Democracy, inc. : the press and law in the corporate rationalization of the public sphere

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Title:

Democracy, inc. : the press and law in the corporate rationalization of the public sphere

Author:

Allen, David S., 1955-

ISBN:

9780252029752

Personal Author:

Allen, David S., 1955-

Publication Information:

Urbana : University of Illinois Press, 2005.

Physical Description:

p. cm.

Series:

The history of communication

Series Title:

The history of communication

Contents:

1. The rise of corporate rationalization -- 2. Corporate rationalization and discourse democracy : seeking alternatives -- 3. Professionalization of the press and law : routinization and management -- 4. Defining a professional mission : the law and the question of public representation -- 5. Corporate ownership and the press : collapsing distinctions -- 6. Public television, parks, parades, and rest areas : managing the property of public life -- 7. Resisting corporate rationalization : toward a discourse theory of the first amendment.

Abstract:

"In Democracy, Inc., David S. Allen exposes the vested interests fostering the U.S. slide toward the conflation of corporate and democratic values and the ways in which this undermines the public sphere. He argues that rather than being institutional protectors of democratic principles, the press and law perversely contribute to the destruction of public discourse in the United States today." "Allen utilizes historical, philosophical, sociological, and legal sources to trace America's gradual embrace of corporate values. He argues that such values, including winning, efficiency, and profitability, actually limit democratic involvement by devaluing discursive principles, creating an informed yet inactive public. Through an examination of professionalization in both the press and the law, corporate free speech rights, and free speech as property, Democracy, Inc. demonstrates how corporate values have warped our understanding of democracy and the concept of citizenship."--BOOK JACKET.

Subject Term:

Press law -- United States.

Corporate state -- United States.

Democracy -- United States.

Electronic Access:

Table of contents http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip052/2004023676.html

Copies:

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Copy	Status
Searching... 1:IIEMSA	1:GEN-BOOK	33168015769777	343.720998 A425D 2005	1	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

In Democracy, Inc., David S. Allen exposes the vested interests behind the U.S. slide toward conflating corporate values with public and democratic values. He argues that rather than being institutional protectors of democratic principles, the press and law perversely contribute to the destruction of public discourse in the United States today.

Allen utilizes historical, philosophical, sociological, and legal sources to trace America's gradual embrace of corporate values. He argues that such values, including winning, efficiency, and profitability actually limit democratic involvement by devaluing discursive principles, creating an informed yet inactive public. Through an examination of professionalization in both the press and the law, corporate free speech rights, and free speech as property, Democracy, Inc. demonstrates that today's democracy is more about trying to control and manage citizens than giving them the freedom to participate. Allen not only calls on institutions to reform the way they understand and promote citizenship but also asks citizens to adopt a new ethic of public discourse that values understanding rather than winning.