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Introduction: S. Robert Lichter, Stanley Rothman, and Linda S. Lichter's The Media Elite
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10303 |
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Book World
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12 / 1986 |
1,694 Words |
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Is the old power elite being challenged by a new class? Who are the main contenders in the struggle for power in America? Where do they come from? What sort of society do they want the United States to become? To find out, the authors of The Media Elite undertook a comprehensive survey--perhaps the most comprehensive survey ever conducted--of American leadership groups. Over 1,500 key individuals drawn from business, labor, the military, religion, the federal bureaucracy, corporate law firms, "public interest" groups, the judiciary, and congressional staffs, as well as the news media, television entertainment, and the film industry were interviewed.
The results will be forthcoming in a series of books of which The Media Elite, described below, is only the first installment. This series will provide a fresh look at the escalating conflict between old and new elites in today's America, with special emphasis on the crucial role of the media.
As America becomes an information-based post-industrial society, the media play a central role in the struggle for influence. Journalists are the people who teach us most of what we know (or think we know) about the world around us. As gatekeepers for the messages contenders for social influence try to send, the media determine the images of society and politics that reach the general public. Thus the media's growing influence can be seen as part of a broader struggle for social leadership. The second volume in the series on elites will also explore the media. It focuses on the television entertainment industry. Titled The Odd Couple--America on Television 1955-1986, it examines TV's changing treatment of sex, violence, racial and ethnic relations, business and the workplace, religion and
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