Heroes and Scoundrels: The Image of the Journalist in Popular Culture
Reviews and Comment
Book Review - Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, March 2016, by John M. Coward, University of Tulsa, pp 243-245. "With scores of examples and an extensive appendix of media sources, Heroes and Scoundrels is a terrific resource for courses in mass communication and society, contemporary issues in journalism, journalism ethics, media history, and related courses. Instructors will find numerous examples of journalistic stereotypes, exaggerated characterizations, and breezy ethics that can spark classroom discussions and research."
Book Review - Journalism, 2016 - Heroes and Scoundrels: The image of the journalist in popular culture, reviewed by David Asa Schwartz, The University of Iowa, Journalism: Theory, Practice and Criticism. Journalism is a major international, peer-reviewed journal that provides a dedicated forum for articles from the growing community of academic researchers and critical practitioners with an interest in journalism. The journal is interdisciplinary and publishes both theoretical and empirical work that contributes to the social, economic, political, cultural and practical understanding of journalism.Journalism: Theory, Practice and Criticism is delighted to be affiliated with the Journalism Studies Division of the ICA.
Book Review in Journalism History 42:2 (Summer, 2015) by Nancy Brendlinger, Bowling Green State.
Book Review: Journalism & Mass Communication Educator (2016, Vol. 7, pp. 107-108).
Book Review: Ray Begovich (2016) Heroes and Scoundrels: The Image of the Journalist in Popular Culture, American Journalism, 33:2. pp. 231-232. DOI: 10.1080/08821127.2016.1168152
The New Mexico Weekly Magazine of Arts, Entertainment & Culture, Books: Jonathan Richards, December
24, 2015: Type casting: Journalists in Pop Culture
Review: Heroes and Scoundrels: Spotlight on Journalists on Film by Roger Leatherwood, March 4, 2016.
Q&A: The Image of the Journalist in Popular Culture, Interview with Joe Saltzman by Roger Leatherwood, February 26, 2016.
Popular images of journalists have changed little over a century, says a new book
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- If you think reporters are scoundrels, you might point to popular culture. If you think they're heroes, you might do the same.For more than a century, both depictions have been plentiful and constant, whether in films, books and comics; on TV and radio; or more recently in video games, says a book by two experts on the subject. And those depictions, in all their variety, "are likely to shape people's impressions of the news media at least as much if not more than the actual press does," according to Matthew Ehrlich and Joe Saltzman, in "Heroes and Scoundrels: The Image of the Journalist in Popular Culture," published in April.
Book Discussion on "Heroes and Scoundrels: The Image of the Journalist in Popular Culture" by Matthew C. Ehrlich and Joe Saltzman. Professor Joe Saltzman talked about the way journalists are portrayed in popular culture. This interview, recorded at the University of Southern California, is part of Book TV’s college series. It aired on Sunday May 24 at 10:40 p.m.
Clio - Newsletter of the History Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Winter 2016, Vol. 50, No. 2. Book Excerpt: Heroes and Scoundrels.
Reviews:
"A perceptive study of an enduring and tantalizing question: What do they think of us? Ehrlich and Saltzman craft a persuasive, sometimes painful, sometimes hilarious montage of the omnipresence of journalists in popular culture. But the book does more than that. The authors work also tells us a great deal about the powerful and defining role of popular culture itself. No one is safe from the roving eye of entertainment."--Richard Reeves, author of What the People Know: Freedom and the Press
"Stimulating and thought-provoking. . . . No other work comes close to covering the subject as broadly."--Maurine H. Beasley, author of Women of the Washington Press: Politics, Prejudice, and Persistence
"The assumption behind Heroes and Scoundrels: The Image of the Journalist in Popular Culture is that the audience's perception of the messenger shapes the message. That's hardly a new idea but, applied to journalism in a democracy, it's vastly significant. For example, it turns out that, while the media have been transformed by technology, archetypal images of journalists have persisted. Maybe everything hasn't changed all that much after all. That, along with other important insights gained from formidable research, will help both journalists and their audiences better understand the news of the future. Besides, it’s fun to read all those stories."--Warren Olney, Host and Executive Producer, "To the Point" and "Which Way, LA?", KCRW-FM
"A great read that showcases depictions of journalists over the past century in popular culture. Its thoughtful analysis integrates cultural theory with media concepts and provides important historical context that will interest professionals and academics alike."--Bonnie Brennen, author of Qualitative Research Methods for Media Studies
"Using a multidisciplinary approach that draws on everything from language studies to cultural studies, Matthew C. Ehrlich and Joe Saltzman creatively and entertainingly address the history of the journalist’s image, 1890 to the present. Fascinating chapters focus on the images of photographers, war correspondents, gay and lesbian journalists, journalists of color, women journalists, and journalists of the sci fi future. The dueling myths of the journalist as hero and scoundrel, the book persuasively argues, raise questions about the enduring tension in society between the press as a force for freedom and a tool of oppression."--Loren Ghiglione, author of CBS's Don Hollenbeck: An Honest Reporter in the Age of McCarthyism