The Media Syndrome (Book Review)

Abstract

David L. Altheide 2016 The Media Syndrome, Routledge, New York. ISBN: 978-1-62958-147-7. The media’s seemingly increasing role in our daily life has been the subject of much scrutiny. The media is no longer just thrown into our front yard wrapped in plastic or something switched on at 6pm, it now lives in our pockets, constantly accessible and begging for our attention. While many newspaper columnists and bloggers make their money by bemoaning or gushing over this new age of media access, the impact of the media on a broader, global and political level has been less examined. David L. Altheide, a prolific and respected writer in the field, has addressed this gap in his latest offering, The Media Syndrome. Part discourse and text analysis, part longitudinal study, Altheide’s analysis of the media’s role in key political events, what he terms ‘the media syndrome’, is eye-opening, the full extent of which will give even the most cynical student of media cause for thought.