Rodger Streitmatter begins by giving us an idea of the conceptualization of this book. He had once taught a course called "How the News Media Shape History." This course was so popular with students that he was encouraged to teach it every semester rather than every other. His course focused on the role of the Fourth Estate not just in our society but its role in shaping our history. The news media provides a powerful role when it comes to affecting events in history. Rodger doesn't claim to think that the news media directly affects history but acknowledges that it can shape how things will turn out and act as a guiding light.
