Written by IAMCR members Lars Willnat, David H. Weaver and Cleveland Wilhoit
Media, Trust, and Democracy
Drawing on a 2022 national survey of U.S. journalists and more than five decades of decennial studies, this book offers a timely, comparative portrait of journalism during a period of crisis for both the nation and the news media. The study examines journalists’ changing demographics, working conditions, ethics, and professional norms, including challenges to objectivity and newsroom strategies to protect democracy amid growing threats and abuse. It also analyzes structural and cultural shifts in the profession, such as the expanding roles of women and minority journalists, changing political attitudes, a shrinking workforce, and evolving views of social media’s impact on a fragmented, disinformation-prone audience. The book concludes with a cautiously optimistic assessment of a resilient profession driven by altruism and renewed purpose.
Lars Willnat (Ph.D., Indiana University) is the John Ben Snow Research Professor at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
David H. Weaver (Ph.D., University of North Carolina) is Distinguished Professor of Journalism Emeritus at Indiana University-Bloomington.
G. Cleveland (Cleve) Wilhoit (Ph.D., University of North Carolina) is Emeritus Professor of Journalism and was Associate Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies at Indiana University.
The above text is from the publisher’s description of the book:
Title: The American Journalist Under Attack
Authors: Lars Willnat, David H. Weaver and Cleveland Wilhoit
Published: 2026
Pages: 448
Publisher: Peter Lang Group AG
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