Dubbed long ago the fourth branch of government, the American press remains to most of the general public an inscrutable enterprise whose influence and behavior are alternately welcomed and maligned. Neither civics courses in schools nor journalists themselves advance an adequate understanding of the complex workings of the press, and yet the proper functioning of a self-ruled society depends upon a media-literate populace - to act as the ultimate watchdog.

Hold the Press serves that exalted, educative end in an emphatically entertaining way. With wit and authority, John Hamilton and George Krimsky, both experienced journalists, lead readers through the whirl of news gathering, writing, editing, and publishing. They offer a curiosity-satisfying blend of explanation and interpretation, history, anecdotes aplenty, and statistical analysis to show what's wrong and what works with today's newspapers.

Included are pithy discussions about what makes a front-page story; balance and bias; the sacredness of sources and their quotes; why reporters really don't write stories to sell newspapers; why so much of the news is about the government; how television influences newspapers; why foreign news gets short shrift; why editors take readers' complaints seriously; and what readers can do to get even.

Both a highly profitable business and a public servant, the press is a hybrid of the plebeian and the noble. By illuminating its inner workings and constraints, Hamilton and Krimsky have made possible a more discriminating, knowledgeable reading of the daily paper.