-The Postwar Decline of American Newspapers, 1945-1965 is a long-overdue study of a neglected time in journalism history....The volume demonstrates that Davies has a broad grasp of postwar journalism history generally, and it is especially useful in that it goes beyond the standard recital of famous personalities and events to offer some meaningful analysis of the technological changes, shifting attitudes about press/government relations, internal debates about professional standards, and competition from other media that threatened the industry. —H-Net Reviews

-It is my dream that Davies' book will be read and talked about by journalism historians and students. It is equally essential that it be pondered by professional journalists, editors, and publishers, who cumulatively have contributed to the lemming-like leadership of an industry in decline in the post World War II period until 1965. Davies' book may be just a tiny step to help stomp upon the lemmings who continue to lead the newspaper business over the cliff in the twenty-first century. But at least his book looks like a stomp in the right direction. —American Journalism

-Davies seeks to explain the slow and steady decline of American newspapers in the two decades following World War II. He argues that the country's publishers and editors failed to respond to the need for more long-term analysis in their reporting of such broad societal changes as the Civil Rights movement and failed to recognize the challenge posed by television. He also looks at the impact of rising costs, demographic change such as suburban migration, and changing government-press relations. —Reference & Research Book News