Walter Lippmann

The most incisive comment on politics to-day is indifference. When men and women begin to feel that elections and legislatures do not matter very much, that politics is a rather distant and unimportant exercise, the reformer might as well put to himself a few searching doubts. Indifference is a criticism that cuts beneath oppositions and wranglings by calling the political method itself into question. Leaders in public affairs recognize this. They know that no attack is so disastrous as silence, that no invective is so blasting as the wise and indulgent smile of the people who do not care. I have put forward a preliminary sketch for a theory of politics, a preface to thinking. Like all speculation about human affairs, it is the result of a grapple with problems as they appear in the experience of one man. For though a personal vision may at times assume an eloquent and universal language, it is well never to forget that all philosophies are the language of particular men.

The most incisive comment on politics to-day is indifference. When men and women begin to feel that elections and legislatures do not matter very much, that politics is a rather distant and unimportant exercise, the reformer might as well put to himself a few searching doubts. Indifference is a criticism that cuts beneath oppositions and wranglings by calling the political method itself into question. Leaders in public affairs recognize this. They know that no attack is so disastrous as silence, that no invective is so blasting as the wise and indulgent smile of the people who do not care. I have put forward a preliminary sketch for a theory of politics, a preface to thinking. Like all speculation about human affairs, it is the result of a grapple with problems as they appear in the experience of one man. For though a personal vision may at times assume an eloquent and universal language, it is well never to forget that all philosophies are the language of particular men.

In Liberty and the News Walter Lippmann offers us a stern warning about the importance of reliable news to the survival of a healthy democracy. He railed against bad journalism and drove home the point that the general public must be able to ascertain the truth or democracy is doomed. Walter Lippmann was a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and the father of modern journalism.

In Liberty and the News Walter Lippmann offers us a stern warning about the importance of reliable news to the survival of a healthy democracy. He railed against bad journalism and drove home the point that the general public must be able to ascertain the truth or democracy is doomed. Walter Lippmann was a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and the father of modern journalism.

" The May 1916 speech by President Wilson] was an announcement that American isolation was ended, and that we were prepared to join a League of Peace. This was the foundation of all that followed, and it was intended to make clear to the world that America wouldn't abandon its traditional policy for imperialistic adventure, that if America had to fight it would fight for the peace and order of the world." --Walter Lippmann, in "An address delivered before the American Academy of Political and Social Science at Philadelphia," April, 1917 The Political Scene--An Essay on the Victory of 1918 (1919), by Walter Lippmann, describes the aftermath of the victory of the Allies in World War I and the foundation of the League of Nations. The insights of Lippmann, a journalist, in this book were especially based on his role as staff member to the American Commission to Negotiate the Peace in December 1918. In this capacity, he prepared a memorandum on Wilson's Fourteen Points, which served the American delegation as a basis for the peace discussions.

First published in 1922, "Public Opinion" is the fascinating study of the role of citizens in a democracy by Walter Lippmann, an American writer, reporter and political commentator. Lippmann's notable career spanned decades and produced some of the most important journalism in American history. He was the first to introduce the concept of the Cold War, received many awards, including two Pulitzer Prizes, and wrote thousands of articles and columns, earning him the title of the "Great Elucidator". "Public Opinion" is Lippmann's assessment of a functional democratic government and the role that citizens play in the democracy. Lippmann examines the dilemmas presented in revolutionary periods of history and raises doubts on the ability of citizens to effectively govern themselves. He draws important attention to the media's role in shaping public perceptions and opinions and presciently warns against the power of propaganda. Lippmann's work exploring modern democracy, how it functions, and what situations most threaten its success have made "Public Opinion" a staple in the field of political science. Lippmann's work was far ahead of its time in understanding the dangers of propaganda and his conclusions remain relevant and thought-provoking nearly a century later. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

"...The Stakes of Diplomacy has perhaps more in it than any other to stimulate the reader to a serious study of world politics...." --F.P. Keppel in Political Science Quarterly, 1916The Stakes of Diplomacy, published in 1915, has been criticized by some as not being Walter Lippmann's most brilliant, influential, or scholarly. Still, this book is a fascinating reflection of Lippmann's thinking while World War I was raging. Also, this book offers a glimpse into Lippmann's quest for a solution to international conflicts by creating a legal framework to govern volatile areas around the world. The subsequent post-World-War-I-reality showed that Lippmann's ideas were not always accepted, let alone implemented. Now over one hundred years since he wrote this book, some of the issues he addresses are still, or again, at the forefront of intense debate, such as the role of democracies in international relations, sovereignty versus international organizations, and patriotism versus globalism. The Stakes of Diplomacy is a must-read for historians, foreign service professionals, and all who are interested in diplomacy and world politics.

".....Democracy is more than the absence of czars, more than freedom, more than equal opportunity. It is a way of life, a use of freedom, an embrace of opportunity...." --Walter Lippmann, in the Introduction, 1916Drift and Mastery--An Attempt to Diagnose the Current Unrest, originally published in 1914, was Walter Lippmann's second book and established him as a major public intellectual within the progressive movement. This classic book explored the differences between traditional and progressive values. Lippmann argued that democracy and society were at drift due to social and economic changes, and that the mastery of science and rationality in government could restore the balance in society and serve the public interest.Drift and Mastery is a must-read for historians, political scientists, and all who are interested in American government and the Progressive Movement.

"...Enlighten me now, o Muses, Tenants of Olympian homes, For you are goddesses, inside on everything, know everything.But we mortals hear only the news, and know nothing at all...."--The Iliad, Book II 484-486 A Test of the News, published as a supplement to The New Republic in 1920, was a study by the journalists Walter Lippmann and Charles Merz into the press coverage by the New York Times of the Bolshevik revolution. They found many inaccuracies and distortions in the Times' coverage and stated that "the news about Russia is a case of seeing not what was, but what men wished to see." In addition, they established that the Times reported ninety-one occasions that the revolutionary regime was near collapse. This study supported Lippmann's belief that "the present crisis of western democracy is a crisis in journalism." Even though his statement applied to the 1920s, the same could be said in 2019 where the reliability of mainstream news and the prevalence of "fake news" is at the forefront of many discussions.A Test of the News is a must-read for journalists, historians, and all who are interested in the importance of the media and current affairs.

"When men and women begin to feel that elections and legislatures do not matter very much, ...., the reformer might as well put to himself a few searching doubts.." --Walter Lippmann, from the IntroductionA Preface to Politics (1913) was the first book published by Walter Lippmann, one of the most influential journalists of the 20th century. This book of essays, written by 23-year-old Lippmann, is about the fundamental importance and purpose of politics. Although written more than a hundred years ago, many of Lippmann's observations are surprisingly valid for today's politics, such as that successful politicians understand and champion the concerns of the regular voter. Politics is more about emotions than logical reasoning. Government needs statesmen, rather than mechanical "routineers," which often rise to the political top. Due to Lippmann's early interest in socialism, this book is mildly socialistic. However, Lippmann was also critical of socialism and later moved completely away from this ideology. A Preface to Politics is a timeless classic and must-read for journalists, politicians, and all who are interested in American history and its lessons for today.

Walter Lippmann wrote his "Public Opinion" at a time when something like the 'mass media' was coming into existence. Prior to the age of electronic communication, the only mechanism for reaching large numbers of individuals was the newspapers. In World War I, he saw how opportunistic nations used the newspapers to serve their often nefarious aims. Lippmann, however, believed that in the hands of super-intelligent, disinterested, omni-benevelont 'experts, ' the 'mass media' could bring about world peace. The school system, the advent of radio, and of course, the television, were arriving or coming along shortly. Each allowed a small group of people the ability to manage a much larger group, inspiring optimism among liberals and progressives that with the right forumula, the horrors seen in World War I would never occur again.Lippmann wrote "Public Opinion" in 1922, shortly after World War I. In 1924, a certain Adolf Hitler would be spending time in jail. If this merited any mention in any newspaper, it is doubtful that no expert paid it any mind. 1939 was, after all, a long way off.

Public Opinion is Walter Lippmann's groundbreaking work which demonstrates how individual beliefs are swayed by stereotypes, the mass media, and political propaganda. The book opens with the notion that democracy in the age of super fast communications is obsolete. He analyses the impact of several phenomena, such as the radio and newspapers, to support his criticisms of the sociopolitical situation as it stands. He famously coins the term 'manufactured consent', for the fomenting of views which ultimately work against the interests of those who hold them. Lippmann contends that owing to the masses of information flung at the population on a daily basis, opinions regarding entire groups in society are being reduced to simple stereotypes. The actual complexity and nuance of life, Lippmann contends, is undermined by the ever-faster modes of communication appearing regularly. News by nature presents or emphasizes only some of the facts.

Public Opinion is Walter Lippmann's groundbreaking work which demonstrates how individual beliefs are swayed by stereotypes, the mass media, and political propaganda. The book opens with the notion that democracy in the age of super fast communications is obsolete. He analyses the impact of several phenomena, such as the radio and newspapers, to support his criticisms of the sociopolitical situation as it stands. He famously coins the term 'manufactured consent', for the fomenting of views which ultimately work against the interests of those who hold them. Lippmann contends that owing to the masses of information flung at the population on a daily basis, opinions regarding entire groups in society are being reduced to simple stereotypes. The actual complexity and nuance of life, Lippmann contends, is undermined by the ever-faster modes of communication appearing regularly.

This little gem of a book, which first appeared in 1920, was written in Walter Lippmann's thirtieth year. He was still full of the passionate faith in democracy that was evident in his writings before the First World War. From today's point of view, Lippmann's argument seems unusually prescient. He was troubled by distortions in newspaper journalism, but was also deeply aware of the need to protect a free press. Lippmann believed that toleration of alternative beliefs was essential to maintaining the vitality of democracy. Liberty and the News is a key transitional work in the corpus of Lippmann's writings. For it is here that he proposes that public opinion is largely a response not to truths but rather to a "pseudo-environment" which exists between people and the external world. Lippmann was worried that if the beliefs that get exchanged between people are hollow, and bear only a purely accidental relationship to the world as it truly is, then the entire case for democracy is in danger of having been built on sand. His concerns remain very much alive and important.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

In what is widely considered the most influential book ever written by Walter Lippmann, the late journalist and social critic provides a fundamental treatise on the nature of human information and communication. As Michael Curtis indicates in his introduction to this edition, Public Opinion qualifies as a classic by virtue of its systematic brilliance and literary grace.The work is divided into eight parts, covering such varied issues as stereotypes, image making, and organized intelligence. The study begins with an analysis of "the world outside and the pictures hi our heads," a leitmotif that starts with issues of censorship and privacy, speed, words, and clarity, and ends with a careful survey of the modern newspaper. The work is a showcase for Lippmann's vast erudition. He easily integrated the historical, psychological, and philosophical literature of his day, and in every instance showed how relevant intellectual formations were to the ordinary operations of everyday life.The field of public opinion research has produced much since this 1922 classic, but no work is more compelling in its argument or lasting in its impact. Lippmann's conclusions are as meaningful in a world of television and computers as in the earlier period when newspapers were dominant. Public Opinion is of enduring significance for communications scholars, historians, - sociologists, and political scientists