¶ … Breaking the News" by James Fallows Losing in Touch with the Public and Reality: The Autonomous Mass Media in "Breaking the News" by James Fallows

James Fallows' critical analysis of the mass media in the United States in the book, "Breaking the News" provided useful insights and case studies on the true nature of the mass media as one of the most dominant institutions in the American society today. Fallows conducted his critical analysis of the mass media by providing illustrations or anecdotes of specific cases in which a particular claim or assertion made by the author can be proven. As a media practitioner himself, Fallows establishes both credibility and criticism for being a member and critic of the mass media almost at the same time. That is, Fallows is critiqued for analyzing the institution wherein he has established his name and became the basis for his book. However, he is also criticized by the public for any biases or self-serving...

Perhaps what interested me most in the book is its first chapter, which tries to answer the crucial question, "Why we hate the media."
In answering this question, the chapter provides a series of anecdotes that offer various perspectives that readers may agree or disagree with as they look at the various reasons why the American public "hates" the mass media. Anecdote 1, entitled "Washing their hands of responsibility: "North Kosan," is a challenging account of the issues that journalists face in the midst of an "ethical crisis," making the public aware of the judgment and behavior of media practitioners when it comes to choosing between personal (even…