, or priorities deserved censure. All told, the collection will be a valuable resource for understanding the importance of a free press to American life (and the constitutional basis for preserving such), the motivations (both selfish and altruistic) of critics of American journalism from the earliest days of the Republic to today, and the impact of all of the above on American society.