Provoking the Press

Kevin M. Lerner is an Assistant Professor of Journalism at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, and edits the Journal of Magazine Media. He lives in New York’s Hudson Valley.

“Provoking the Press is a welcome addition to the scholarly subgenre of press criticism/journalism history principally because its author provides a new way . . . to look at the more than sixty-year campaign against corporate mainstream news media’s Holy Grail of objectivity.”—Arthur S. Hayes, Fordham University, author of Press Critics Are the Fifth Estate: Media Watchdogs in America“Lerner’s work adds an important chapter to the history of press criticism as well as the broader history of 1970s journalism.”—Christopher B. Daly, Boston University, author of Covering America: A Narrative History of a Nation’s Journalism"Kevin Lerner's spellbinding history of the last tumultuous moment in American journalism couldn't be more resonant for the one we're in now. This book uses the story of (MORE) magazine in the 1970s to urgently frame the most important questions swirling around the media today, from the duty of reporters to describe history as it really is to the debates around objectivity and personal identity. This isn't just a wildly entertaining read, but an undeniably important one, too. Kudos to Lerner for unearthing a rollicking moment of journalism history to help us make sense of where we are."—Kyle Pope, editor and publisher of the Columbia Journalism Review "Anyone who cares about journalism, journalistic practices, ethics, and press (media) criticism, will want to read Kevin Lerner's meticulously researched Provoking the Press, the definitive biography of (MORE) Magazine, the late, much missed, short-lived journalism review. Not only will you learn much, but it's lots of fun, crammed with irresistible anecdotes."—Victor Navasky, former editor and publisher of the Nation, chairman of the Columbia Journalism Review, author of Naming Names“Kevin M. Lerner offers a thoughtful assessment of (MORE) Magazine’s cheeky critique of journalism in the 1970s, when 'The Press' of the 1960s evolved into 'The Media' of the 1980s. Provoking the Press is a useful addition to the history of journalism that examines how the gadfly press review (1971–1978) shaped the profession during a key decade in journalism history. . . . Lerner, an assistant professor of journalism at Marist College who edits the Journal of Magazine Media, does a fine job explaining that a key part of (MORE)’s legacy was countering journalism’s anti-intellectualism and treating it with the same watchdog mentality that the field trained on other powerful institutions. Some of the most engaging parts of the book are Lerner’s interviews with staffers that enliven this thoughtful contribution to the history of press criticism.”—Linda J. Lumsden, Journalism History"The book is a useful resource for journalism historians, media ethicists, educators who teach courses on press criticism in the United States and beyond, and established or aspiring press critics. It would also be of interest to lay readers with a serious interest in understanding the short-comings of US journalism."—Miglena Sternadori, Journal of Magazine Media “A well-documented, well-written, informative, and enjoyable read. . . . Anyone interested in the recent history of journalism in the United States or New York City will also benefit from Lerner’s work.”—H-Net Reviews