Our Unfree Press: 100 Years of Radical Media Criticism

by Robert W. McChesney, Ben Scott

The FCC's recent controversial decision to roll back restrictions on media conglomeration produced an outpouring of protest and dissent; more than 700,000 Americans personally registered complaints along with organizations as diverse as NOW and the NRA.

In Our Unfree Press , Robert McChesney and Ben Scott demonstrate that, like the corporations themselves, criticism of media monopolies has a long tradition. Featuring the work of Upton Sinclair, C. Wright Mills, Walter Lippmann, Noam Chomsky, and many others, this provocative anthology charts such topics as the consolidation of ownership, the role of advertising, and the corruptions of profit. An extensive lead essay contextualizes pieces spanning the Progressive Era to the present day, making it abundantly clear that countering the media oligarchs requires more than token reforms. A must-read for anyone concerned by corporate consolidation of the media, Our Unfree Press reveals the necessity of a radical revision in our perception of the business of media.

400 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2004

About the author

Robert Waterman McChesney was an American professor notable in the history and political economy of communications, and the role media play in democratic and capitalist societies. He was the Gutgsell Endowed Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. He co-founded the Free Press, a national media reform organization. From 2002 to 2012, he hosted Media Matters, a weekly radio program every Sunday afternoon on WILL (AM), Illinois Public Media radio.

Reviews

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for reminding us that nothing has ever been perfect. That there has always been a fight. On the flip side, now that I think about it, in the end, these essays are extremely depressing. Because not only are we losing the battle right now but we've been losing it all along. But, hey, its not over till its over, right?

[MM · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection of historical and contemporary media criticism -- people have long been thinking critically about media ownership and patterns of influence.