How the Cold War Broke the News

“Timely and original, Zelizer’s book is both an urgent call for journalism to meet the moment of our democratic emergency and an exposé of how Cold War narratives, logic, and emotions still drive news coverage.”Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present“Zelizer brilliantly demonstrates that ‘the past is never dead. It’s not even past’ in contemporary US journalism. With a keen eye for detail, she convincingly dissects the historical weight of the Cold War on professional conventions that continue to afflict journalism. The book is packed with insights about how old news tropes are sadly woven in the present, and why we should be worried.”Silvio Waisbord, author of An Introduction to Journalism: Thinking Globally“Written with clarity and urgency Zelizer tells a gripping story of how ‘journalism has failed colossally’ and continues to repeat mistakes etched in the Cold War. A fierce and much needed critique with a siren call for change - and a stark warning to journalists everywhere. A must-read.”Natalie Fenton, author of Democratic Delusions“A captivating history of U.S. media coverage of the Cold War. This impassioned reflection on journalistic ethics is at its best when it zeroes in on how professional laziness festers into something more dangerous.”Publishers Weekly

Barbie Zelizer is Raymond Williams Professor of Communication and Director of the Center for Media at Risk at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania.