Promotional Information

"Really a magisterial piece of work with the right mix of different types of critics and criticism thoughtfully placed within their historical contexts." -- Everette E. Dennis, Felix E. Larkin Professor of Communication and Media Instructor at Fordham's Graduate School of Business, Fordham University "Arthur S. Hayes' Press Critics Are the Fifth Estate is an excellent book for anyone who has ever felt the urge to tear up his copy of The New York Times and throw it across the room. His highly readable account shows how a swarm of bloggers and cyber-pundits, not to mention a TV satirist or two, have turned press criticism from a lonely, ill-paid profession into a jolly free-for-all in which anyone can take part, amateur or professional. Life has gotten distinctly uncomfortable for the big-time media, formerly as cosseted as the Big Three auto makers. But the rest of us are better informed as a consequence." -- Daniel Lazare, author of The Velvet Coup: The Constitution, the Supreme Court, and the Decline of American Democracy. "To understand politics we need to understand political journalism, but then don't we also have to understand those who criticize that journalism? This is the important work in which Arthur S. Hayes is engaged. In this wise, thoughtful and balanced book he argues, with careful case studies, for the significance of press criticism--the significance of watchdogs on the watchdogs--and even offers criteria for analyzing that significance. In the process, Prof. Hayes, like a few others of the most interesting defenders of democracy, forces us to look anew at the rabble--in this case the mob of loud, self-appointed media monitors let loose by and on the Web. And he treats Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert with a welcome and overdue seriousness." -- Mitchell Stephens, Professor of Journalism, New York University, Author of A History of News "After reminding readers of the 300-year-old tradition of press criticism in America, Hayes champions the amateur press critics in today's blogosphere, arguing that their power to affect mainstream media comes from preaching to the masses, not the elites. Along the way he gives a shout-out to the most effective press-critic campaigns, such as the one that brought down Dan Rather." -- Cynthia Cotts, Former media columnist for The Village Voice

Table of Contents

1. Introduction 2. Reed Irvines AIM: Barking at the Liberal Media 3. Let a Thousand Bloggers Swarm 4. Ben H. Bagdikian: Ahead of the Curve 5. The Washington News Council: Third-Party Intervention 6. FAIR: Press Criticism from a Progressive Think Tank 7. Brill's Content: An Inside-the-Sausage-Factory Look at Media for People Who Eat Sausages, Not Those Who Make Them. 8. Public Journalism: Press Criticism as an Ongoing Experiment 9. Press Criticism as a Laughing Matter 10. It Takes a Watchdog and a Village: News Media Accountability in Seven Days 11. A Prescription for Effective Press Criticism in a Democracy References Books Articles Legal

About the Author

Arthur S. Hayes is Associate Professor of Communications and Media Studies at Fordham University. He is former director of the graduate journalism program at Quinnipiac University, from which he took a JD. A journalist for 24 years, he worked for the Wall Street Journal, American Lawyer, and the National Law Journal.

Reviews

Hayes (Fordham Univ.) provides a sophisticated analysis of relatively recent criticism of the press. . . . Endnote documentation is extensive. Highly recommended. All readers, all levels.
*Choice*

Hayes…offers the considered opinions of a long-time journalist who now teaches the subject at Fordham University in New York. And an interesting collection of opinions it is, with each chapter providing a separate essay on a given subject. . . . The overall tone is to defend the criticism of the news media, especially that coming from its users or audiences. But Hayes offers a balanced view of the many attempts at news councils, critical journals, pressure groups and the like to see what appears to work, and what does not.
*Communication Booknotes Quarterly*

…it would make a good addition to classes on ethics, media and society, media literacy, or concept and critical issues course. It seems well suited for seminar-style classes, especially at the graduate level. More importantly, this book makes the critical connection between theory and practice, addressing ethical issues in the real world. The chapters are discreet, so instructors can pick and choose, skipping around as necessary to fit the curriculum.
*Journal of Mass Media Ethics*