Eric Klinenberg will discuss his new book, Fighting for Air, which offers an unsettling look at how local media has been sold out to big business for economic gain and why this should concern all Americans.
Book jacket
Fighting for Air takes the reader on a cross-country trip to see how national radio shows are made to sound Ì¢âÂÒlocalÌ¢âÂå with the use of computers, how syndicated columns are quietly planted in newspapers small and large, and how television news shows are littered with prepackaged stories without a local connection. Throughout, Klinenberg argues that the demise of truly local journalism is undermining the mediaÌ¢âÂã¢s diversity and community-service mission across America, leaving individuals more disconnected from society than ever before. He interviewed scores of programming directors, DJs, reporters, editors, and other insiders for the book, resulting in a highly readable and moving journey through this new media reality.
The author
Eric Klinenberg is an associate professor of sociology at New York University. His first book, Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago, was profiled in The New Yorker and a variety of other national media outlets. The recipient of numerous academic awards and fellowships, he has also written for Rolling Stone, The Nation, and Slate. He lives in New York City.
Fighting for Air books will be sold before and after the event in the North Gate Hall Library.