How do we make choices in an information-saturated world? While many prior studies have focused on the problems of individuals in this environment, sociologists have rarely asked how individuals judge the credibility of new information; for instance, are we forced to depend on secondary sources that no one has the time or resources to verify? In Critics, Ratings, and Society, Grant Blank confronts these questions through an investigation of independent evaluations and reviews: institutions that influence success and failure, make or break reputations and careers, and often play a critical role in stratification, power, and status. Book jacket.