Roger Streitmatter
Mightier than the Sword
How the News Media Have
Shaped American History
Illustrations, Notes,
Bibliography, Index
xii + 287pp. $34.27
Colorado: Westview Press,
1997
0-8113-3210-9
“Burke
said that there were Three Estates in Parliament; but, in the Reporters'
Gallery yonder, there sat a Fourth
Estate, more important far than they all” – Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881).
In his trailblazing book, “Mightier than the Sword: How the News Media Have
Shaped American History”, Roger Streitmatter recounts how important this Fourth
Estate is. From the 1700’s through to the 1900’s, he gives a gripping account of
fourteen distinct occasions when the news media not just reported, but played an
active role in events that made history in America.
Between
1830 and 1850, the abolitionist press – both black and white achieved the
thorny feat of disseminating throughout America
A
journey through Roger Streitmatter’s “Mightier than the Sword” takes you
through a string of comparable incidents when American journalism had a part to
play in the shaping of this nation’s history. The cases of the abolitionist
movement as well as that of the struggle for women’s rights, the civil rights
movement and Watergate all depict instances when the American press had a
positive impact on the history of that country.
Streitmatter
however does not concentrate just on the gallant roles the media played in
shaping American history but also touches on a couple of instances when the
press abused the mighty power it wields. On these occasions, the media did have
an influence on society and brought about a change – not necessarily appealing
to the best in human nature. The warmongering efforts of some journalists
contributing to the Spanish-American War, the press slowing the pace of women’s
rights and the Anti-Semitism fomentation of one man via radio illustrate such
instances. Spanish Commander Valeriano Weyler captured the manner in which the press
abused its power when he said of the Spanish-American War – “The American
newspapers are responsible. They poisoned everything with falsehood.”
Roger
Streitmatter also gives an account of one occasion where the positive and the
negative role the media played in American history came out. This was the story
of Joe McCarthy and his use of the media to terrorize Americans. Ironically, the
media also caused the exposé of McCarthy as well as his downfall.
A trip through Roger Streitmatter’s
“Mightier than the Sword” brings to light the gradual evolution of journalism
from just the use of the print media to the use of radio and television as well.
The author utilises a systematic approach in doing this by telling his story in
a sequential manner. He focuses on a particular period and the form of media
available and then moves on to the next while bringing out the transition from
the use of print to the use of both print and electronic media.
Streitmatter spares his readers from the wearisome
task of reading through countless names, dates and newspaper headlines that
characterise most books on history. He is however able to tell his story
accurately by bringing out the facts. Looking at Roger Steitmatter’s account of
Watergate in comparison to that of Katherine Graham in her autobiography, Streitmatter
brings out the essential details of the case and the important personalities
directly involved thus making it easy to follow and understand. Graham on the
other hand, having had a direct involvement in Watergate, made mention of every
single person involved as well as all the dates on which events took place. In
“Mightier than the Sword”, Streitmatter succeeds in summarising this incident
without leaving out any vital information.
In his final chapter, Roger Streitmatter tells
of how the news media influenced various incidents in the past. According to
him, “The news media have shaped American history. Absolutely. Boldly. Proudly.
Fervently. Profoundly.” Streitmatter gives a synopsis of the various chapters
while bringing out elements the news media employed in shaping the history of America
Roger Streitmatter’s “Mightier than the
Sword” succeeds in taking readers on a whirlwind expedition through American
history while bringing to the forefront the various roles the media played in
shaping this history. As a journalist cum cultural historian it is evident
Streitmatter has more than a fair idea of this subject matter. This is
noticeable in his other works, which include “Sex Sells! The Media’s Journey
from Obsession to Repression”, “Voices of Revolution: The Dissident Press in America
Not all is perfect, of course. In his
introduction, Streitmatter identifies one of his target audiences as journalism
students. A journalism student myself, I found it a bit difficult understanding
some of the words he used as they were unfamiliar to me. Some may argue that
this probably serves as an opportunity for students to enhance their vocabulary
but I found it a bit tedious shuffling between the book and my dictionary.
Roger Streitmatter
set out to increase our understanding of both American journalism and American
history in “Mightier than the Sword: How the News Media Have Shaped American
History”. This he did beyond reasonable doubt. To portray just how influential
the media is, Canovas del Castillo, the Spanish Prime Minister at the time of
the Spanish-American War summed it all when he said to an American reporter
“The newspapers of your country seem to be more powerful than the government”.
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