The Press

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

This survey consists of in-depth looks at the ``underdog'' Washington Post , the ``contender'' Los Angeles Times , the ``cathedral'' New York Times , together with less searching examinations of the Gannett and Knight-Ridder chains. While Cose, ex-president of the Institute for Journalism Education, covers in detail such journalistic landmarks as the publication of the Pentagon Papers, the bogus Washington Post story about the child heroin addict and the impact of the Watergate affair, all that takes second place to the corporate maneuverings in boardrooms and editorial offices. There are thorough accounts, for example, of the careers of Donald Graham, Otis Chandler and Punch Sulzberger. While of some interest to media buffs, the book's primary appeal will probably be to students of business history. (Apr.)

Library Journal

Journalist Cose, a former visiting fellow at Columbia's Gannett Center for Media Studies, here provides a quick history of each of the big players in newspaper journalism today--the New York Times , the Washington Post , the Los Angeles Times , and the Knight-Ridder and Gannett chains. He tells how they reported and influenced as well as enmeshed themselves in the events they were covering. Cose's recounting of the three newspapers' rise to power is most inspired; his detailing of the controversy surrounding Gannett's USA Today is on the mark. But he gives short shrift to the respected Knight-Ridder newspapers. A more thorough account of Knight-Ridder can be found in Charles Whited's Knight ( LJ 12/1/88). In spite of this drawback, the title is a core selection and highly recommended.-- Michelle Lodge, New York