Routledge Thinking Critically about Media and Politics

Thinking Critically About Media is a textbook for self-defence against manipulation by politicians, the media and assorted propagandists. Its interdisciplinary application of principles of critical thinking and argumentative rhetoric can be incorporated in a variety of university courses including the social sciences, communication, journalism and media studies. The authors identify the precise political positions of a spectrum of American media and journalists from left to right, so as to point students toward sources representing opposed viewpoints, with their typical lines of argument, in order to reach a comparative analysis. Other important issues dealt with include the various influences on political bias as propagated by sources such as lobbies, public relations agencies, think tanks and political advertising agencies. Review “This book has never been more necessary. It focuses on the key questions and offers crucial challenges to conventional wisdom. Lazere has written a book perfect not only for the classroom, but for the whole nation.” ―Robert Jensen, School of Journalism, University of Texas–Austin, and author of Arguing for Our Lives: A User’s Guide to Constructive Dialogue About the Author Donald Lazere is Professor Emeritus at California Polytechnic State University and is the editor of American Media and Mass Culture: Left Perspectives.