Books: News and Myth

The Media at War by Susan L. Carruthers Published by Macmillan, 1999

The World Today
2 minute READ

Clad in flak jacket and tailored combat attire, crisply recounting the latest firefight or missile attack, the war correspondent plays one of journalism’s most romanticised roles. As individuals, the men and women who do this job often display great courage and skill. Collectively, however, the news media’s record is spotty. Hard news may be pushed aside by soft propaganda, and objectivity may give way to partisanship. The public, depending on the media’s judgements, can end up with a badly skewed picture of what is going on.

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