Marquette Books of Phoenix

Click to Learn More About this Book

For Immediate Release

Decision-making in 21st Century Likely to Become
More Authoritarian, First Amendment Scholar Predicts

SPOKANE, WA — Decision-making in American government and other institutions in the 21st century is likely to become more authoritarian and will drift away from the democratic ideals of the Enlightenment, one of the nation’s best-known libertarian First Amendment scholars is warning in a new book.

"The postmodern inclination toward relativism and subjectivism, when faced with the real dangers of human survival, will begin to fade away and ... acute dangers require strong leaders, and disorder — exemplified in the 20th century politics — will demand ever-stricter government controls and social order," John C. Merrill, a professor emeritus of journalism, writes in his new book, Call to Order: Plato’s Legacy of Social Control. "Hobbes, with his clarion call from Plato, will raise his voice again against the champions of people’s sovereignty. Human responsibilities will increasingly replace human rights as power-systems step in to bring order to nations and to larger governmental blocs." He adds that:

In the name of the poor and downtrodden, the exploited environment, the impulse to egalitarianism, and the need for a common health care and education, the state controllers will join forces to centralize power in their hands. As citizens become more individually impotent, turning for their every need to the central force, social order will be assured. Authoritarianism is seductive, with a beguiling quality, a disciplined aura, a lure for orderly minds who want structure and social engineering, and a sense of security and institutional stability. Plato even made it seem desirable and rational. It is a potent socio-political magnet that pulls unceasingly at nations and people — and also at journalism. It implies authority and mass-man wants leadership. In many countries even journalists, among the society’s "intellectuals," feel comfortable having strong hands at the editorial helm. They, like so many people, are somewhat uneasy with freedom and desire "to escape" from it.

Merrill, who was professor of journalism at the University of Missouri before retiring from teaching in 2004, is author of more than 30 books. In Call to Order, he summarizes Plato’s ideas about social control, which emphasized a benevolent but authoritarian system, and then briefly traces Plato’s legacy, covering all major thinkers up to the present.

The lure of authority always brings out the arbiters, those who see themselves as the order-givers, the knowledgeable, the leaders, the dictators of correctness for an institution, the state, or society. In the U.S., as World War II ended, these arbiters of correct ("responsible") journalism began to rush onto the stage to denigrate Enlightenment liberalism and to set standards for journalism and communication. They questioned the value of individual freedom. This din of "progressive" and "authoritative" voices of the intellectual elite has spread throughout our educational and public life in spite of continued talk of "democracy" and the postmodern inclination to relativism.

A new call was going out — a call for Order. A need was seen for more authoritative norms, for more conformity, for more discipline — in short for more responsibility. This was a definite shift in emphasis. During the early part of the 20th century emphasis had been given (at least in the West) to pluralism and press freedom. In societies mainly emanating from the European Enlightenment of the 18^th century, a free and independent press was thought important—even essential — to public welfare. Free expression was emphasized.

But at mid-century doubts about the importance of freedom and individualism sprang up and critics began to point out that these Enlightenment values had not worked and were leading to an unruly society and communication system. It appeared that it was time for a paradigm shift — and it was a substantial one: from freedom to responsibility, from disorder to order, from individualism to groupism.

Merrill is particularly concerned about the rise of neo-Marxist theories, postmodernism, and the communitarianism and public journalism movements. "They have not directly condemned freedom, but in very subtle ways have proposed limiting the power of the media managers and putting it in the hands of the citizens or in government agencies. The assumption here is that some extra-press authority would be more responsible managers than are the current directors, publishers, and editors.

Communitarianism today is trying to reestablish community and values, to put the society above egoistic individualism, and to stress social obligation rather than an obsession with personal freedom. The collectivity in a sense becomes the authority — a kind of democratic authoritarianism. Does this mean that the "community" has some sort of authority? It seems so, but its nature is amorphous. At any rate, individualism must be lost or subsumed in the community.

Merrill believes that, in terms of information, there are still some "optimistic signs." He says newspapers like The New York Times, Switzerland’s Neue Zuercher Zeitung, Spain’s El Pais, France’s Le Monde, England’s The Independent and Mexico’s La Reforma will continue to improve and provide credible information. However, the long-term prospects for libertarian ideas of freedom and individuality are not promising.

Plato’s society is a kind of a heaven on earth. Everybody is happy, knows his or her place, respects the authority that exists, is not envious of others, is cooperative and loyal to the organic whole, and is satisfied in the stability of the collective reality. It is easy to see why such an ideal has grabbed masses of insecure people throughout the ages. But, unfortunately, it has also spawned dictators who—lacking the humanity and wisdom of Plato—have submitted millions of people to fear, starvation, torture, and death.

So Plato’s legacy of social control is a mixed one. It has provided stability and Order where they were needed. It has led to inhumane and unimaginable suffering where it was not needed. Plato’s concept of an ordered society is interesting to think about, like other utopias that beckon to us. But it should be a warning that order may very possibly lead to conformity, and conformity to the death of the individual soul. Society, through regimentation, may be prolonged, but it may be only a society of depersonalized robots.
 

Click Image to See More Details About This Book

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Marquette Books Publishes 50th Title and Incorporates

SPOKANE, WASH. -- Marquette Books, which published its first book in 2002, will publish its 50th title in fall 2006, making it the fastest growing small independent book publisher in the United States.

The Spokane-based publisher also announced that it has incorporated as a Limited Liability Company (LLC).

The 50th title is Hollywood Wars: How Insiders Gained and Maintain Illegitimate Control Over the Film Industry, written by Los Angeles independent film attorney John W. Cones. The book argues that the six big Hollywood film studios exercise so much control over the production and distribution of films that they restrict competition and violate anti-trust laws. The book cites hundreds of case studies, examples and anecdotes to document its accusations.

"We are very pleased to reach the 50th-book milestone," said Dr. David Demers, founder and publisher of Marquette Books LLC.  "We plan to add 50 more titles to our list and do it in less than two years this time."

About half of the titles published by Marquette Books are written by professors of mass communication and journalism.  They focus on mass media and mass communication processes and effects.  The other half contains a mix of nonfiction and fiction on a variety of topics.

For more information, contact

Marquette Books LLC
3107 East 62nd Avenue
Spokane, Washington  99223
509-443-7057 (voice)
509-448-2191 (fax)
books@marquettebooks.com
www.MarquetteBooks.com

For more details, click image

FOR RELEASE JUNE 10, 2006

Bush Administration Erred In Shutting Down "Brand America" Ad Campaign, New Book Asserts

"So, did SVI work?" the professors write in Advertising’s War on Terrorism: The Story of the U.S. State Department’s Shared Values Initiative. "According to internal State Department documents about SVI in Indonesia, the campaign achieved its objectives. It not only got people talking about Muslim life in America, it also produced more positive perceptions of America."

This finding also is backed up by experimental research the professors conducted in London, Cairo and Singapore. After viewing the five television advertisements, international students were more likely to believe Muslims are fairly treated in the United States and the students had more positive attitudes toward the "United States government" and "U.S. people." The research also found that attitudes toward the United States improved more among Muslim students than among Christians and other students.

The goal of SVI was to convince the Muslim and Arab world that America wasn’t waging war on Islam. The Madison Avenue-produced ads depicted the happy lives of Muslims in America, including Dr. Elias Zerhouni, director of the National Institutes of Health, who is shown on the cover of the book shaking hands with President George W. Bush. The commercials aired in Indonesia and other Middle Eastern and Asian countries over a month-long period between late October and early December 2002. About 300 million Arabs and Muslims saw them.

"Public diplomacy practitioners and scholars continue to lambaste SVI and the idea of using advertising as a weapon in the war on terrorism," they write in the final chapter to their book. "The official account is that SVI failed. ... However, research presented in ... this book suggests that SVI may have worked. ... So the question becomes: If communication campaigns like SVI have the potential to be effective, what went wrong in 2002 and what can be done in the future to make similar public diplomacy programs work better?"

The authors place much of the blame on State Department bureaucrats and on journalists, who at the time of the campaign denounced SVI, saying it didn’t work. The bureaucrats and journalists also criticized SVI’s creator, Charlotte Beers, a former advertising executive who created and directed the SVI campaign when she was under secretary of public diplomacy and public affairs at the State Department.

However, the critics had no scientific evidence to back up their criticism, the authors point out. Instead, the authors suggest that Bush Administration officials acted more upon ideological and parochial prejudices rather than upon scientific evidence. In addition, the evidence in the book suggests that:

• Some State Department bureaucrats undermined SVI through off-the-record and background interviews with journalists, whose stories often failed to accurately portray the goals of the campaign.
• Some State Department bureaucrats belittled the creator of SVI (Beers) simply because she was an "outsider" who had new and different ideas.
• State Department bureaucrats, including Beers, created a nonprofit organization apparently for the purpose of concealing the identity of the real sponsor of the SVI television commercials, which was the State Department. Some media scholars say this act is unethical.
• Many State Department bureaucrats have little knowledge about mass communication research and theories, even though they supposedly are in the business of promoting America’s image to the world.
• Some State Department bureaucrats refused requests from the authors for basic public information about the Shared Values Initiative. They cited the Smith-Mundt Act to defend their actions, but they have provided no good evidence to justify this position. The decision to deny access appears to be motivated by a desire to suppress information that could embarrass State Department officials.

The book offers some praise for former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, who initiated the "Brand America" campaign. Powell defended Beers but this apparently did not convince many State Department bureaucrats to support Beers or the SVI campaign.

"Every once in a while a book comes along that provides an ‘ah ha, so that’s what happened!’" said Dr. Richard Nelson, professor of mass communication at Louisiana State University and author of A Chronology and Glossary of Propaganda in the United States. "Advertising’s War on Terrorism does that for the question of why ... the United States ... is having trouble winning hearts and minds overseas. ... [This] book should be read by every member of Congress and every State Department employee."

Simon Anholt, public diplomacy adviser to the United Kingdom and author of Brand America, said the Advertising’s War on Terrorism book "is a competent and detailed counter-argument in support of the mature, intelligent and relevant use of marketing communications in foreign policy."

Dr. Nancy Snow, a former State Department diplomat and now a senior fellow at the University of Southern California Center on Public Diplomacy, said "professors Fullerton and Kendrick are to be saluted for their efforts to deconstruct advertising’s potential—and limitation—in political communication. Excellent case study for students interested in the post-9/11 environment, where marketing, national image, and winning hearts and minds come together."

Although the findings suggest that advertising is an effective weapon in the war against terrorism, the authors aren’t prepared to advocate that yet, but they point out that it is premature to dismiss advertising as tool of international diplomacy. They recommend further research and strongly recommend that the State Department hire diplomats who understand mass communication theories and research.

-30-

Click Photo for More Information

For Immediate Release

Marquette Books Introduces "No Risk Book Publishing System" for Less than $10,000

Marquette Books of Spokane, Washington, has announced that it will partner with Xerox, ExactBindWest and other hardware and software companies to offer a complete book publishing system for less than $10,000.

"Book publishers can fire their printers," says Dr. David Demers, owner and publisher of Marquette Books. "This system produces high-quality perfect-bound books with four-color covers for as little as $1 a copy. All you need is a computer."

Dr. Demers, who works full time as a college professor, spent the last four years perfecting what he calls the "No Risk Book Publishing System" (trademark pending). Since then, he has published more than 30 titles and sold more than 11,000 books—all in his spare time.

"It took a long time to find the right equipment and papers to do the job right," he says. "But this system works, and all of the components can be purchased for less than $10,000 in toto. You don’t have to spend $50,000 or more on a fancy digital book publishing system."

The system includes a perfect-binding machine, a creaser, a cover laminator, a high-speed inkjet cover printer, and a black-and-white laser printer (for the text).

The No Risk Book Publishing System is perfect for the small publishing company that produces fewer than 25 titles a year, he said.

"Even if you only publish two titles a year, the system can pay for itself in two years," he says. "For print runs of fewer than 1,500 books, the No Risk Book Publishing System is generally less costly than hiring a conventional printer. If you need more than 1,500 copies, then a conventional printer is the way to go. But be certain you will sell those copies. If there is any doubt, then the No Risk Book Publishing System is a much smarter choice."

Dr. Demers said his company began turning a small profit in its second year and has been profitable every year since.

The No Risk Publishing System has enabled Marquette Books to become one of the fastest-growing small book publishing companies in the United States. The company specializes in academic books on mass communication but also has a wide variety of other nonfiction and fiction titles. Dr. Demers is a mass media professor at a major research university in Washington state.

"What I like about the No Risk Book Publishing System is that you can experiment in different kinds of publishing genres and not lose your shirt if a book flops," he said.

Dr. Demers said he’ll reveal the secrets of the No Risk Book Publishing System to anyone who calls. "I just ask that Marquette Books be given an opportunity to bid on the products you purchase," he says. "I buy at wholesale and I’ll also give you free technical advice for as long as you own the products."

Dr. Demers can be reached at 509-443-7057 or . Additional information about the No Risk Book Publishing System can be found at .

-30-

Two Spokane

Authors to Host

Mini-Seminars on

Sleep Disorders and

Anasazi Culture

Two Spokane book authors will host separate mini-seminars on sleep disorders and on the Anasazi Culture at Auntie’s Bookstore in downtown Spokane at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, June 23.

Ray Edwards will talk about a rare sleep disorder in which victims are unable to sleep. Edwards became an authority on the topic after conducting research for his new novel, Justice Never Sleeps: A Novel of Murder and Revenge in Spokane. The main character in his book, Quinn Black, is unable to sleep after being shot in the head.

Dan Robison will talk about the Anasazi Indians, who lived in the Southwest from about 300 B.C. to A.D. 1350. Robison is an authority on Native American and Hawaiian cultures. His new novel is called Wind Seer: One Native American Boy’s Contribution to the Anasazi Culture. The main character is Crow, a 13-year-old Pueblo Indian boy who undertakes a quest to save his community.

Both books are published by Marquette Books of Spokane. The authors will answer questions and sign their books after the short seminars.

http://www.MarquetteBooks.org

Click Image for More Details

For Immediate Release

First Novel to Focus on Melungeon Shantyboat People Is Published

Prospective authors click here

Marquette Books of Spokane, Washington, is soliciting book manuscripts that focus on events or places in Spokane or the Inland Northwest.

Submissions may be either nonfiction or fiction. Manuscripts that deal with the history of Spokane and its residents are especially encouraged.

Prospective authors should submit a brief prospectus (for guidance, see our Website www.MarquetteBooks.org; and click on "Need a Publisher") and a sample chapter of the manuscript to Marquette Books, 3107 E. 62^nd Ave., Spokane, WA 99223. Inquiries are welcome at books@marquettebooks.org or 509-443-7057.

Marquette Books is a full-service book publishing company, offering a wide variety of trade and academic titles and services. For more information, visit www.MarquetteBooks.org

-30-

Click image for more details

Middle East and U.S. News Media Coverage of 2003 Iraq War Biased, According to New Book (9/1/04)