Images of American Life

by Joel Spring

Published 1 July 1992
This book analyzes the effect of political and economic forces on the ideas and values disseminated to the general public by schools, movies, radio, and television. The author shows how similar and conflicting political and economic pressures influence education, movies, and broadcasting. The book provides an understanding of how ideas are shaped in American society by the interplay between government power, private enterprise, and organized advocacy groups.

The story is complex with many different and conflicting strands. In a broad sense, it is the story of the public education of the American people. The book does not attempt to measure the actual effect of various media, but it does show what was intended for the education of the public mind by forces that shaped and continue to shape the content of schools, movies, and broadcasting.