Drop-Out lived the typical, directionless life of a young South London guy who desired more than his world had to offer, but was unsure how to get it. Having quit college and a series of respectable yet dull jobs, he joined the police force. A career in crime-fighting quickly proved to be his mtier, and his ascent through the ranks to a coveted position at Scotland Yard was unprecedented. Backed up by a fierce and uncompromising team, D-O, as he comes to be known, is soon travelling to the four corners of the globe, busting ugly drug rings in beautiful locations. From Panama to India, Switzerland to South America, his missions are exercises in brutality, terror and violence - all for the greater good and safety of the law-abiding population of the planet.

Using the media's own traditional standards as a guide, Robinson and Sheehan measure the level of objectivity, fairness, seriousness, and criticism displayed byCBS News and United Press International betweenJanuary and December of 1980. Drawing on statistical analyses of almost 6,000 news stories and dozens of interviews with writers and reporters, the authors reach convincing and sometimes surprising conclusions. They demonstrate, for example, that both CBS and UPIstrictly avoided subjective assessments of the candidates and their positions on the issues. Both gave the major parties remarkably equal access. But the media seem to give more negative coverage to front-runners, treating serious challengers less harshly. Perhaps the most surprising finding is that networks were not more superficial than print; CBS attended to the issues at least as often as UPI."