Preface --Acknowledgments -- Introduction : The press and power -- 1. Press politics in America : the case of the Iraq war -- 2. The semi-independent press : a theory of news and democracy -- 3. None dare call it torture : Abu Ghraib and the inner workings of press dependence -- 4. The news reality filter : why it matters when the press fails -- 5. Managing the news : spin, status, and intimidation in the Washington political culture -- 6. Toward an independent press : a standard for public accountability -- Appendix A : Evidence suggesting a connection between Abu Ghraib and U.S. torture policy -- Appendix B : Methods for analyzing the news framing of Abu Ghraib -- Appendix C : Further findings from the content analysis -- Appendix D : Interview protocol -- Notes -- References -- Index.