Sound and Fury: The Washington Punditocracy and the Collapse of American Politics

An elite group of self-declared experts has seized power over the political life of the United States. Is it the Best and the Brightest? The CIA? No, argues Eric Alterman in his first book, a scathing, humor-filled expose: it is the ``punditocracy''--the media commentators who intimidate politicians and mislead the public they ostensibly keep informed. After several background chapters focusing on Ur-pundit Walter Lippmann, Alterman beams his searchlight on ``The Reagan Punditocacy.'' In particular he assails syndicated columnist and TV commentator George Will and TV roundtable host John McLaughlin for derelictions of journalistic duty and ethics. Alterman also scrutinizes the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Republic and the TV news shows, dishing up juicy tidbits of behind-the-scenes gossip spiced with indignation. The final third of the book analyzes pundits' relationships with the Bush administration, focusing on what Alterman contends was their propagandizing for the Gulf War. Successful both as political history and as media criticism, this work deserves a wider audience than the political news junkies it is sure to attract. (Oct.)