Eric Alterman

Eric Alterman – Life, Work, and Memorable Quotes

Discover the life and career of American writer and media critic Eric Alterman (born January 14, 1960): his background, major works, ideas, and famous quotations.

Introduction

Eric Ross Alterman is an American historian, journalist, author, and media critic known for his incisive commentary on U.S. politics, media bias, and liberalism. Born in 1960, he has published numerous books, served as a columnist for The Nation, and holds a distinguished professorship at Brooklyn College. His voice has been influential in debates about how media and power interact in American democracy.

In this article you’ll learn about his early life and education, his career trajectory and major works, the intellectual context he operates within, his legacy and influence, his style and personality, and finally a selection of his most striking quotations and lessons that can be drawn from his work.

Early Life and Family

Eric Ross Alterman was born on January 14, 1960, in Queens, New York.

He attended Scarsdale High School in New York, which has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as an exemplary school.

Youth, Education & Academic Formation

Alterman’s academic journey reflects his deep interest in history, politics, and media critique:

• He earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree from Cornell University in 1982.

• He then took a Master of Arts (M.A.) in international relations at Yale University.

• Later, he completed a Ph.D. in U.S. History at Stanford University in 2003.

This foundation in history, politics, and international studies has deeply informed his approach to media criticism, activism, and writing.

Career and Achievements

Eric Alterman’s career combines scholarship, journalistic commentary, and media activism.

Academic and Teaching Roles

He is a CUNY Distinguished Professor of English and Journalism at Brooklyn College and teaches in the Graduate School of Journalism of the City University of New York (CUNY).

Journalism, Columns & Media Work

From 1995 to 2020, Alterman wrote the column “The Liberal Media” for The Nation magazine, through which he explored media bias, press power, and political discourse. The Nation and to The American Prospect and maintain a newsletter/blog titled Altercation.

He has also written for or contributed to publications such as The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, The Forward, and Moment.

Beyond print, Alterman has worked as a history consultant for HBO Films.

Major Books & Intellectual Contributions

Alterman has authored more than a dozen books. Below are some of his prominent works:

• Sound & Fury: The Making of the Punditocracy — His first book, written while he was working toward his doctorate, and winner of the George Orwell Award in 1992.

• What Liberal Media? The Truth About Bias and the News — One of his best-known works, in which he challenges the common assertion that mainstream media are biased toward liberalism.

• The Book on Bush: How George W. (Mis)leads America

• When Presidents Lie: A History of Official Deception and Its Consequences — This draws from his doctoral research on presidential deception in U.S. history.

• Why We’re Liberals: A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America

• Kabuki Democracy: The System vs. Barack Obama

• More recently, We Are Not One: A History of America’s Fight Over Israel (2022) — recognized among The New Yorker’s best books of that year.

Through these works, Alterman tackles questions around media, power, presidential accountability, U.S. foreign policy, and liberalism’s challenges in modern America.

Historical & Intellectual Context

To understand Alterman’s contributions, it's useful to see where he stands in broader currents of American media and political thought:

• Media and bias discourse: Alterman’s work often challenges prevailing narratives about media slant, arguing instead that structural forces (ownership, advertising, political economy) shape news more than individual leanings.

• Liberalism under pressure: He has frequently discussed how liberal values and institutions have been tested in eras of polarization, economic inequality, and institutional distrust.

• Presidential power and deception: A recurring theme is how presidents use language, omission, and narrative to shape public perception, as explored in When Presidents Lie.

• Israel, foreign policy, intervention, and identity: In We Are Not One, Alterman explores the complex, often contentious relationship between U.S. policies and American Jewish identity.

His approach tends to fuse rigorous historical research with media critique and public argumentation, making his works accessible yet densely argued.

Legacy and Influence

Eric Alterman is regarded as one of the more prominent voices on the American left engaged with media criticism and democratic accountability.

• His arguments have shaped debates around whether media bias is “liberal” or “conservative,” and what forces truly influence news coverage.

• As a public intellectual, he occupies a role bridging academia and journalism, modeling how historians can directly engage with current affairs.

• His books and columns are often assigned in media studies, journalism, political science, and modern U.S. history courses.

• Critics sometimes challenge his partisan leanings or his assessments of media power, but even dissenting voices often treat him as a serious interlocutor.

In the evolving media environment — with social media, algorithmic news feeds, and declining local journalism — Alterman’s arguments about structural pressures on truth and accountability are increasingly relevant.

Personality, Style & Strengths

Alterman is known for his clarity, forceful language, and willingness to engage in contentious debates. His prose combines accessible narrative with scholarly notes and references.

He is intellectually assertive: not merely diagnosing media ills, but proposing how citizens, institutions, and journalists might push toward integrity and reform.

Colleagues and readers often praise his work for being well-researched, vigorously argued, and timely — blending the historian’s patience with the journalist’s urgency.

Famous Quotes of Eric Alterman

Here are several memorable quotations that reflect Alterman’s perspective on media, politics, and society:

“Fox News is nothing if not impressive. No matter how harsh the criticism it endures, the network somehow always manages to prove itself even worse than we had previously imagined.”

“American journalists tend to treat inequality as a fact of life. But it needn’t be.”

“Trends in circulation and advertising — the rise of the Internet, which has made the daily newspaper look slow and unresponsive; the advent of Craigslist, which is wiping out classified advertising — have created a palpable sense of doom.”

“But particularly when the media profess to strive toward objectivity, gatekeepers play a crucial role in helping people navigate the news to make educated political decisions.”

“Ironically, tendency to ignore inconvenient facts and unwelcome evidence is actually President Reagan’s true legacy …”

“The ability of the 1 percent to buy politicians and regulators is nothing new in American politics — just as inequality has been a permanent part of our economic system.”

“To own the dominant, or only, newspaper in a mid-sized American city was, for many decades, a kind of license to print money. In the Internet age, however, no one has figured out how to rescue the newspaper …”

These lines encapsulate his concerns about media concentration, inequality, political influence, and the crisis of journalism.

Lessons from Eric Alterman’s Work

1. Media systems matter more than individual bias
   Rather than focusing solely on whether individual reporters are liberal or conservative, Alterman reminds us to examine incentives, ownership, and institutional pressures.

2. Democratic accountability depends on a vigilant press
   When media weakens — through consolidation, cost-cutting, or indifference — the capacity of citizens to hold power accountable suffers.

3. Liberalism is not static — it must adapt
   In a polarized age, Alterman emphasizes that liberal ideas must be rearticulated to respond to inequality, identity politics, and institutional decay.

4. Presidents & narratives shape reality
   The stories leaders tell — and the lies they conceal — can alter public understanding of events in ways that persist long past their terms.

5. Scholar-journalists can engage without losing rigor
   Alterman’s career shows how deep historical research and public engagement need not be separate paths — they can reinforce one another.

6. Caution against cynicism
   Even as he is sharply critical of media and power, Alterman does not surrender to fatalism. He encourages reform, public awareness, and renewed civic engagement.

Conclusion

Eric Alterman is a significant voice in contemporary American intellectual life: a historian who writes to the public, a critic who seeks to propose better alternatives, and a commentator who refuses to let media go unchecked. His career reflects a belief that democracy demands both knowledge and struggle.