The news media is a 24-hour presence, endlessly pumping images and information through the air, beaming it down from space, transmitting it through cables and phone lines across the Internet. Out of this torrent of information, all delivered in about the same tone of importance, it is sometimes difficult to sift through and determine what really is significant. From newspapers and magazines to radios, televisions, and the Internet, today's consumers often rely on the news media for unbiased, reliable information on current events. However, the news media is an industry that does much more than report the facts; it is also used to generate publicity, shape public opinion, and sell its audience on just about anything from political parties to social values to the branded media outlets themselves. Power of the News Media helps readers understand the function of the news media, how it shapes attitudes, and how to evaluate its content. This important volume provides a useful tool for librarians, teachers, and others concerned with education and media issues. Providing a variety of perspectives and drawing on books, articles, and Internet sources, it is an ideal starting place for research.