Broken News: Why the Media Rage Machine Divides America and How to Fight Back

by Chris Stirewalt

Overview

"One of America’s most experienced and exemplary journalists has written an unsparing analysis of the dreadful consequences — for journalism and the nation — of ‘how the news lost a race to the bottom with itself.’” — George F. Will
 
In this national bestseller, Chris Stirewalt, a former Fox News political editor, takes readers inside America’s broken newsrooms that have succumbed to the temptation of “rage revenue.”
 
One of America’s sharpest political analysts, Stirewalt employs his trademark wit and insight to reveal how these media organizations slant coverage – and why that drives political division and rewards outrageous conduct. The New York Times wrote that Stirewalt’s book "is an often candid reflection on the state of political journalism and his time at Fox News, where such post-mortem assessments are not common..." 
 
Broken News is a fascinating, deeply researched, conversation-provoking study of how the news is made and how it must be repaired. Stirewalt goes deep inside the history of the industry to explain how today’s media divides America for profit. And he offers practical advice for how readers, listeners, and viewers can (and should) become better news consumers for the sake of the republic.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781546002802
Publisher:	Center Street
Publication date:	08/22/2023
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	392,691
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 5.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Chris Stirewalt is a political columnist, author and former political editor for the Fox News Channel, where he served on the election night decision desk, helped coordinate political coverage across the network, and frequently provided on-air analysis. He is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he focuses on American politics, public opinion, and the media. He is a contributing editor and columnist for The Dispatch and co-hosts a media criticism podcast, Ink Stained Wretches. He is the author of Every Man a King: A Short, Colorful History of American Populists (Twelve Books, 2018), in which he looks at American populism through the lives of seven famous populists.

Table of Contents

Introduction

An Argle-bargle Business Model 1

1 Out of Ideas

How News Lost a Race to the Bottom with Itself 21

2 Turning the Telescope Around

How Media Disruption Disordered News Judgment 47

3 Bubble Trouble

How the News Business Lost Contact with the Real World 77

4 Weak Parties, Strong Partisanship

How the Siloed Media Hurts Democrats and Republicans 109

5 Outsourcing Our Morality

How Personality-Driven Coverage Leads to Nihilism 139

6 Post-Journalism or Aspirational Fairness?

How to Build a Better News Business 173

7 An Inside Job

How to Live a Better Life and Make a Better Country through News Judgment 209

Acknowledgments 227

Notes 233

Editorial Reviews

"Stirewalt’s book is an often candid reflection on the state of political journalism and his time at Fox News, where such post-mortem assessments are not common..."—The New York Times

"One of America’s most experienced and exemplary journalists has written an unsparing analysis of the dreadful consequences — for journalism and the nation — of “how the news lost a race to the bottom with itself.” Readers of Stirewalt’s indispensable, mind-opening book-as-warning should remember this: There actually is no such thing as rock bottom."—George F. Will

"Chris Stirewalt is an ideal guide to what has happened to the news business because he doesn’t just hate what it has become, but also loves what it ought to be. Free of nostalgia or partisan vitriol, and full of insight, experience, and clear-eyed realism, this book is an essential guide to repairing American journalism."—Yuval Levin, author of A Time to Build

"A new book, Broken News by Chris Stirewalt, examines all the ways the industry has gone horribly wrong, and how to be a smarter news consumer. Fantastic read."—Julie Mason, SiriusXM host

"Everyone needs to read Chris Stirewalt to understand how a broken media fans the flames of our broken politics."—Spencer Cox, Governor of Utah

"Stirewalt’s book is both a critique of the media and a rebuke of his former employer and Trump. He spares no one…He provides plenty of food for thought."—The Guardian

From the Publisher