Attack the Messenger: How Politicians Turn You Against the Media

by Craig Crawford

Politicians and the media are natural enemies, but in recent times, the relationship has exploded into all-out war. Think about bimbo eruptions, DUI arrests, cocaine parties, National Guard service records, Swift Boat veterans. Think about two generations of Bush presidents up against Dan Rather. Think about who lost.

Craig Crawford has seen it all up close and personal, and he is disturbed by what he sees. When politicians turn the public against the media, everyone loses―especially unbiased and courageous news reporting. When veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas is banished from her front-row post, as she has been in the current administration―the American public is denied the chance to consider her pointed questions, even if they go unanswered. Worse, when traditional reporters and media are displaced, the pundits and alternative media take over. Rush Limbaugh, The O'Reilly Factor , Comedy Central's Jon Stewart, and the bloggers have their place in American politics, and the 2004 elections showed the incredible power of the Internet. These media, however, are a different breed, as Crawford points out―they serve a purpose, but at a cost. They become "opinion merchants," bartering outrageous assertions for audience appeal with little attention to the truth. These days, the truth is hard to find. If the press is not believed―or believable―because politicians have turned the public against it, then the press is not free, but under the thumbs of politicians. Without a free press, there is no democracy. That, says Crawford, is where we find ourselves today. If you don't like the news, attack the messenger, and it will go away. Going, going, gone.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Mary Lord · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good but it needs to be updated.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really got into this book - many reason - I know/knew several of the people - lived in that area as well have an interest on the law.
This book was one of the few I have read - that when it ended I was sad.

[Brian Ayres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crawford's last two chapters stretched out what was solid analysis on how politicians have handcuffed the media into being nothing more than lapdogs.

The first 75 pages are worth picking up and reading. Crawford reports how the media lost America's trust as politicians scream that the press is either biased, unfair or mean.

I always get a chuckle out of the Bush administration's treatment of Helen Thomas and other reporters. Whenever criticism strikes, to use an expression heard on Rush Limbaugh, the Bushies embrace "victimhood." And the public buys it. Rather than wanting to know the truth or get to the crux of the story, politicians frame the debate based on proxy issues like media bias.

I agree wholeheartedly with Crawford's take that reporters should remove this obsurd "objectivity" from their vernacular and lay it all out there as far as what they believe. When they go to a war zone, report what you see and make an educated assessment. That's the purpose of the press. They are not only the public's eyes and ears, but are supposedly intelligent enough to make educated assessments of what they see and hear.

Many less informed viewers need that. There is a difference between opinion and bias, but the politicians have embedded this idea in the public's mind that dissent is unpatriotic and combativeness is simply being rude.

We need more Helen Thomases and less lapdogs like Brit Hume.

[Toesnorth's mom]

rather boring