Watchdogs of Democracy?: The Waning Washington Press Corps and How It Has Failed the Public [Paperback]

In the course of more than sixty years spent covering Washington politics, Helen Thomas has witnessed firsthand a raft of fundamental changes in the way news is gathered and reported.Today, she sees a growing -- and alarming -- reluctance among reporters to question government spokesmen and probe for the truth. The result has been a wholesale failure by journalists to fulfill what is arguably their most vital role in contemporary American life -- to be the watchdogs of democracy.

Here, the legendary journalist and bestselling author delivers a hard-hitting manifesto on the precipitous decline in the quality and ethics of political reportage -- and issues a clarion call for change. Thomas confronts some of the most significant issues of the day and provides readers with rich historical perspective on the roots of American journalism, the circumstances attending the rise and fall of its golden age, and the nature and consequences of its current shortcomings. The book is a powerful, eye-opening discourse on the state of political reportage -- as well as a welcome and inspiring demand for meaningful and lasting reform.Helen Thomasis the dean of the White House press corps. The recipient of more than forty honorary degrees, she was honored in 1998 with the inaugural Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award, established by the White House Correspondents' Association. The author ofThanks for the Memories, Mr. President; Front Row at the White House;andDateline: White House,she lives in Washington, D.C., where she writes a syndicated column forHearst. Helen Thomas delivers a scathing rebuke to the media in her classic, tell-it-like-it-is style.... Thomas's book sounds the alarm to the media and the public.
--The Christian Science Monitor Watchdogs of Democracy?encourages reflection on the roots of American journalism, its mission, and its uncertain future.
-- Associated Press Thomas is as engaging as she isl£;