Product Description

The penetrating—and entertaining—story of the rise of a new generation of liberal media figures, from Jon Stewart and Michael Moore to MoveOn and the blue blogosphere.

The last decade brought a sea change in the American media landscape: while mainstream news outlets generally endorsed the Bush/Cheney worldview and later the administration's line on the Iraq War and the war on terror, an astonishing number of Americans—millions and millions, in fact—began getting their news from The Daily Show and The Colbert Report instead.

With a combination of technological savvy, irreverent humor, and acerbic critique, a handful of media personalities, blogs, outlets, and politically based organizations—from The Onion to Jon Stewart to the Daily Kos—are transforming American politics and culture, and the stories of where these outlets came from and how they got so powerful are just as entertaining as watching them in action. In this crisp, engaging account, journalist and historian Theodore Hamm chronicles the humble and often surprising origins of the people, the publications, and the netroots pioneers that are now household names. He also brilliantly illuminates how this "New Blue Media" both drew upon the traditional strategies of the left and also developed new ones in order to create a wholly innovative media movement.

From Michael Moore's fight with Disney to bring Fahrenheit 9/11 to movie theaters across America to the controversy surrounding MoveOn.org's hardhitting critique of Iraq War commander General David Petraeus, the stories of the battles, triumphs, setbacks, and strategies are all here. Up-to-the-minute, whip-smart, and highly entertaining, The New Blue Media is an indispensable guide to the contemporary progressive media in America.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #52561 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 208 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781595580405
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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Review
Hamm has an interesting story to tell. (Associated Press ) REVIEW: Hamm's passion for his work...will appeal to fans of Stewart, Colbert and Moore, and to those who aren't Bush fans. (Detroit Free Press ) REVIEW: Deft and thorough, [Hamm] doesn't hold back from criticizing the tactical errors the groups have made. (The Press-Enterprise ) REVIEW: Hamm's greatest task...is to provide historical context for a trend that has very little history. Hamm is up to the task (Time Out Chicago)

About the Author
Theodore Hamm is the founding editor of the Brooklyn Rail and an associate professor of urban studies at Metropolitan College of New York. His book Rebel and a Cause covered the politics of the death penalty in postwar California. He has written for the Los Angeles Times, The Nation, and Truthdig, among other publications. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Customer Reviews

New Blue Media Review from a Red State
This is definitely an entertaining and informative book about the rise of the new liberal media. The author's sympathies lie with Michael Moore, MoveOn and the liberal blogs, but he doesn't hesitate to disagree with these groups--especially when they seem to be too close to the Democratic leadership. At the same time, he shows how the New Blue Media have shaken up the party. His accounts of the Dean campaign, first for president and then for the chair of Democratic National Committee, as well as the Ned Lamont campaign and the George Allen "Macaca" incident, are all very lively.

The author is less critical of The Onion, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, but he nevertheless shows how valuable their voices are. They are asking the critical questions about the war in Iraq and many other issues that the mainstream media ignore. The writing is sharp and the author often shows biting wit, as when he writes that "the Bush Administration's response to Hurricane Katrina was--naturally--disastrous" (p. 19). The author has little sympathy for anybody who supported the Iraq War, which means that fans of Bush and the Clintons won't like the book. Those coming of age in the era of Obama and Stephen Colbert will.

Incisive Look at the Pervasive Impact of the New Progressive Media
Mass media has always played a pivotal role in the transformation of the American political scene, whether it was in the form of FDR's fireside radio chats or JFK's natural charisma trouncing Nixon with his five-o'clock shadow in their televised debates. Theodore Hamm, founding editor of the NY-based arts and political monthly, the Brooklyn Rail, takes a sharp and concise look at the latest trends in media where satirical cable programs, vituperative documentaries and the all-encompassing blogosphere have become the prevalent media forms seizing the attention of Americans away from the more traditional news sources. In a scant 208 pages, the author paints a fresh picture of the new millennium as we witness a revitalized progressive movement unapologetically responding to the mainstream network conglomerates intent on endorsing the Bush administration's worldview.

As Hamm appropriately describes the alternative media as blue, there is no doubt there is a liberal bias to much of the coverage. One can read about it in the tweaking satire of the Onion or watch on TV the serpent's tooth wit of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report. Even more instantaneous news coverage can be found on highly trafficked sites like MoveOn and the Daily Kos. On the big screen, Michael Moore has been enjoying commercial success with Fahrenheit 9/11 and Sicko, both polarizing documentaries exposing the moral ambiguity of the Washington politicos. What Hamm does so well in his book is coalesce these various outlets into a cohesive chronicle of the new progressive media starting with the individuals who managed to combine irreverent humor with shrewdly pointed observations - Moore, Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Bill Maher, Markos Moulitsas, Joan Blades and Wes Boyd of MoveOn. Most have become household names thanks to their innovative approaches, and Hamm makes their stories smart, entertaining reading.

Tough minded, lucid
Theodore Hamm has a keen, concise take on contemporary media. With wit and absolute clarity he brings alive the intricacies of bringing politics alive. A must for media analysis: professional or academic.