Last Updated: May 26, 1999
Printer-friendly version
Book review
Episodes illustrate power of the press
‘Mightier than the Sword’ takes 14 moments where media
people affected history from Rush Limbaugh to Sam Adams
By Janice Hume
"Mightier than the Sword: How the News Media Have Shaped American
History," $25, by Rodger Streitmatter
Today’s journalist lives at an odd moment in history.
While the public expresses fear at the perceived power of the news media
to corrupt American society, many editors and reporters, burdened with
the stresses of daily journalism and competing with a myriad of new information/entertainment
outlets, wonder if they have any influence at all.
Rodger Streitmatter’s "Mightier than the Sword" points to 14 moments
in American history when the news media wielded enormous power despite
equally enormous odds. Some of these moments were golden — Edward R. Murrow’s
televised stand against Sen. Joe McCarthy, for example, or the Montgomery
(Ala.) Advertiser’s 1927 triumph over the Ku Klux Klan. Some, such as Father
Charles E. Coughlin’s anti-Semitic radio tirades of the 1930s and 1940s,
were tarnished.
In each case, however, the press didn’t simply mirror history. "The
news media," Streitmatter argues, "shaped American history. Absolutely.
Boldly. Proudly. Fervently. Profoundly." Indeed, the author reminds journalists
that it is still possible to affect change.
Such influence comes with a price tag.
To understand the costs, Streitmatter mines each of these events, from
Sam Adams’ call for American independence through the era of the Muckrakers
to the talk-radio inspired Republican revolution in the 1990s, for commonalities
and clues to how the news media worked. What he found is not terribly surprising,
but it comes at an opportune moment to remind journalists of a lesson from
their often colorful past. Courage begets change. In many episodes, journalists
faced intense criticism, threats and financial crises. In each case they
weren’t afraid to take positions of leadership.
Streitmatter’s book is something of a "greatest hits" collection in
journalism history, written in an easy-going style that allows editors
to ponder press power without getting bogged down in the minutia of more
in-depth studies. His work, however, is well sourced and a nice addition
to the historian’s collection, covering print, audio and visual journalism.
However, like a "greatest hits" album, Streitmatter’s study will leave
readers wanting more. Analyzing 14 events in one volume simply does not
allow for depth in any singular episode, as the author acknowledges. For
example, he blames the mainstream press for helping to slow the women’s
movement of the mid-1800s by attacking leaders such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton
and Susan B. Anthony. Unfortunately, he either ignores era women’s magazines
or points only to their opposition to the movement. Other scholars have
credited these magazines with providing women their first real voice in
the marketplace of ideas. The powerhouse Godey’s Lady’s Book, edited by
Sarah Hale in the mid-1800s, did not favor suffrage, true, but it certainly
furthered women’s education and employment in medicine and education. Sometimes
a second look at the episodes will reveal complexities that the author
did not have room to explore.
With that said, however, the author does a remarkable job placing each
episode in context and highlighting many of the complex arguments about
press influence. He is most compelling when he examines crusades against
the Klan by the New York World, The Commercial Appeal of Memphis, Tenn.,
and the Montgomery Advertiser, showing how the best of journalistic intentions
can backfire and how dubious motives can sometimes bring about heroic results.
The strength of "Mightier Than the Sword" is its focus on how the news
media shaped America, for better or worse. By collecting these moments
in one volume, Streitmatter reminds editors that it is still possible to
positively influence their communities, even alter the course of history.
It just takes a willingness to put reputations, reporters and, yes, even
money on the line if the cause is worthy enough to justify the sacrifice.
Hume, a former editor at the Mobile (Ala.) Register, is an assistant
professor of journalism at Kansas State University.
