Across America, newspapers that have defined their cities for over a
century are rapidly failing, their circulations plummeting even as
opinion-soaked web outlets like the Huffington Post thrive. Meanwhile,
nightly news programs shock viewers with stories of horrific crime and
celebrity scandal, while the smug sarcasm and shouting of pundits like
Glenn Beck and Keith Olbermann dominate cable television. Is it any
wonder that young people are turning away from the news entirely,
trusting comedians like Jon Stewart as their primary source of
information on current events?
In the face of all the problems plaguing serious news, What Is
Happening to News explores the crucial question of how journalism lost
its way--and who is responsible for the ragged retreat from its great
traditions. Veteran editor and newspaperman Jack Fuller locates the
surprising sources of change where no one has thought to look before: in
the collision between a revolutionary new information age and a human
brain that is still wired for the threats faced by our prehistoric
ancestors. Drawing on the dramatic recent discoveries of neuroscience,
Fuller explains why the information overload of contemporary life makes
us dramatically more receptive to sensational news, while rendering the
staid, objective voice of standard journalism ineffective. Throw in a
growing distrust of experts and authority, ably capitalized on by blogs
and other interactive media, and the result is a toxic mix that
threatens to prove fatal to journalism as we know it.
For every reader troubled by what has become of news--and worried about
what the future may hold--What Is Happening to News not only offers
unprecedented insight into the causes of change but also clear guidance,
strongly rooted in the precepts of ethical journalism, on how
journalists can adapt to this new environment while still providing the
information necessary to a functioning democracy.
