I agree with another reviewer that the examples are a bit dated (which quickly happens in a mass communication textbook). However, this issue seems to have been remedied in the latest edition of this text. Outlining the history and theory of photojournalism, this textbook explains its historical and contemporary development; who creates, selects and circulates images; and the ethics, aesthetics and politics of the practice. Blocks of text are broken up with images, a few charts, and a few stories that are boxed and that illustrate examples of topics within the chapters. Business models – both for artists and consumers – of streaming services across all media Sheds new light on the aesthetic factors that shaped Kubrick's artistic voice by examining the links between his photojournalist work (done between 1945 to 1950) and his films. The text starts by introducing some basic concepts like culture and effects. on
As for accuracy, yes, the facts seem quite accurate to the best of my knowledge, and the text is written (and edited) by someone with a journalist's view of language - it's useful, it's best done well, and occasionally it lends itself to some essayistic moments. For example, on page 479, the statistics in the section, "Information Access Like Never Before," the cited reports were from 2002 and 2004. In Truth Needs No Ally, Howard Chapnick, one of the giants of contemporary photojournalism, offers a historical, philosophical, pragmatic, and inspiring look at the profession.
Its central message was that the technology of media — not their content — was their most important feature. It’s a great resource that allows me to have more fun in the classroom by asking interesting questions that wake up the students and generate some amazing answers. It would be incumbent upon the professor and students to keep some kind of glossary or wiki, which is not a bad idea for a media history/media and society class in any case. The major weakness of this book is the fact that many of the references were outdated. In today’s increasingly globalized culture and economy, a broader outlook on media and culture may be expected. on The author makes it a point to clarify when the book what published, which helps, but, again, it’ll be hard for a current student to see past that when they’ve grown up with the platform being discussed as “new” and have moved on. The chapter ethics and economics aren't as badly out of date.
This text is comprehensive on several levels. Obviously, this is a major weak link of the textbook. I have never had issues with students downloading and reading on multiple devices – or even printing and referencing – based on their preferences. I am basing this on the fact that this was published in 2010. For example, in Chapter 16.1 Changes in Media Over the Last Century the example box titled "Pay-for-it Content: Will it Work?" I have been using the same text for seven years (Pavlik and McIntosh).