An Arsenal for Democracy: Media Accountability Systems (Hampton Press Communication Series. Communication Alternatives)

Although media accountability systems broadly encompass some 60 processes and institutions, from the letters to the editor page to independent consumer press councils, this volume concentrates on the most controversial of them in the United States, Japan, Germany, France, and Britain. Touting such systems as a way to enforce journalistic ethics without government interference, Bertrand (U. de Paris-2, France) presents 29 papers that explain the reasons behind media accountability systems and discuss the relative merits of a number of options, including press councils, ombudsmen, journalism reviews, monitoring groups, and training and research. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)