Partisan Journalism

Using real-world case studies from across the Global South, this book shows how partisanship has been an important tool in journalism. The puroported "objectivity" of commercial media often whitewashes bias and outright fabrications - such as the presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq - and misrepresents them as untemered facts. In contrast, the explicitly partisan journalism practiced by the independent media outlets studied in this book expresses a philosophy of democratic participation, social justice, and advocacy. This text provides chapter examples of partisan journalism by Bolivian miners, Nicaraguan media workers, Venezuelan community media, Pan-African indigenous journalism, and Radio Free Palestine.

Lee Artz, a former steelworker and machinist, is Professor of Media Studies and the Director of the Center for Global Studies at Purdue University Northwest. Artz has written, edited, and published several books, including: Global Media Dialogues: Industry, Politics, and Culture; Spectacle and Diversity: Transnational Media and Global Culture; and The Pink Tide: Media Access and Political Power in Latin America. He has contributed multiple book chapters and journal articles on global media, US popular culture, media practices, and social movements. Artz speaks regularly on global media and popular culture.