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CHOICE Review

The editor identifies this as the fourth volume in a series developed ``to enhance the First Amendment.'' Each piece in this collection of 13 articles is original research by a qualified specialist. In accord with the subtitle ``Grading the Media,'' the authors undertake to monitor and evaluate both the form and substance of media performance. Part 1 identifies as sensitive areas of concern such things as myth and distortion in the media's portrayal of women, the imperceptible role played by the buzzwords ``waste'' and ``efficiency,'' and the enduring issue of media stereotyping. It ends with a remarkable little piece on gossip. Part 2, focused on alerting the public and protecting freedom, deals with such themes as early warning signals and messages supplied by film, international press-watchdog organizations, and cameras in the courtroom; and there is a 1985 retrospective on George Orwell. The studies in Part 3 evaluate the role of the press in explaining events and diagnosing situations, and the impact that media messages may have on the public. ``Is the press,'' asks one contributor, ``promoting suicide and other forms of death chic?'' The articles are convincingly documented. The book concludes with biographical sketches of the contributors. Useful primarily for graduate students and mass media/communication scholars.-S.B. Cunningham, University of Windsor