Mirror image of the New Left movement in the media

Author: Todd Gitlin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Berkeley sociologist Todd Gitlin uses meticulous research and penetrating insight to explore the complex relationship between the 1960s American student movement and mass media. How The New York Times and CBS reported on the student movement, either praising or condemning it; how the reputations of public figures in the movement rose and then faded; how violence escalated; and how media choices influenced the 1960s student movement and social and political changes. Todd Gitlin, who participated in the reporting at the time, not only witnessed how the media distorted the coverage but also saw the complex outcome of the student movement itself. The Media Mirror of the New Left tells an engaging story. In Gitlin's rich narration of media coverage and the student movement, his simple descriptions, and his way of thinking about human nature, provide a unique perspective for us to observe the meaning of democracy in the age of mass communication and the constantly distorted relationship between media and democracy. For that important period in 20th-century American history, this book undoubtedly holds significant importance.