Mightier than the Sword: How the News Media Have Shaped American History

In this engaging examination of the media's influence on US history and politics, Rodger Streitmatter visits sixteen landmark episodes, from the American Revolution to the present-day fight for gay and lesbian marriage equality. In each of these cases, Streitmatter succinctly illustrates the enormous role that journalism has played in not merely recording this nation's history but also in actively shaping it. Mightier than the Sword offers students and professors a highly readable and accessible alternative to journalism history textbooks. Instead of trying to document every detail in the development of US media through dry, dull lists of names, dates, and headlines, this book focuses on sixteen discrete episodes that illustrate a point that is much larger than the sum of their parts: media have played and continue to play an enormous role in shaping this nation. The fourth edition features an entirely new chapter on the way US media have championed various gay and lesbian rights initiatives, from the 2003 Lawrence vs. Texas sodomy case through the June 2013 Supreme Court decision striking down DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act). Balancing criticism and celebration of news media and exploring both print and electronic platforms, Mightier than the Sword provides students with a sense of the power and responsibility inherent in the institution of journalism.

Table of Contents:
Illustrations Preface Acknowledgments Introduction 1 Sowing the Seeds of Revolution 2 Turning America Against the Sins of Slavery 3 Slowing the Momentum for Women's Rights 4 Attacking Municipal Corruption 5 Pushing America Toward an International War 6 Achieving Reform by Muckraking 7 Defying the Ku Klux Klan 8 Spreading Anti-Semitism via the Radio 9 Using "Rosie the Riveter" to Propel Women into the Workforce 10 Standing Tall Against Joseph McCarthy 11 Pushing Civil Rights onto the National Agenda 12 Bringing the Vietnam War into the American Living Room 13 Exposing Criminal Activity in Richard Nixon's White House 14 Failing the American Public with 9/11 Coverage 15 Electing an African-American President 16 Supporting Gay and Lesbian Rights 17 Focusing on How Notes Bibliography

About the Author :
A journalist and historian, Rodger Streitmatter is a leader in exploring how communication has helped shape the history of the United States. He is a professor of journalism at American University, where he has integrated his research into his teaching and created more than a dozen new courses including popular offerings on how the news media shape history, the role of dissident media, and the media and sexuality. He is a contributor to The Washington Post, The Advocate, and other periodicals, and as a journalism scholar, he has written for Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, American Journalism, and Journalism History, where he is a corresponding editor. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Journalism Historians Association, and on the Executive Committee of the History Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. He has received honours from the Virginia Press Association for his reporting, and from the American Journalism Historian Association as Outstanding Researcher.

Review :
"A nice, tight package of meaningful topics... quite readable... balanced...a fine work...short but substantive... innovative in form and content...accessible and insightful...dynamic range of topics. A great supplemental text in a mass media survey or media and history course." --Charles Lewis, Minnesota State University "Accurate, engaging, and succinct. Provides ample starting point for further discussions and exploration...Very readable; the author has a sure hand on his history and makes it accessible to the reader... extensive bibliography is a real plus." --Joe Zubrick, University of Maine, Fort Kent "Streitmatter?s book stands alone as the best thematic approach to history available. Students respond to the storytelling tone; the narratives connect the dates and people for them." --Susan English, Gonzaga University "Impressive. Many texts are chock-full of facts and figures that put students to sleep, not so with Streitmatter?s accessible story-telling approach. The evolution of news, from the American revolution to journalism?s current condition, is outlined in manageable chapters that capture the imagination." --Selene Phillips, University of Louisville "Exciting, easy to read, and something students will find different from that 15-lb. boring historical tome. It gives snippets of history but still leaves the reader with an understanding of the importance of the media in U.S. History. I highly recommend it." --Susan J. De Bonis, Georgia Southern University