Advertising and a Democratic Press

By C. Edwin Baker

Book Overview

In this provocative book, C. Edwin Baker argues that print advertising seriously distorts the flow of news by creating a powerfully corrupting incentive: the more newspapers depend financially on advertising, the more they favor the interests of advertisers over those of readers. Advertising induces newspapers to compete for a maximum audience with blandly "objective" information, resulting in reduced differentiation among papers and the eventual collapse of competition among dailies. Originally published in 1994. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0691032580
• ISBN13: 9780691032580
• Release Date: December 1993
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Length: 214 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.8" x 10.0"

Customer Reviews

among the greats

this insightful work expands greatly upon already existing media studies maxims put forth by authors such as ben bagdikian and michael moore. it hones the point that the people must be able to make informed decisions in order to rule a democratic society, thus naturally prompts the question: are we truly democratic if advertising distorts our information?