Attack the Messenger: How Politicians Turn You Against the Media

From his perch as a cable-news pundit and columnist for Congressional Quarterly, Craig Crawford mourns the loss of journalists’ credibility. He cites a 1988 interview between Dan Rather and George H.W. Bush as the turning point, when Bush briefly succeeded in making the journalist the story. Orchestrating the stunt was Bush’s campaign manager, Roger Ailes, who later went on to run Fox News. The same names turn up over and over again in the story of how the American public’s trust in journalists slid downhill. But Crawford doesn’t blame specific people. Politicians and corporations act in their own best interests. It’s time for journalists and the public to do the same. This concise book contains good arguments and ideas for change.