This lively and provocative book deals with contentious issues in contemporary journalism, including intrusion, lack of accountability, obscenity, trivialization, rumor-mongering, and libel. Offering a truly international perspective--ranging from the US, Canada, UK, Russia, France, Australia, Sweden, and Germany, Hargreaves tries to make sense of what journalism is becoming in the age of media saturation and hyperbole, from reportage on warfare to the cult of celebrity. Along the way, he ponders the ethical responsibility of the journalist to respond to the demands of civil society, as opposed to the demands of the state.