Hailed by the New York Times as "illuminating...vivid and clearheaded," Pierre Bourdieu's "acid appraisal [of television] will provide shudders of recognition for American readers" (Publishers Weekly). France's leading sociologist shows how, far from reflecting the tastes of the majority, television, particularly television journalism, imposes ever-lower levels of political and social discourse on us all. Quickly selling out its first hardcover edition, On Television has provoked widespread comment among journalists, academics, and television viewers. Katha Pollitt wrote, "anyone seriously interested in journalism must read this book," and Todd Gitlin called it "indispensable."