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The Press and Democratic Backsliding

How Journalism Has Failed the Public and How It Can Revive Democracy

Edited by Thomas J. Johnson and Aaron S. Veenstra - Contributions by Bethany Albertson; Daryl A. Carter; Daniela Grassau; Katherine Haenschen; Jamie C. Higdon; Andrea Hudson; Sharon E. Jarvis; Patrick R. Johnson; Thomas J. Johnson; Barbara K. Kaye; Kyser Lough; Lindsey Meeks; Andrew Mendelson; Paul A. Obi; Constanza Ortega-Gunckel; Christian Staal Bruun Overgaard; Mildred F. Perreault; Valentina Proust; Joshua M. Scacco; Anita Varma; Aaron S. Veenstra and Joseph Yoo

This edited volume explores the democratic dangers posed by a political press that emphasizes electoral competition, strategy, entertainment, and what Jay Rosen calls “savviness”—praising candidates for being politically smart rather than being honest—in its coverage of a political landscape dominated by a looming authoritarian threat. Contributors document how the American and global political press have failed to fulfill their role in elections and demonstrate how authoritarians have used and will continue to use their power in setting policy before going on to suggest and develop solutions to these problems. These proposed solutions include the adoption of democracy-focused framing, solutions journalism, and solidarity journalism, all of which emphasize the needs and issues of democratic communities over candidates’ political strategy. The book’s recommendations contribute to a reorientation of journalism toward democracy and truth rather than performative detachment and forced balance. Scholars of journalism, mass media, communication, and political science will find this collection to be of particular use.

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  • TOC
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  • Reviews
Lexington Books
Pages: 338 • Trim: 6¼ x 9¼
978-1-66695-749-5 • Hardback • April 2024 • $130.00 • (£100.00)
978-1-66695-750-1 • eBook • April 2024 • $50.00 • (£38.00)
Series: Lexington Studies in Political Communication
Subjects: Social Science / Media Studies, Political Science / American Government / General, Language Arts & Disciplines / Journalism

Thomas J. Johnson is Amon G. Carter Jr. Centennial Professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin and director of the digital media research program.

Aaron S. Veenstra is associate professor and multimedia journalism area coordinator in the School of Communication and Multimedia Studies at Florida Atlantic University.

Part I: News Production

Chapter 1: Seeing Both Sides: News Photographs of Politicians and the Normative Challenge of Anti-democratic Partisan Actors

Chapter 2: Cameramen and Congresswomen: How Photojournalists Framed Female Candidates in the “Year of the Woman”

Part II: The Press and Political Actors

Chapter 3: To Tweet or Not to Tweet: How Lawmakers Engage in Breaking News Online

Chapter 4: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World: Need for Chaos, Media Reliance, and Belief in 2020 Election Conspiracy Theories

Part III: Local

Chapter 5: Sheriffs, School Boards, and the Necessity of Pro-Democracy News in Local Election

Chapter 6: Considering News Poverty and Critical Information Needs in Appalachia: Historical and Digital Stratification in the Age of Divisive Politics

Part IV: International

Chapter 7: Cross-national Challenges in the Americas: Confronting Anti-democratic Efforts with Democracy-focused News Coverage

Chapter 8: The Relative Nexus of Election Coverage, Media Ownership, Partisanship and Threats to Democracy in Nigeria: Illuminating the Growing Crisis of Media Democracy

Chapter 9: The B Side of Activism: What Happens When Threats Against Journalists Affect the Coverage of Democratic Backsliding?

Part V: Solutions

Chapter 10: Reporting on Risk Using Constructive Journalism: The Effects of Solutions Content and Source in Stories Covering Threats to American Elections

Chapter 11: News Literacy Is Essential to Democracy

Chapter 12: Prioritizing Public Service in Political News Coverage: Solidarity Journalism for Democracy

This edited collection's 12 chapters, written by 21 different authors, suggest that the news media’s political coverage emphasizes electoral competition, strategy, entertainment, and candidate savvy instead of exposing the veracity of statements by politicians and their community engagement. Some chapters focus on the 2020 US election, during which journalists overemphasized candidates' political strategies, as several authors argue. However, three chapters contend that similar journalistic practices occur outside the US. Some authors provide strategies for improving political news coverage, such as a renewed emphasis on local issues. For example, one chapter suggests that US sheriff’s offices and school boards represent community venues where democratic values frequently clash; more news coverage could enhance voter insight. While all submissions offer a comprehensive literature review, some supply case studies and original research. This book is an excellent companion to Matt Carlson, Sue Robinson, and Seth C. Lewis's News after Trump: Journalism’s Crisis of Relevance in a Changed Media Culture (2021). Recommended for libraries in higher education with journalism, mass communication, and political science graduate degree programs. Recommended. Graduate students and faculty.


— Choice Reviews


In a time of heightened and seemingly endless uncertainty in and around domestic and global political arenas, this volume provokes us to reconsider intersections of the press and power to complicate what has become binaries of good and evil. Balancing normative theory and practice with critical approaches that extend and blend social responsibilities of citizens and mediaites, normative practices of the press and politicians, and interpretive lenses rooted in power, readers are engaged in a rethinking of the future for journalism, political communication, and democracy.


— Robert E. Gutsche Jr., Florida Atlantic University


The Press and Democratic Backsliding

How Journalism Has Failed the Public and How It Can Revive Democracy

Cover Image
Hardback
eBook
Summary
Summary
  • This edited volume explores the democratic dangers posed by a political press that emphasizes electoral competition, strategy, entertainment, and what Jay Rosen calls “savviness”—praising candidates for being politically smart rather than being honest—in its coverage of a political landscape dominated by a looming authoritarian threat. Contributors document how the American and global political press have failed to fulfill their role in elections and demonstrate how authoritarians have used and will continue to use their power in setting policy before going on to suggest and develop solutions to these problems. These proposed solutions include the adoption of democracy-focused framing, solutions journalism, and solidarity journalism, all of which emphasize the needs and issues of democratic communities over candidates’ political strategy. The book’s recommendations contribute to a reorientation of journalism toward democracy and truth rather than performative detachment and forced balance. Scholars of journalism, mass media, communication, and political science will find this collection to be of particular use.

Details
Details
  • Lexington Books
    Pages: 338 • Trim: 6¼ x 9¼
    978-1-66695-749-5 • Hardback • April 2024 • $130.00 • (£100.00)
    978-1-66695-750-1 • eBook • April 2024 • $50.00 • (£38.00)
    Series: Lexington Studies in Political Communication
    Subjects: Social Science / Media Studies, Political Science / American Government / General, Language Arts & Disciplines / Journalism
Author
Author
  • Thomas J. Johnson is Amon G. Carter Jr. Centennial Professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin and director of the digital media research program.

    Aaron S. Veenstra is associate professor and multimedia journalism area coordinator in the School of Communication and Multimedia Studies at Florida Atlantic University.

Table of Contents
Table of Contents
  • Part I: News Production

    Chapter 1: Seeing Both Sides: News Photographs of Politicians and the Normative Challenge of Anti-democratic Partisan Actors

    Chapter 2: Cameramen and Congresswomen: How Photojournalists Framed Female Candidates in the “Year of the Woman”

    Part II: The Press and Political Actors

    Chapter 3: To Tweet or Not to Tweet: How Lawmakers Engage in Breaking News Online

    Chapter 4: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World: Need for Chaos, Media Reliance, and Belief in 2020 Election Conspiracy Theories

    Part III: Local

    Chapter 5: Sheriffs, School Boards, and the Necessity of Pro-Democracy News in Local Election

    Chapter 6: Considering News Poverty and Critical Information Needs in Appalachia: Historical and Digital Stratification in the Age of Divisive Politics

    Part IV: International

    Chapter 7: Cross-national Challenges in the Americas: Confronting Anti-democratic Efforts with Democracy-focused News Coverage

    Chapter 8: The Relative Nexus of Election Coverage, Media Ownership, Partisanship and Threats to Democracy in Nigeria: Illuminating the Growing Crisis of Media Democracy

    Chapter 9: The B Side of Activism: What Happens When Threats Against Journalists Affect the Coverage of Democratic Backsliding?

    Part V: Solutions

    Chapter 10: Reporting on Risk Using Constructive Journalism: The Effects of Solutions Content and Source in Stories Covering Threats to American Elections

    Chapter 11: News Literacy Is Essential to Democracy

    Chapter 12: Prioritizing Public Service in Political News Coverage: Solidarity Journalism for Democracy

Reviews
Reviews
  • This edited collection's 12 chapters, written by 21 different authors, suggest that the news media’s political coverage emphasizes electoral competition, strategy, entertainment, and candidate savvy instead of exposing the veracity of statements by politicians and their community engagement. Some chapters focus on the 2020 US election, during which journalists overemphasized candidates' political strategies, as several authors argue. However, three chapters contend that similar journalistic practices occur outside the US. Some authors provide strategies for improving political news coverage, such as a renewed emphasis on local issues. For example, one chapter suggests that US sheriff’s offices and school boards represent community venues where democratic values frequently clash; more news coverage could enhance voter insight. While all submissions offer a comprehensive literature review, some supply case studies and original research. This book is an excellent companion to Matt Carlson, Sue Robinson, and Seth C. Lewis's News after Trump: Journalism’s Crisis of Relevance in a Changed Media Culture (2021). Recommended for libraries in higher education with journalism, mass communication, and political science graduate degree programs. Recommended. Graduate students and faculty.


    — Choice Reviews


    In a time of heightened and seemingly endless uncertainty in and around domestic and global political arenas, this volume provokes us to reconsider intersections of the press and power to complicate what has become binaries of good and evil. Balancing normative theory and practice with critical approaches that extend and blend social responsibilities of citizens and mediaites, normative practices of the press and politicians, and interpretive lenses rooted in power, readers are engaged in a rethinking of the future for journalism, political communication, and democracy.


    — Robert E. Gutsche Jr., Florida Atlantic University


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