A Bible, an Ax, and a Tablet: Tocqueville's Newspapers and Everyday Political Discourse. (2nd October 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bunting, Thomas David
• Is Part Of: Perspectives on political science. Volume 46:Number 4(2017)
• Page Start: 257
• Page End: 269
• Publication Date: 2017-10-02
• Subjects: Political science -- Book reviews -- Periodicals; Political science literature -- Periodicals; Political science -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals; Political science; Political science literature; Political science -- Study and teaching; Book reviews; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 320
• DOI: 10.1080/10457097.2016.1190600
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1045-7097

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The relationship between the free press and democracy is at the core of much modern political theory. With the advent of digital media and the decline of newspapers, there is a need to reexamine this relationship. Tocqueville was an astute observer of the importance of newspapers to democratic life and the drawbacks of the medium. This article examines the central features of Tocqueville's view of newspapers, the issues he saw with the tone of newspapers in Jacksonian America, and the value of newspapers. I argue that this analysis shows the importance of a free press to democratic life but that digital media often lacks the local element that Tocqueville saw as an essential feature of newspapers, and this deficiency is problematic for maintaining democratic liberty.