Mainstream Journalism in America (through the prism of The New York Times)

Jefferson is supposed to have said that if he were forced to choose between a free government and a free press he would choose a free press, because without it a free government would not survive. It is certainly true that newspapers, and later the electronic media, have had major impacts on American politics and society. Now these media are in a period of convulsive change; their business model is broken and no one can fix it. This course will consider the growth, evolution, influence and future of these media, particularly The New York Times. Enrollment limited to 20.