LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Political scientist, radio host, and journalist Maria Armoudian has just released her first book Kill the Messenger: The Media’s Role in the Fate of the World. Published by Prometheus Books, Kill the Messenger’s forward was written by author and political leader Sen. Tom Hayden.
The book emerged from Armoudian’s studies into the causes of genocide, war, peacemaking, democratization, and the protection of human rights and the environment while she was working on her Ph.D. at the University of Southern California, as well as during her work as a broadcast journalist and public official. Looking across conflicts and policy successes and failures, she found that the media (and media professionals) were among key factors in determining political outcomes, including matters of life and death.
Written in five parts, Kill the Messenger shows how the media fomented rage and genocide in Rwanda, the Holocaust, and the Bosnian war; how they helped bring peace in the Northern Ireland Conflict and the war in Burundi; how they contributed to the democratization and protection of human rights in South Africa, Taiwan, Mexico, and Senegal; and how they aided both the destruction and rebuilding of democracy in Chile. In its final case study, Kill the Messenger explores the media’s role in the fate of the world, as journalists disentangle the issue of climate change for the public.
Early reviews of the book have been stellar:
“Maria Armoudian has written a gripping book that richly and passionately demonstrates the power and importance of media to the human condition. Rich in contemporary world history, Kill the Messenger is exactly the book the world needs to read in our perilous times.”
— Robert W. McChesney, co-author of The Life and Death of American Journalism
“Kill the Messenger clearly demonstrates how media help to shape beliefs, societies, and policies that impact the fate of the world. It’s a must read for everyone who cares about the welfare of humanity and the planet itself.”
— Ed Begley Jr., actor and environmental steward
“There’s plenty of bad news about how the media have fostered hate, from Nazi Germany to the genocide in Rwanda. But in this illuminating book, there is also lots of good news, cases where the media have advanced the cause of peace and promoted human rights and democracy. Maria Armoudian has written a crucial work for understanding the profound role played by the media in our world today.”
— Jon Wiener, contributing editor of The Nation
“Maria Armoudian wisely and insightfully inspires us to look at the character of the messenger who delivers today’s news. This book should be read by anyone concerned with the fate of the world, which should be everyone.”
— Thomas M. Kostigen, Dow Jones MarketWatch Ethics Monitor columnist and New York Times best-selling author
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