100 Media Moments That Changed America »

From the launching of America's first newspaper to YouTube's latest phone-videoed crime, the media has always been guilty of indulging America's obsession with controversy. This encyclopedia covers 100 events in world history from the 17th century to the present—moments that alone were major and minor, but ones that exploded in the public eye when the media stepped in. Topics covered include yellow journalism, the War of the Worlds radio broadcast, the Kennedy-Nixon debates, JFK's assassination, the Pentagon papers, and Hurricane Katrina. These are events that changed the way the media is used-not just as a tool for spreading knowledge, but as a way of shaping and influencing the opinions and reactions of America's citizens. Thanks to the media's representations of these events, history has been changed forever. From classified military plans that leaked out to the public to the first televised presidential debates to the current military tortures caught on tape, Breaking News will demonstrate not only an ever-evolving system of news reporting, but also the ways in which historical events have ignited the media to mold news in a way that resonates with America's public. This must-have reference work is ideal for journalism and history majors, as well as for interested general readers.

Chapters are in chronological order, beginning with the 17th century. Each chapter starts with a brief introduction, followed by media event entries from that decade. Each entry explains the moment, and then delivers specific details regarding how the media covered the event, America's response to the coverage, and how the media changed history.

Library Journal

Willis is a prolific author (ten books on journalism) and a distinguished journalism professor who has also worked as a reporter. His The Human Journalist has won an American Library Association award as an outstanding academic book. This title is written in an engaging style, with the events chosen via a sound set of criteria (described in the book's preface). A time line of media history precedes the entries, which run approximately two pages each; many are illustrated with black-and-white photographs. The text concludes with a chapter describing ten additional events that might have been included had the author not been striving for a 100-item limit. A bibliography and index are also included. Overall, this looks like a generally interesting and possibly useful book, but, unfortunately, it is priced and marketed as an expensive reference. BOTTOM LINE Recommended as a text for a communications course or a general interest reader, although the price is prohibitive. As a useful source for the reference collection, it is an optional purchase.—Denise Johnson, Bradley Univ. Lib., Peoria, IL