The Daily Planet is a long-awaited selection of Patricia Aufderheide's most important critical essays, updated and organized thematically to demonstrate the breadth of her thinking on media and film, public telecommunications policy, and contemporary society. The result is a pithy and provocative exploration of "the culture of daily life under capitalism".Here, Aufderheide demonstrates criticism that is both activist and analytical. She probes the processes that shape our culture by examining diverse subjects, including the struggle to create quality children's television programming, the meaning of Paul Harvey, the evolution of the war film over the past thirty years, and the ways journalism is changed by the Internet and other new technologies.Throughout, Aufderheide foregrounds democratic values, displaying the penetrating insights that have made her a leading public intellectual and commentator on contemporary culture. (view table of contents)

The passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 inaugurated a new and highly volatile era in telecommunications. The first major overhaul of U.S. communications law since 1934--when no one had a television set, a cordless phone, or a computer--the Act was spurred into being by broad shifts in technology use. Equally important, this book shows, the new law reflects important changes in our notions of the purpose of communications regulation and how it should be deployed. Focusing on the evolution of the concept of the public interest, Aufderheide examines how and why the legislation was developed, provides a thematic analysis of the Act itself, and charts its intended and unintended effects in business and policy. An abridged version of the Act is included, as are the Supreme Court decision that struck down one of its clauses, the Communications Decency Act, and a variety of pertinent speeches and policy arguments. Readers are also guided to a range of organizations and websites that offer legal updates and policy information.   Finalist, McGannon Center Award for Social and Ethical Relevance in Communication Policy Research  

A collection of essays explores the current debate over multiculturalism and its relationship to 'political correctness,' includes work by writers ranging from Barbara Ehrenreich and Todd Gitlin to Dinesh D'Souza.

Traces the life of the late Eqyptian president, describes his role in Nasser's administration, and recounts Sadat's negotiations for peace with Israel