Mightier Than the Sword: How the News Media Have Shaped American History, 4th Edition

In this engaging examination of the news media’s influence on US history and politics, Rodger Streitmatter visits sixteen landmark episodes, from the American Revolution to the Civil Rights Movement to the present-day Barack Obama administration. In each of these case studies, Streitmatter illustrates the enormous role that journalism has played in not merely recording this nation’s history but also in actively shaping it.

Balancing criticism and celebration of news media and exploring print, broadcast, and digital platforms,Mightier than the Sword provides students with a sense of the power and responsibility inherent in the institution of journalism. Instead of trying to document every detail in the development of the US news media through dry, dull lists of names, dates, and headlines, this book focuses on sixteen discrete episodes that illuminate a point that is much larger than the sum of their parts: journalism has played and continues to play an enormous role in shaping this nation.

The fourth edition features an entirely new chapter on the way the US news media have championed various gay and lesbian rights initiatives, including the Lawrence vs. Texas sodomy case and the Supreme Court decision striking down the Defense of Marriage Act. Also notable is Streitmatter’s commitment, when writing about recent events, to documenting the role influential online venues such asSlate, Politico, and the Daily Beast play in shaping the nation’s evolution.