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> The Media and Its Cirtics

From the Washington power game to the Gulf War, Hedrick Smith takes a tough look at his own craft of journalism to asses how well the modern news media delivers the information Americans need to make informed decisions and just how much the media is driven by ratings and tabloid stories. He talks with top print and broadcast journalists from Peter Jennings, Dan Rather and Ted Koppel to George Will and Bob Woodward, to talk firsthand about how top journalists view their roles and responsibilities in our democracy.

The People and the Power Game: The Media (1996)
In one of journalism's toughest self-exams Hedrick Smith takes a hard close look at how well the TV networks cover politics and how they view their role in a news world increasingly dominated by ratings and tabloid-driven stories. The program features interviews with Dan Rather Peter Jennings, Jeff Greenfield and others.

The Power Game: The Unelected (1990)
Find out how journalists you never voted for are setting the agenda for Washington politics and why some politicians think Ted Koppel is as powerful as a United States Senator. Hedrick Smith talks to Koppel, Bob Woodward, George Will, Marvin Kalb and other well-known journalists.

The Media and the Gulf War (1994)
No conflict since Vietnam has touched off more volcanic arguments between the military and the media than the Persian Gulf War. Did the American people receive the information they deserved and which a free press should guarantee? Would media demands for less control have jeopardized lives? These issues are examined in the Media and the Gulf War edited by Hedrick Smith a well-honed collection of essays and articles by experts on all sides of the issue - members of the media the military and the civilian government.

Outside Resources:

The Annenberg School of Communications
The University of Pennsylvania tracked the 1996 campaign and put together a series of indepth reports documenting how the media covered the '96 elections.

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting
FAIR is a national media watchdog organization that scrutinizes media bias particularly in the area of political reporting.

The Minnesota News Council
This organization promotes media fairness through public accountability and conducts public hearings on complaints against news organizations.

The Pew Center for Civic Journalism
The Pew Center works with journalists to refine ways of reporting news to reengage people in public life.

Media Research Center
A national conservative media watchdog organization.

Media Studies Center
The branch of the Freedom Forum dedicated to improving understanding between journalists and the public.

Media Watchdog
A comprehensive list of links to various media watchdog organizations