Reporting the War
Freedom of the Press from the American Revolution to the War on Terrorism
by John Byrne Cooke
List Price: $16.95
Pages: 288
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780230608078
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Reporting the War examines how the American press has exercised its constitutionally protected freedom in wartime–when that freedom, and other civil liberties, are most likely to be threatened–from the Revolution to the ongoing conflicts of the present day. By providing a historical frame of reference for evaluating the performance of the press, and our responsibilities as citizens, in our own times, Reporting the War will remain thought-provoking and relevant through changes of administration in Washington and long after American troops have left Afghanistan and Iraq.
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1. What important stories in our own times have the press under-reported or neglected?
2. What lessons about the role of the press in wartime have we had to learn again and again, from one war to the next?
3. What can we learn from the failures of the press, in certain wars, to fulfil its responsibility to inform the people about government threats to liberty?
4. As citizens of a democratic society, how does our own responsibility supplement the responsibility of the press to keep us informed?
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“The son of famed expat journalist Alistair Cooke doffs his historical-novelist garb . . . to offer well-placed insights on the press in wartime. . . . A worthy and readable piece, especially for journalism students and those who want to be better, more critical consumers of the news.”
— Kirkus Reviews
"Cooke . . . gives an excellent, incisive commentary on how freedom of the press in the U.S., from the time of the 13 colonies on, has played out in times of war. . . . A timely study, Cooke's history presents the fifth estate in all its conflicted glory."
— Publishers Weekly
