Walter Lippmann spent a lifetime worrying about the quality of journalism. In the first decades of the 20^th century his observations and firsthand experiences had led him to a dismal view of the possibilities of the press in a democratic society. Lippmann placed the Jeffersonian ideal of the press next to reality: besieged on all sides by propaganda, new communication technologies and the personal limitations of newsworkers, the press of the day could not be counted on to fully and truthfully inform American citizens. In his view, only disinterested and informed journalists could hope to provide the text of “the bible of democracy.” 100 years later, what would Lippmann say? Patterson’s book attempts to tell us. [Read more…]