Ethical Journalism, Power and Citizenship: Walter Lippmann"™s Theses in Liberty and the News

Abstract

This text revises the main contributions made by Walter Lippmann in his work Libertad y prensa, recently published in Spanish. Lippmann's book, originally published in 1920, allows us to know about his witty contributions on the relationships among media, public opinion and politicians. The study of those relationships forms the core of his essay works, whose relevance and vitality is still immutable. Lippmann was not only the most influential columnist of the last century but also an incisive analyst who wonders about information objectivity, the poor training of journalists and their dubious ethics. His remarks go beyond the mass media as far as to wonder if their poor running questions the very survival of democracy.