Long ago dubbed the fourth branch of government, the American press remains to most of the general public an inscrutable enterprise whose influence and behavior are alternately welcomed and maligned; yet the proper functioning of a democracy depends upon a media-literate populace to act as the ultimate watchdog. With wit and authority, John Hamilton and George Krimsky lead readers through the whirl of print journalism. They offer a curiosity-satisfying blend of explanation and interpretation, history, anecdotes aplenty, and statistical analysis to show what's wrong and what works with today’s newspapers.
John Maxwell Hamilton is dean of the Manship School of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University and a commentator on the public radio program “Marketplace.” He is the author of several books, including the award-winning Edgar Snow: A Biography.
George A. Krimsky worked for sixteen years for the Associated Press in the Soviet Union, Middle East, and United States. In 1985 he cofounded the International Center for Journalists, in Reston, Virginia. He is an independent media consultant and lives in Washington, Connecticut.
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