THOSE OF US WHO WRITE ACADEMIC BOOKS TAKE PRIDE IN THE fact that our research will add to the body of knowledge in our respective fields, but, at the same time, we accept the fact that our words will reach a relatively small audience. Other professors who share our area of expertise will read our books, and some of them may make a particular title required reading for a class they teach—for a semester or two until a new book on the topic replaces the one we wrote. Within a year or so after the title has been released, new readers will be few and far between.
Not so with Mightier than the Sword.
For unlike the other books I’ve written, this one has continued to attract new readers, year after year, since Westview Press first released it almost two decades ago.
People I’ve asked, both in academia and in the publishing world, tell me the primary reason for the book’s continued popularity is that readers enthusiastically embrace its thesis: for more than two centuries the American news media haven’t merely reported and commented on the news, but they’ve also played a significant role in shaping this country’s history.
A facet of this argument is my major motivation for creating a fourth edition of the book. Specifically, I’ve added a chapter to make the point that the news media’s role in influencing this nation is by no means a phenomenon of the past but is one that’s still going strong in the twenty-first century. The example I’ve chosen to underscore this reality focuses on journalists supporting the initiative to secure civil rights for gay men and lesbians.
A second important factor in my decision to revise Mightier than the Sword is that the news landscape has changed dramatically since the first edition appeared in 1997. The new chapter speaks to this transformation, as it reflects the fact that online publications and websites are an important part of today’s journalistic community. That chapter includes numerous references to venues such as Slate, Politico, and the Huffington Post.
Although the addition of the new chapter is the most tangible difference between this edition of the book and the three earlier versions, I’ve also made some subtle changes in several other chapters. I’ve updated material on a number of topics because of new research that’s been completed in recent years, and I’ve trimmed several chapters in an effort to keep the book at what I believe to be the optimal length for classroom use.
Rodger Streitmatter