Berlin Wall in the News

The 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall, one of the shocks
of history, heralded at the time the almost
unimaginable fall of communism and end of the Cold
War. The dramatic Wall events are replayed as
landmarks in television histories today; a reminder
that they were media events -- on a grand scale. This
book tells the story of the collapse of the Eastern
bloc from the perspective of the mass media; the
journalists who reported and documented what they saw
but could hardly themselves believe. The author was
there as one of the international correspondents. His
book records interviews with leading reporters and
editors who took part; revisits the actual coverage
from six major Western media organisations, and
checks those accounts against histories being written
ten years later. It considers also the perspectives
of political leaders of the era, and especially the
gigantic crowds in the streets demanding freedom. To
understand those crowds, well tested theories of mass
social movements, and their use of media, are
consulted in the book; and in the end an argument is
made, that in this new Century, history can be
understood very accurately from the news media, just
as it happens.

Autorentext
Lee Richard Duffield PhD covered European news during twenty-twoyears as a journalist with the Australian BroadcastingCorporation. He teaches Journalism at the Queensland Universityof Technology and writes on media in Europe, development news,and education for journalists. He edits EUAustralia Online,(www.euaustralia.com).

Klappentext
The 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall, one of the shocksof history, heralded at the time the almostunimaginable fall of communism and end of the ColdWar. The dramatic "Wall" events are replayed aslandmarks in television histories today; a reminderthat they were media events -- on a grand scale. Thisbook tells the story of the collapse of the Easternbloc from the perspective of the mass media; thejournalists who reported and documented what they sawbut could hardly themselves believe. The author wasthere as one of the international correspondents. Hisbook records interviews with leading reporters andeditors who took part; revisits the actual coveragefrom six major Western media organisations, andchecks those accounts against histories being writtenten years later. It considers also the perspectivesof political leaders of the era, and especially thegigantic crowds in the streets demanding freedom. Tounderstand those crowds, well tested theories of masssocial movements, and their use of media, areconsulted in the book; and in the end an argument ismade, that in this new Century, history can beunderstood very accurately from the news media, justas it happens.