The Arab media is in the midst of a revolution that will inform questions of war and peace in the Middle East, political and societal reform, and relations between the West and the Arab World. Drawing on the first broad cross-border survey of Arab journalists, first-person interviews with scores of reporters and editors, and his three decades' experience reporting from the Middle East, Lawrence Pintak examines how Arab journalists see themselves and their mission at this critical time in the evolution of the Arab media. He explores how, in a diverse Arab media landscape expressing myriad opinions, journalists are still under siege as governments fight a rear-guard action to manage the message. This innovative book breaks through the stereotypes about Arab journalists to reveal the fascinating and complex reality - and what it means for the rest of us.

Lawrence Pintak is founding dean of The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University. A former CBS News Middle East correspondent who has contributed to many of the world's leading news organizations, Pintak also served as director of the Kamal Adham Center for Journalism Training and Research at The American University in Cairo. Previous books include 'Reflections in a Bloodshot Lens: America, Islam and the War of Ideas' and 'Seeds of Hate: How America's Flawed Middle East Policy Ignited the Jihad'.