Crossroads

Description

"Decision-making in American government and other institutions in the 21st century is likely to become more authoritarian and will drift away from the democratic ideals of the Enlightenment. That's the main conclusion John C. Merrill, a professor emeritus of journalism, reaches in Call to Order, which is sure to be one of his most provocative books. In Call to Order, Merrill summarizes Plato's ideas about social control, which emphasize a benevolent but authoritarian system, and then briefly traces its legacy, covering all major thinkers up to the present. Merrill is particularly concerned about the rise of neo-Marist theories, postmodernism, and the communitarianism and public journalism movements. "They have not directly condemned freedom, but in very subtle ways have proposed limiting the power of the media managers and putting it in the hands of the citizens or in government agencies.^ The assumption here is that some extra-press authority would be more responsible managers than are the current directors, publishers, and editors." He writes that "communitarianism today is trying to reestablish community and values, to put the society above egoistic individualism, and to stress social obligation rather than an obsession with personal freedom. The collectivity in a sense becomes the authority --^ a kind of democratic authoritarianism. Does this mean that the 'community' has some sort of authority? It seems so, but its nature is amorphous. At any rate, individualism must be lost or subsumed in the community." Merrill isn't completely pessimistic. He says newspapers like The New York Times, France's Le Monde, and England's The Independent will continue to improve and provide credible information. However, the long-term prospects for libertarian ideas of freedom and individuality are not promising. Call to Order is highly readable and sure to spark considerable debate among scholars from numerous disciplines as well as from students in upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses in media theory, First Amendment and media ethics."--Publisher's website.

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