The U.S. Press and Iran
Foreign Policy and the Journalism of Deference
$25.00, £14.95 paperback
978-0-520-06472-0
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"Provides a thoughtful history of Iran in the postwar era. . . . It also dissects the press's performance during almost three decades of US involvement in Iran and its contribution to a foreign policy failure 'second only to Vietnam.' Most interesting, however, is its analysis of the interrelationship between foreign policy and the press during the 'age of media politics.'"—Robin Wright, Christian Science Monitor
No one seriously interested in the character of public knowledge and the quality of debate over American alliances can afford to ignore the complex link between press and policy and the ways in which mainstream journalism in the U.S. portrays a Third World ally. The case of Iran offers a particularly rich view of these dynamics and suggests that the press is far from fulfilling the watchdog role assigned it in democratic theory and popular imagination.