In What Liberal Media? Eric Alterman takes these accusations seriously and in brisk, light-hearted prose exposes the fallacy of the vast left-wing conspiracy that never was. Starting from the fundamental position that the media is neither the conservative monolith nor the liberal majority that many make it out to be, Alterman lays out a surprising defense of the media as it now stands. It isn't individual journalists who dictate the news, he claims, but rather the corporate news structure--be it television or print--that determines what we see and read. This very structure, much more than the personal ideologies of prominent news figures, defines the current state of the media--one that Alterman describes as more conservatively oriented than critics on the right are willing to admit.

Armed with data that debunk many of the more inflammatory accusations made against the media and expose just who controls the purse strings of the press, What Liberal Media? is a must-read for all those outraged, confused, or just plain disgusted at the current critical stalemate about who the media serves and why it exists.

Only a liberal would write a book called What Liberal Media? To read much contemporary media criticism, the answer is so obvious, it does not merit a response.