“Samet’s book is ethnography at its best, from theoretical, empirical, and analytical viewpoints. His application of the theory of populism to crime journalism creates a novel and welcome dimension given the excessive use of the populist label in literature on governments and political movements in the current era.”
 

American Anthropologist

"Rendered in beautiful, sharp and immensely accessible prose, this outstanding ethnography is anthropological theorizing done in a way that once seemed long gone. It is probably one of the most insightful studies of populism across social sciences in recent times. It will interest readers in political and economic anthropology broadly defined and would be a perfect addition to course reading lists.”

Anthropologica

“Deadline is a gripping study of the media practices that shape and mold the protean effects of populism. The focus is Venezuela, a petrostate that fervently crystallized global neoliberal discontent in the theatrics of chavismo even as the populist movement became wreathed in increasing violence and social instability. Samet provides an engrossing, insightful analysis of this situation that will contribute to timely discussions about populism, assumptions about democracy, and the politics of journalism.”

Dominic Boyer, Rice University

“An important work of Latin American scholarship, Deadline is nuanced, timely, and exceptionally well written. With this ethnographically rich and theoretically innovative book, Samet gives us a major contribution to the fields of media studies and political anthropology, and to the study of Venezuela.”

Winifred Tate, Colby College

"In a crowded field, Robert Samet’s Deadline: Populism and the Press in Venezuela stands out as an original addition to scholarship on Venezuela under Chávez...[It] challenges us to re-think the relationship between populism, the media and security policy. It demonstrates the link between crime reporting and the construction of a shared identity of crime victimhood. The constructed identity that emerges has spurred aright-wing populist backlash. These themes are of interest well beyond Venezuela."

Bulletin of Spanish Studies