Robert McChesney is the Gutgsell Endowed Professor in the department of communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His work concentrates on the history and political economy of communication, emphasizing the role media play in democratic and capitalist societies.
In 2008, Utne Reader listed McChesney among its “50 visionaries who are changing your world.” In 2006, right-wing activist David Horowitz included McChesney on his list of the “101 most dangerous professors in America.” McChesney received the 2010 Dallas Smythe Award from the Union for Democratic Communications. It is awarded to researchers and activists who, through their research or production work, have made “significant contributions to the study and practice of democratic communication.”
Together with John Nichols, McChesney has co-authored several books including: Tragedy and Farce: How the American Media Sell Wars, The Death and Life of American Journalism and most recently, Dollarocracy: How the Money and Media Elections Complex Is Destroying America. McChesney and Nichols are the co-founders of Free Press, an organization dedicated to media reform.
