"Ladd's engaging investigation of the media and the mass public combines a terrific historical narrative with first-rate social science research. Anyone interested in the causes and consequences of the increasingly antagonistic relationship between the public and the press must read this book."-- Adam Berinsky, Massachusetts Institute of Technology "Drawing on extensive literature from multiple areas, Ladd does a very good job presenting the best evidence on how trust of media institutions varies across time, on possible sources for distrust of the media, and the impact this distrust has on how people process information and make voting decisions. This clearly presented and well-organized book will interest those studying media, voting behavior, and U.S. campaigns and elections."-- James Hamilton, Duke University "This book addresses an important, understudied topic--public attitudes toward the press and why these attitudes matter. I particularly like Ladd's discussion of the influential role of politicians and his explicit recognition of the unique postwar media period.

Ladd consolidates prior work done on the history of the American press into a cohesive narrative that contributes value above and beyond the original materials."-- Tim Groeling, University of California, Los Angeles.