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What Is Happening to News

The Information Explosion and the Crisis in Journalism

Jack Fuller author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:The University of Chicago Press

Published:26th Mar '13

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

What Is Happening to News cover

Across America, newspapers that have defined their cities for over a century are rapidly failing, their circulations plummeting even as opinion-soaked Web outlets thrive. Meanwhile, nightly news programs shock viewers with stories of horrific crime and celebrity scandal, while the smug sarcasm of shouting pundits dominates cable television. In the face of these problems, "What Is Happening to News" explores the crucial question of how journalism lost its way - and who is responsible for the ragged retreat from its great traditions. Veteran editor and newspaperman Jack Fuller locates the surprising sources of change where no one has thought to look before: in the collision between a revolutionary new information age and a human brain that is still wired for the threats faced by our prehistoric ancestors. Drawing on the dramatic recent discoveries of neuroscience, Fuller explains why the information overload of contemporary life makes us dramatically more receptive to sensational news, while rendering the staid, objective voice of standard journalism ineffective, and the result is a toxic mix that threatens to prove fatal to journalism as we know it. For every reader troubled by what has become of news - and worried about what the future may hold - "What Is Happening to News" not only offers unprecedented insight into the causes of change but also clear guidance, strongly rooted in the precepts of ethical journalism.

ISBN: 9780226005027

Dimensions: 23mm x 16mm x 1mm

Weight: 340g

232 pages