Debating War and Peace

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Summary: Who shapes public policy?
Review: John Mermin turns the old saw -- "we lost Vietnam because the liberal press turned against the effort" -- on its head in "Debating War and Peace." Instead, Mermin suggests that the modern media fails to fulfill the important role of a free and independent press in a democratic society. Taking recent conflicts as his starting point, Mermin concludes that the modern media, rather than critically examining government policies and providing a crucial independent source of information to an informed public, frequently parrots the conventional wisdom inside the Washington Beltway. For those who are troubled by consolidation in the media industry, the trivialization of major issues, and the potential sway of a "liberal" press, this may not be such a bad result. Nevertheless, Mermin's book warns us to read the news from Washington, D.C. with a critical eye, especially in a time when the rapid-fire news-cycle prevents reporters from pursuing more than a sound-bite about the issues of the day.

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Summary: Required reading for scholars and citizens alike.
Review: This book lays out in precise detail how media coverage of recent American military interventions has been determined by the spectrum of debate within the government itself. As a result, the press has reported only a very limited set of positions vis-a-vis these wars. Consensus within the government about them has led to the appearance of national consensus, and informed dissent has in such cases gone largely unreported. For citizens whose political ideas fall to the right or left of the mainstream, and who are therefore suspicious of the government's agendas, this should be unsettling news indeed. Though Mermin's account is measured and aims at ideological neutrality, the implications might well be grounds for outrage on the part of anyone who cares about the twin ideal of democratic process and informed citizenry.