• A lively and provocative book, which deals with contentious issues in contemporary journalism, such as intrusion, lack of accountability, obscenity, trivialization, rumour-mongering, and libel.
• The first book to try to make sense of what journalism is becoming in the age of media saturation and hyperbole, from reportage on warfare to the cult of celebrity
• Offers a truly international perspective--US, Canada, UK, Russia, France, Australia, Sweden and Germany all feature.
• Examines the ethical responsibility of the contemporary journalist to respond to the demands of civil society, as opposed to the demands of the state

Readership: Anyone interested in the current state of the media; journalists; students of journalism and media studies.

Ian Hargreaves, School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies, Cardiff University

"Hargreaves has written a timely and disturbing account of journalism in peril." - Martin Bell, The Times

"Ian Hargreaves is a distinguished journalist and academic with a fine track record of editorial integrity and incisive thought." - Chris Cramer, Director of News, CNN

1: Children of the Revolution: journalism and the market
2: Journalism and the idea of press freedom
3: The Pen and the Sword: journalism and the state
4: There's no business like show business: journalism as entertainment
5: Who owns journalists?
6: Journalism and public relations
7: A cookie laced with arsenic: journalism and ethics