Article in Free Press by Timothy Karr, 3/27/25
Headline: “Free Press Mourns the Death of Co-Founder and Scholar Robert W. McChesney”
“McChesney was the author or editor of 27 books, including Rich Media, Poor Democracy; The Problem of the Media; and Digital Disconnect. He co-authored several books with his frequent co-author and close friend John Nichols, including The Death and Life of American Journalism and Dollarocracy. McChesney was the president of Free Press in its early years and served on its board of directors afterward. . .”
“While McChesney spent much of his career charting the problems of the media and the critical junctures that created our current crises, he believed fundamentally in the public’s ability to solve those problems and build a media system that serves people’s needs and sustains democracy. . .”
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Article in The Nation by John Nichols, 3/27/25
Headline: “Robert McChesney, the Great Champion of Journalism and Democracy, Has Died”
“The academic and activist inspired generations of people to challenge corporate power and support a media reform movement that lives on.
“Bob McChesney, who died on Tuesday at the age of 72, first introduced himself to me almost 30 years ago, on the set of a public television news program in Madison, Wisconsin. Bob was a distinguished University of Wisconsin professor who was gaining an international reputation for his groundbreaking analysis of the threat to democracy posed by corporate control of media. Raising his arguments in books, speeches, and frequent C-Span appearances, he was well on his way to becoming one of the great public intellectuals of his time. . .”
“The program was framed as a debate about the future of journalism. Bob was positioned as the doomsayer, warning about how media consolidation was killing journalism. . .”
https://www.thenation.com/article/society/robert-mcchesney-obituary/