Neil Postman, an author and academic, and Steve Powers, a television journalist, reveal the difference between what TV news says it is presenting and what it actually delivers—entertainment fodder versus genuine "news." They explain why TV news has become a "cash cow," pointing to the symbiotic relationship between TV news and advertising. They also stress that anyone who relies exclusively on TV for his or her knowledge of the world is making a serious mistake.

America is suffering from an information glut, and most Americans are no longer clear about what news is worth remembering or how any of it connects to anything else. Thus Americans are rapidly becoming the least knowledgeable people in the industrial world. For anyone who wants to control—not by controlled by—the powerful influence of television, How to Watch TV News shows you how to become a discerning viewer.