In a democratic society, the role of the press is usually characterized by neutrality and the necessity of an informed electorate. The journalist's ethic is to present facts with minimal interpretation. Over the decades, however, this strict code has evolved and opened up, and thanks to the internet, an alternative media has risen. This has led to accusations of media bias and condemnation of certain media outlets by powerful elected leaders. The viewpoints in this volume explore the obligations of the media, the rise of satirical news outlets, and how to interpret news in a post-fact era.

Introduction -- Theoretical foundations of news media as a source of social and political power / Teun A. Van Dijk -- Psychological benefits and drawbacks of the modern media environment -- Author unknown -- Ethical issues in journalism and media / Leighton Walter Kille -- Facts and opinions in political journalism / Jay Rosen -- The end of the big media era / Christopher B. Daly -- The relationship between conservative media and politics in America / Jackie Calmes -- News, journalism, and comedy / Rachel Joy Larris -- Issues in mobile technology and news reporting / Sajid Umair -- Quality and profitability in the news business / Marc Gunther -- Drawbacks of the digital news media environment / Dan Kennedy -- Benefits of a diverse and creative media environment / Sarah J. Burton -- Media diversity in the social space / Richard Fletcher -- Media bias as a threat to democratic governance in the US / Joel S. Hirschhorn -- When politicians and candidates antagonize the news media / David Greenberg -- News, journalism, and free speech in the digital media environment / Lee Rainie, Janna Anderson, and Jonathan Albright.