On Television

An incredible friend of mine recommended this book to me, and I must do the same for you. If you are interested in social theory and are concerned about why reality shows and other unintelligent or unintelligible shows are proliferating and becoming more prominent, then you need this book. Though this book slightly predates reality television, Bourdieu's book is a concise beautifully written treatise discussing practical reasons why such absurdities are chosen for us to watch. I highly recommend that you read this book.

Bourdieu's book, which is actually a lecture transcibed, is a look into the world of journalism on print and on television. Print, now being rivaled by the television news casthas to follow the steps in which television provides the material and the print media has to be there to create a uniformity in competition. If one veers, then people are unsure of what to read, and given the times and the message Bourdieu is giving, I would assume most would follow the TV news. The title of the book might be misleading in that its more about journalism than television itself. The author makes many profound obsevations as well as unveiling some of the competition that actually goes on in journalism where he asks the question "Where does news come from?" Answering quite plainly that the journalists do indeed choose what is news, and what isn't. A good read, a short book, however at some points dense and other points dry and repetitive. Overall highly reccomended for those interested in media theory.

Turn off your television set for an hour to read this book, and then see if, after finishing it, you feel like turning the set back on. Bourdieu, a French sociologist and one of the world's leading intellectuals, has performed a profound critique of what nowadays passes for journalism, both on television and, increasingly, off it as well. The main body of Bourdieu's text was originally given as lectures and is accessible and stimulating to any concerned reader. The translation is excellent and the endnotes are helpful in defining the French context of Bourdieu's remarks. Highly recommended, especially to anyone who practices journalism in any medium.