Bad News

In this book, Batya Ungar-Sargon argues that American journalism has undergone a significant transformation over the twentieth century, evolving from a blue-collar trade to an elite profession.

This shift has led journalists to focus more on the concerns of their affluent, highly educated peers rather than the working class.

The book explores how the rise of the Internet and the decline of local news have nationalized elite news media, aligning corporate incentives with ideological newsroom crusades.

Ungar-Sargon contends that this transformation has resulted in a media landscape that prioritizes 'woke' narratives and identity politics over class-conscious reporting, thereby consolidating the power of liberal elites and undermining American democracy.