The Power of the Press

Many books have argued that journalists have political power: The power of the Press is the first to give a detailed account of how they attained it. Thomas C. Leonard traces the development of news into political commentary from the American Revolution, through the nineteenth century, when newspapers first became aware of their role in a new democracy, to the emergence of `muckraking' in the twentieth century. Leonard argues that the power of the press in the political arena has proved a double edged sword, both dispensing the information and comment which makes democracy possible, and stifling the democratic process through biased and selective reporting. Readership: students of American history, journalism and politics.