Enough said
If you want to understand how public language has evolved from ‘the founding fathers’ measured eloquence’ to ‘the ‘non-political’ political discours’; if you believe that ‘public language matters’ and that ‘in the world of politics and public policy, words are actions, and they have consequences’; if you don’t despair because you remember that ‘public language has come back to life before’ and wonder what do do next, read this book. The author, President and CEO of the New York Times Company, revisits the study of the theory and practice of public language – rhetoric – to reveal the rhetorical devices at stake in major political debates (from healthcare to war, Brexit to 2016 US presidential elections, etc) in Europe (UK, France, Italy, etc), US, and more. He analyzes the new media landscape he knows inside out from his professional experience both in TV (BBC) and newspaper (The New York Times) and leads us from the starting point: ‘When public language loses its power to explain and engage, it threatens the broader bond between people and politicians’ to a call for action to journalists and citizens, and certainly to speakers and speechwriters as well.