In this pathbreaking book, Rodger Streitmatter takes the reader on a sightseeing tour of American history as influenced by the public press, visiting fifteen landmark events in US history, from the American Revolution and the struggle for women's rights to the civil rights movement and Watergate. These are events that stir the political imagination; but, as Streitmatter shows, they also demonstrate how American journalism, since the 1760s, has not merely recorded this nation's history but has played a role in shaping it. The second edition includes an examination of the news media's coverage of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and illustrates how that coverage, or lack of coverage, had a profound effect on the events that followed, including the path to war in Iraq. This new edition also looks beyond traditional journalistic outlets such as newspapers and television news reports and examines the modern-day role that the Internet and its various venues play in reporting the news and shaping history.

[美]罗杰•斯特雷特马特（Rodger Streitmatter），新闻记者、历史学家，率先致力于研究新闻媒体如何塑造美国历史。作为美利坚大学的新闻学教授，他把学术研究引入课堂教学，开设了一系列新课，其中最受欢迎的包括“新闻媒体如何塑造美国历史” “异见媒体的作用”“媒体与性别”等。他是《华盛顿邮报》（The Washington Post）、《提倡者》（The Advocate）等刊物的撰稿人。作为新闻学者，他在《新闻学》（Journalism）、《大众传播季刊》（Mass Communication Quarterly）、《美国新闻学》（American Journalism）、《新闻史》（Journalism History）等期刊上发表多篇论文。他是《新闻史》的通讯编辑、美国新闻史研究协会指导委员会委员、新闻与大众传媒教育联合会历史分会执行委员会委员。他曾获得弗吉尼亚新闻协会颁发的新闻奖及美国新闻史学会颁发的杰出研究奖。

陈继静，女，1978年生，中国人民大学新闻学院副教授，硕士生导师，《国际新闻界》栏目评审，新闻与社会发展研究中心研究员。主要研究方向为中外新闻史，国际新闻与传播。代表作有专著《法国新闻传播史》，译著《新闻的历史》《目击者：这个世界上最杰出的新闻摄影师》等，教材《外国新闻传播史》（合著）、《中国新闻传播史新编》（合著）等，论文《事实、偏见与政治认同：解读法国〈世界报〉上的3.14事件和奥运火炬传递》等。