Book Description
Producer, pundit, and media critic Jeff Cohen offers a fast-paced romp through the three major cable news channels — Fox, CNN, and MSNBC — and delivers a serious message about their failure to cover the most urgent issues of the day. Propelled by amusing anecdotes featuring famous pundits and media personalities, Cable News Confidential highlights the foibles, hypocrisies, and absurdities Cohen witnessed at news organizations run by entertainment conglomerates.
Customer Reviews:
Cohen explains my frustrations well.......2007-04-24
A big thanks to Jeff Cohen for confirming that I'm not crazy. He "found inside cable news was a drunken exuberance for sex, crime and celebrity stories, matched by a grim timidity and fear of offending the powers-that-be -- especially if the powers-that-be are conservatives. The biggest fear is of doing anything that could get you, or your network, accused of being liberal." If you keep in mind, it's not news (never was), then it makes it easier to swallow. After reading Cohen's account, you realize that Walter Conkrite would never get hired today in the face of fools like Chris Matthews, Sean Hannity, and Biff O'Really.
Great book!.......2007-03-05
I really enjoyed reading this book, and highly recommend it to everyone...especially people who don't really understand what a joke this all is..and how it became to be such a complete farce and and absolute threat to Democracy and so many other things sane human beings 'round these parts cherish.
Interesting read.......2007-01-04
A good read. Although the book felt a little short - I guess I'm used to novels - Cohen does get through his points without a lot of extra, unneeded pages. Some good anecdotes and references, and kept the story going at a good pace. You probably won't read this cover to cover in one sitting, but it still works read over a period of time.
Review: Cable News Confidenial.......2006-11-11
An excellent insight into the inner workings of cable news. I had no prior understanding of the increadable bias that exists on cable TV news. I highly recomment this book!!!!
A must read!.......2006-11-10
For anyone who watches cable news, Jeff Cohen's book is essential reading. He reveals how much corporations that own news outlets shamelessly distort the news. I hold this up there with Howard Kurtz's 2000 book "The Fortune Tellers."
Cable news has harmed the world, and reading these books will show you one of many ways they do so.
Amazon.com
Are Christianity and science incompatible? If there is a God, is he only an impersonal starter force? An introductory high school biology class first propelled Lee Strobel toward a life of atheism. God and science, he reasoned, were mutually exclusive. When the former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune converted to Christianity, he decided to investigate the science he had once accepted as truth. Did science point toward or away from God? As Strobel interviews a variety of scientists on everything from debunking evolutionary icons to the implications of the Big Bang to the existence of the human soul, he builds his case: scientific evidence points toward Intelligent Design.
Although the discussion often veers into the academic, Strobel works hard to make it accessible to those without scientific training. Throughout the book, he salts interview transcript information with interesting personal stories of his own spiritual and scientific quest for knowledge, as well as sometimes over-detailed descriptions of the actual interviews (right down to the type of beverages consumed). Each chapter contains suggestions for further reading on particular issues of science and faith.
Strobel concludes that, when correctly interpreted, science and biblical teaching support each other. He quotes physicist Paul Davies, "…science offers a surer path to God than religion." Open-minded readers will find that this book, and its questions for reflection and group study, invites conversation and investigation.--Cindy Crosby
Book Description
Lee Strobel investigates the latest scientific discoveries to see whether they form a solid basis for believing in God. Read by Lee Strobel.
Customer Reviews:
Solid Introduction to Scientific Evidences For God.......2007-09-23
This is a solid introduction to the scientific evidences for the existence of God.
It contains numerous arguments from various disciplines inluding physics, astronomy, cosmology, and biochemistry. The author does a masterful job of poking holes in evolutionary theory and naturalistic explanations of the origins of the universe, life, etc. This is summed up by former Texas A&M University professor Walter Bradley, who said: 'I think people who believe that life emerged naturalistically need to have a great deal more faith than people who reasonably infer that there's an Intelligent Designer.' The truth of this becomes abundantly clear throughout the text of this book.
Although this is basically a general introduction to the topic, Lee Strobel has made a strong case for those who are open minded enough to consider it. It is certainly a reinforcer for those who already believe that God exists and is the Creator. It is a good starting point for open minded skeptics. For those who are steeped in the religiosity of Darwinism and naturalistic beginnings, it may help open their eyes a bit. I recommend it.
Pared down version.......2007-09-21
Stroebel makes some really good points in this book and changed some of my thinking about evolution, and it was a quick read, so I wasn't dissatisfied with it until I saw the non-student version at a book store. Maybe I should have done some more research on the differences between editions, but I really think anyone high school age or above could handle the 300-some pages of the "adult" version, which must contain a lot more information. So I'd recommend this particular version only to younger students or to someone who really just wants a small taste of the evidence.
Good Introductory Material.......2007-09-19
Lee Strobel has made another accessible and fascinating introductory apologetics book. By interviewing leading Christian scholars, including William Lane Craig, J.P. Moreland, and Michael Behe, Strobel lays a solid foundation for belief in a Creator of the universe.
Due to the nature of the material, this book is more technical than "The Case for Christ" and "The Case for Faith." Nevertheless, Strobel makes the book enjoyable and easy to read with his excellent writing style.
This book covers a large scope of issues, mostly dealing with scientific evidence for the existence of God. Craig gives a great defense of the Cosmological Argument while Robin Collins provides an excellent defense of the Teleological Argument (also known as the Design Argument)- including a brilliant refutation of the so-called "multi-verse" theory. Stephen Meyer demonstrates that the origin of life is strong evidence for a Creator, and J.P. Moreland shows that philosophical reasoning and scientific studies support the idea of a soul, which is inconsistent with the materialist philosophy espoused by almost all atheists.
As with all the other books in the "Case" series, Strobel offers some excellent recommended further reading at the end of each chapter for those who wish to pursue the issues further.
The only problem I had with the book was that I felt it focused too much on the issue of evolution. In many cases it seemed that Strobel was equating "Darwinism" and atheism- concepts which are certainly not interchangeable. By implying that evolution entails atheism, Strobel puts an unnecessary stumbling block in front of any person who believes that there is strong evidence for evolutionary theory, yet who could still be convinced on the basis of other evidence that God exists. I think it is unwise to spread the notion that Christianity and evolution are directly incompatible.
Despite this flaw, The Case for a Creator is an excellent resource and a recommended read for everyone.
An eye opening book.......2007-08-31
I would recommend this book for everyone. It deals with the creationism vs. evolution/science debate in a new and fascinating way. He uses science to discredit many of its own theories. Lee Strobel never falls into the trap many creationists do - start with the Bible, and build a scientific theory around it. Instead he uses science, discredits many of the assumptions used today, and shows how science actually supports Biblical principles. I am still excited about this book even though I finished reading it over a month ago.
Repels Reason.......2007-08-29
I have read a number of the prior reviews and agree with many of them so I will not restate their good points. I would only like to say that (having also sat in sermons by Lee Strobel) I found the author's smug approach (he does not realize that the standards of science are vastly more rigorous than either journalism or law) to the subject insufferably frustrating. Instead of approaching the subject humbly and seeking out a balanced set of arguments, he instead relies exclusively (with one exception who's biological irreducibility claims has been discredited in other books such as, Finding Darwin's God, a book written by an actual biologist) on either his close friends or representatives of the Discovery Institute-a known PAC (I encourage you to look up the Discovery Institute on Wikipedia).
I have been a high tech engineer for more than 15 years and I would not recommend this book if you are someone who is sincerely seeking God in truth. I would instead recommend that you first read Finding Darwin's God by Kenneth Miller. Lee Strobel's book only convinced me that most of the people who believe in intelligent design are either ignorant fools or are seeking power for themselves over others.
Book Description
The eXile is the controversial biweekly tabloid founded by Americans Mark Ames and Matt Taibbi that Rolling Stone has called "cruel, caustic, and funny" and "a must-read." In the tradition of gonzo journalists like Hunter S. Thompson, Ames and Taibbi cover everything from decadent club scenes to the nation's collapsing political and economic systems - no person or institution is spared from their razor sharp satiric viewpoint. They take you beneath the surface of the Russia that most Western journalists cover, bringing to life the metropolis that Ames describes as "manic, nihilistic, grotesque, horrible; and yet, in its own way, far superior to any city on Earth." Featuring artwork and articles from their groundbreaking newspaper, The eXile is the inside story of how the tabloid came to be and how Ames and Taibbi broke their biggest stories - all the while playing hysterically vicious practical jokes, racking up innumerable death threats, and ingesting a motherlode of speed. It's a darkly funny, up-close profile of the sordid underbelly of the New World Order that you will never forget.
Customer Reviews:
On the Money.......2006-08-29
I am a lawyer from las vegas, that traveled to moscow, russia, numerous times to host a business venture. After my first trip, i came across this book and was startled to realize that Ames is on the money with his description of Moscow. Anyone planning a trip to Moscow, must read this book. It is an easy read and really allows the reader to gleen an inside to the beauty behind the beast that is Moscow.
A Hilarious and Compelling Read.......2006-02-17
You'll be disapopinted and wishing for more when this book ends. You will want to read more of the exploits of the eXile and its two fearless leaders, Ames and Taibbi, and fortunately you can at www.exile.ru. I learned about the eXile while reading Taibbi's book Spanking the Donkey about the 2004 election. Since discovering it, the eXile has been a tremendous way to pass the time at work. Despite finding much of what they describe of Russian life terrifying and disturbing it has not tempered my desire to visit the country as soon as possible.
Also, if you enjoy the writing of Hunter S. Thompson you will definitely enjoy reading the exploits of Ames and Taibbi. They seem to be carrying the torch, albeit a dim one, into the twenty-first century. It is a sad commentary on our consolidated, witless, boring media that some of the most interesting reporting by young writers has to be found in an independent newspaper in Mosocow of all places! The eXile would probably not get published in our "land of the free."
Outstanding Work.......2005-05-18
This book is a must read for anyone that desires understaning of russian societal mores. Mark Ames particularly does an absolutely wonderful job with his gloomy delivery explaining Moscow sex, drug and media scene throughout the 90s. I must warn you, this is not your typical narrative about what has transpired but an actual account of first hand experiences that he went through. It is not by any means pretty, but it was reality.
The other half of the book is written by Taibbi, which has a drastically different approach to writing style. His is more 'conventional' with less biased opinions and oriented mostly around facts re politics and media. I personally prefer a dark account of the world from the eyes of Ames but this is a question of preference.
This book is not for the faint of heart, it goes deep into the male psych and examines our primal instincts as they related to various vices such as sex and drugs. If you are a women, and get easily offended I suggest you passover this book for a new release by Dan Brown. Although, if you think you can withstand some unconventional wisdom as it pertains to the expat female scene you will throughoughly enjoy this.
I think this book is a great read for anyone planning on traveling to russia and getting a 'beyond the surface' understanding on the people and their rationality. Having been to Russia numerously I think little has changed since the book was written.
Dirty. So dirty........2005-04-21
I fear that my eyes will get a non-negligible STD every time I read the eXile. Worth the risk? Your call.
Brilliant.......2003-05-24
Pants-splittingly funny... Ames is a whiny, infuriating misanthrope who happens to be really, really funny. People who voted for Bush, content suburbanites, and feminists will loathe this book equally. The eXile web site remains the only thing worth reading on the web.
Book Description
They are coddled and well-groomed. They chase after the latest scandal and then run around in crazy circles, using the TV studio as their show ring and wee-wee pad. There is no controversy they can't trivialize, no issue they can't vulgarize. They obey their political masters and betray the trust of the audience with every bark. They're the attack poodles-a new breed of celebrity pundit. Wisecracking and impassioned, Attack Poodles and Other Media Mutants laces into an all-star cast of blowhard egotists who pound our eardrums and insult our intelligence: Bill O'Reilly, Joe Scarborough, Peggy Noonan, Dennis Miller, Laura Ingraham, Tucker Carlson. But it also delves below the surface squall of infotainment to show how attack poodles function as pets of the Republican party, guard dogs for George Bush, and tail-waggers for war. In the iconoclastic spirit of Michael Moore's Stupid White Men, Al Franken's Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them, and Molly Ivins' Bushwhacked, Attack Poodles makes serious fun of the pack mentality that has taken over politics and the press in this country and urges us to rip off our blindfolds before it's too late.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent fun at the expense of the dark side.......2005-10-18
If you just read the description of this book you will almost immediately know if you will like it. It's not a scholarly, thoughtful meditation on media bias. It's a glorious lambasting of the forces of propaganda and mediocrity. Walcott is mad and more than willing to let that show. He's not pretending to want people to get along, he's hollering that the emperor has no clothes.
Reading it I would the style light and blog-like. But without the laziness that blogs usually entail. Walcott has taken a light idea and sculpted it marvellously. His turns of phrase are a joy and never felt overdone. And his targets are passionately deserving of their pummelling.
Simply put, if you think you might like this book, you will. If you don't, you won't.
What Happened, James?.......2005-08-11
I remember James Wolcott as the wonderful television critic for the "Village Voice" in the early 1980's who first alerted me to the glory that was "SCTV." Back in those days he had a genuinely exciting, hilarious wit and a contagious enthusiasm for the stuff he liked and wanted to share with you, the reader. He was also something of an iconoclast at the "Voice"; he would occasionally say a kind word about Reagan. For these sins his column was cut down from weekly to once a month, so he had to share the space with more politically orthodox writers. We need more diverse voices about TV, he was told. "I thought I was the diversity", he said, and left the paper.
He cut a swath through big-time New York journalism; "the New Republic", "the New Yorker", "Vanity Fair." He could even publish book reviews in "The New Criterion", the neo-conservative arts journal. He published a semi-autobiographical novel, "The Catsitters", about a hick from the sticks who tries to make it in the big city. At this point he still seemed like was going in a good direction and knew what he was doing. And then came the massive shock of 9/11, and Wolcott was never the same. He quickly became the single most shrill leftist voice in the media and soon, the blogs.
"Attack Poodles and Other Media Mutants" shows the new Wolcott at his most depressing. The wit has been replaced with crude character assassination. The red states, from which Wolcott himself once sprang, are mirthlessly ridiculed with relentless Vanity Fair snobbery. Shades of gray don't exist for him; the only true wisdom resides in the frothing mobs of Moveon.org and Daily Kos. I hope I am not alone in mourning the demise of a once great talent; a brilliant journalist who has decided to turn himself into the left-wing version of Westbrook Pegler.
Why Terrorists are winning the supposed "War on Terror".......2005-07-14
Wolcott offers a hilarious but sad look at how our media has become nothing more than one sided propaganda. Just under 4 years ago, Bush made an empty promise to capture Bin laden dead or alive and it hasn't happened and even after the recent bombings in London, he made the same empty promise. The Iraq war mess is no better as the media is doing all they can to defend Bush's Iraq war despite the glaring evidence that it wasn't worth it. My only complaint is that the author does not make known the fact that us average Joe and Mary six-pack voters are still resigned to these leaders and the media despite all their flaws. It's not that the voters are informed about the truth but that they are purposely misinformed about the truth. Why would the media go on a wild goose chase covering the Chandra Levy missing case throughout the summer of 2001 while at the same time ignoring the glaring dangers of potential terrorists who ended up destroying the two towers in Manhatten and part of the Pentagon in D.C. ? Or for that matter, why else would the same media that ignores the ever increasing dangers and failures presented by Bush's Iraq War choose to give more air time to Michael Jackson and Scott Peterson? I would have appreciated it if the author had talked about why the voters and the Democrats are not standing up to the corrupt kon-servative media and government and holding them accountable. Other than that, I think this book is a beginning step to correctly informing the misinformed.
into the paranoid fantasy land..........2005-06-18
More of the same from that crowd whose volume and omnipresence belie their actual numbers. Yet another example of how dissent is being stifled by the evil Karl Rove and his minions! The amazing thing is that the only yappers Wolcott finds so contemptible are the ones with a conservative viewpoint. These are the only know-it-all pundits that have no business yapping, apparently. No mention of Chris Matthews, Air America, or Dan Rather--these are all crusading truthseekers i suppose. In any event, for all of you who are into this type of self-congratulatory, exclusive knowledge of how the United States has become a dictatorship by electing people that all these writers, singers, journalists, and otherwise pampered elites with bully pulpits don't like, I'd like to ask one question: Does this paranoid fantasy land that you and your faction have carved out for yourselves enrich your lives on any level whatsoever? To just blindly believe in cut-and-paste conspiracy theories so you can sleep easily knowing that the evil empire isn't fooling you? Man, you people should relax. Find a new obsession, because this one's irrelevant and just a shameful waste. History will ultimately tell us the full truth, but in the meantime, for a bunch of moral relativists you sure have gotten apocolyptic on us. Sheesh.
Good read.......2005-05-20
It shouldn't be such a surprise to anyone: news organizations play nice with the powers that be or they lose access. While this isn't new to the Bush administration it's gotten a lot worse since 2000. Actually there are two and only two sources of liberal news right now: Air America Radio and Pacifica Radio. Everyone else is in a big hurry to appease and cajole the GOP. The result: we get skewed news and are encouraged to stick our heads in the proverbial political sand. And while we do that terrorists with eyes wide open plot to attack us. So long as Bush and his attack poodles come out looking good, it's all right by them.
Amazon.com
There's good news and bad news. That's the inside scoop on the state of journalism from Washington Post editors Leonard Downie Jr. and Robert G. Kaiser, whose book The News About the News sheds light on the changes wrought on the profession during the late 20th century. Using the clear, sharp prose emblematic of their craft, the authors examine the effects of changing business standards, the merger of news and entertainment, and--of course--the Internet explosion on how reporting is produced and consumed. Their verdict is that thoroughly researched, unbiased stories on vital topics not only provide a public service but also will sell papers and commercials. This is, of course, a welcome call to arms for reporters, editors, readers, and viewers to demand higher-quality work from news providers. It's hard to find flaws in their arguments; though they are mildly print-chauvinistic, they recognize the problems of their own medium just as much as radio, TV, and the Web. Readers of The News About the News will find themselves better able to evaluate journalism and, perhaps, to help create a demand for good news. --Rob Lightner
Book Description
Freedom of the press is a primary American value. Good journalism builds communities, arms citizens with important information, and serves as a public watchdog for civic, national, and global issues. But what happens when the news turns its back on its public role?
Leonard Downie Jr., executive editor of The Washington Post, and Robert G. Kaiser, associate editor and senior correspondent, report on a growing crisis in American journalism. From the corporatization that leads media moguls to slash content for profit, to newsrooms that ignore global crises to report on personal entertainment, these veteran journalists chronicle an erosion of independent, relevant journalism. In the process, they make clear why incorruptible reporting is crucial to American society. Rooted in interviews and first-hand accounts, the authors take us inside the politically charged world of one of America’s powerful institutions, the media.
Customer Reviews:
Great book -- some problems.......2006-10-30
Great book, but they skew some numbers towards their argument. For example, when splaining how some change at a newspaper to dumb down their reporting resulting in a 2% increase in circulation, the authors discounted it, noting that the population increased by about the same amount. However, later in the book, they mention how one newspaper increased their staff and reported more hard news resulting in a minor increase in circulation, but don't mention if the population increased the same amount.
Also, one trend that they didn't mention was political alignment of the media. It used to be that reporters were sometimes not even allowed to vote by their editors and now you have TV "journalists" who openly reveal their politics (Rather and Couric). Again, good newspapers (such as the Post) do an excellent job of remaining balanced even if their editorials are skewed. They could have further explained this and how the news and editorial staff are completely divided at a good newspaper.
As mentioned, they do repeat ideas over and over. Sometimes I'd be reading a paragraph and swear I had read the same para word for word earlier in the book.
The book reminded me of an experience I had with the Today Show. I was a publicist for a dramatic rescue with good video but the piece didn't air. I called the NBC newsdesk to see what happened and they said that they had run out of time for hard news. But the Today Show still had 45 min left and at the time was doing a piece on the latest shoe fashions.
Think you know how the news business operates? Think again!.......2005-10-23
As an aspiring journalist, I'd have to say that this was an eye-opening look into how the news media is run today. Downie and Kaiser present a well-researched argument of their opinion that the "news values" of journalism have changed drastically within the past couple of decades. They talk in depth about newspapers and television news, and discuss the future impact of Internet news sites. This book is filled with facts and statistics from reliable sources (I know - I checked some of them out!) and uses anecdotes to give a more intimate perspective of the business. Their biggest point seems to be (to me) that the profit motive is driving the quality of journalism downhill as the owners of news businesses strive to keep costs down while keeping readership levels and/or ratings up; this inevitibly has led to the rise of sensationalist news stories (like crime and natural disasters) and increasing quantities of celebrity news. If you watch the nightly news today, you will probably get 6-9 stories (no more than a dozen for sure) repeated over and over again, mixed in with traffic, weather, and sports. The newspapers tend to over-emphasize crimes, especially murders, and other dramatic happenings. The fact of the matter is, none of these news stories are actually important in the long run, but since they draw in an audience, the news media will continue covering them. The saddest part is, America doesn't seem to be fighting against this proliferation of inconsequential news; we just accept it and stay tuned for more.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who monitors the news and to anyone interested in pursuing a career in the business of journalism. It gives a completely different (if slightly biased) perspective of journalism from the inside out. It's a relatively quick read, but one that you might want to go back over a few times to make sure you can truly understand the point that Downie and Kaiser are trying to get at.
News: Who Needs it?.......2004-04-20
This book made me mad. It showed how truely twisted and money driven most of the newspaper and television companies are. It also made me mad because I can never watch network news on television again. I used to enjoy the 10:00 news. Stories of crime, killer bees, and Arnold Schwarzenegger were facinating, and I thought, valid uses of news time. Turns out these kinds of stories are meant to attract viewers, not inform them.
This book had to be written. As a young person, the only news my peers seem to be interested in is who is dating who in Hollywood. I understand that this information might be interesting, but it is not news! What I love about this book is that it is written by two people who know what they are talking about. The authors are both journalists for the Washington Post (one of the few newspapers that still has a high standard of news). They have both years of experience and numerous facts to back up their ideas.
More people should read this book to realize what to expect, and hopefully demand, from news.
The News About the Business of News.......2003-11-12
I am generally disgusted with the way that news is reported in today's news market. "The News About the News" touched several good points as to why most of our society feels this disturbed rejection to the papers that are thrown on our porches each morning. Written by two editors from the acclaimed Washington Post, both with almost fourty years of journalistic experience, this is no attempt by a green author to turn an old argument into a paycheck. Yet, although their approach to explaining their viewpoints on the decline of investigative reporting, and good public service was informative - the news about their profession was never conclusive. Not one point was made which outright stated what should be done with a declining audience in today's market. The last few points were along the lines of a transition into the age of new technology, and what the impending effect would have on how news is handled. There were some great points made in reference to huge corporations mishandling the news that we view, in order to make a better profit for their stockholders... but these points and the handful of others could have been made in less pages. Instead, the spin cycle of reapeated premises and dry view points wore on again and again till the last sentence. What does the public want? An answer, and a better journalistic approach to todays news in foreign, domestic and investigative reporting. Yet as was discussed in the book we aren't going to see this until the business of the news comes out of the clouds from making profits and floats back into the reality of public service.
What People Want and What People Need.......2002-12-20
Downie and Kaiser are veteran newspapermen with a very experienced perspective on the business of news, and they prove in this book that the current situation isn't so good. Journalism is in a sorry state due to modern trends of money grubbing and media fragmentation. Increasing absentee corporate ownership of newspapers and TV networks has led to an obsession with short-term profitability, with reporters and editors being forced to focus on lowest-common-denominator topics like entertainment and consumer news. This might help profit margins now, but damage journalistic quality so badly that the health of the news business is in a downward spiral. Another problem is inaccurate market research by consultants who know little about the business, leading to the unproven perception that the public wants less substance and more convenience. The real evidence proves otherwise, and media outlets think that giving people what they want is more useful than giving them what they need. The authors also prove the near uselessness of most local TV newscasts, which have become enslaved by pressure from advertisers, and are prone to "action" news that is photogenic but informationally useless.
The authors tend to heap an annoying amount of praise on their employer, the Washington Post, although that paper deserves its reputation as one of the nation's best. They also fail to look into non-establishment and alternative media outlets (sticking mostly to newspaper, TV, and a little bit of cyberspace), while the later chapters of the book become a repetitive summary of points that were proven long before. However, the insights into the poor health of the news business are very illuminating and even a little scary, because the most successful democratic society should be a well-informed one. But the recent decline in journalistic integrity is not necessarily a permanent trend and it can even be reversed. The best evidence is in the aftermath of 9/11, as the hunger for real in-depth knowledge awakened in the American public, and the news business finally realized that the public was smarter than they assumed all along. Time will tell if the downward trend in quality will reverse itself over the long term, but for the meantime Downie and Kaiser have created an expose that should lead to much self-examination in their field.
Book Description
An authoritative and detailed illustration of the state of journalistic practice in the United States today, The American Journalist in the 21st Century sheds light on the demographic and educational backgrounds, working conditions, and professional and ethical values of print, broadcast, and Internet journalists at the beginning of the 21st century. Providing results from telephone surveys of nearly 1,500 U.S. journalists working in a variety of media outlets, this volume updates the findings published in the earlier report, The American Journalist in the 1990s, and reflects the continued evolution of journalistic practice and professionalism.
The scope of material included here is extensive and inclusive, representing numerous facets of journalistic practice and professionalism, and featuring separate analyses for women, minority, and online journalists. Many findings are set in context and compared with previous major studies of U.S. journalists conducted in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s.
Serving as a detailed snapshot of current journalistic practice, The American Journalist in the 21st Century offers an intriguing and enlightening profile of professional journalists today, and it will be of great interest and value to working journalists, journalism educators, media managers, journalism students, and others seeking insights into the current state of the journalism profession.
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Outspoken: Keith Howes' Gay News Interviews 1976-83 (Lesbian and Gay Archive Series)
Keith Howes
Manufacturer: Cassell
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ASIN: 0304333972 |
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- The Story of The Exploding Whale...And A Lot More
- Timeless
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The Exploding Whale: And Other Remarkable Stories from the Evening News
Paul Linnman
Manufacturer: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company
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ASIN: 1558687432 |
Book Description
The scene made cult-classic status right from the start: here's rookie broadcast newsman Paul Linnman in the foreground, reporting on a sticky situation along the Oregon coast. Officials have been working to remove the body of a beached whale, long dead and now rotting. The solution: explosives. As Linnman ducks, the skies issue forth chunks of whale meat, and Linnman's live-action reporting takes its place in broadcast history. The title piece is merely one career highlight among many for Linnman, who writes from the inside about his work in this glamorous field. Now the lead anchor for Portland's KATU news program, Linnman reflects on the inspiring people and incredible events, as well as the just plain oddities that he's witnessed over the years. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll carry an umbrella at all times.
Customer Reviews:
The Story of The Exploding Whale...And A Lot More.......2003-12-08
To Oregon television viewers, Paul Linnman is a familiar, friendly voice and face they've welcomed into their homes as a reporter, anchorman and talk show host for most of the last 35 years. To the rest of the world, he's "the guy who blew up the whale." Which is kind of a shame, in a way. First, it's not quite accurate...it was the state Highway Division that blew up the whale; Paul and his cameraman, Doug Brazil, were just there to record it. Second, it may be the oddest, but by no means is it the finest story Paul has told during those decades.
First, the facts, briefly. In November, 1970, a dead sperm whale washed up near the town of Florence on the Oregon Coast. No one quite knew how to dispose of it. After due consideration, the decision was made to use dynamite. The hope was to blast the carcass into small enough chunks for the gulls and other scavengers to take care of. It didn't quite work out that way. All the spectators got sprayed with whale goo, and had to dodge hunks of falling blubber. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but one large fragment landed on a new Oldsmobile a quarter of a mile away and flattened it.
Much to Linnman's surprise, the story has taken on a life of its own, thanks to the Internet, humorist Dave Barry and others. In this memoir, Paul seems a bit bemused by all the attention, but is good natured and gracious about it as well. He just wishes people would also ask about some of the truly inspiring stories of human courage, character and achievement he's devoted most of his career to chronicling. In this book, he interweaves many of these great "people" stories with all you could ever want to know about the infamous whale. Linnman also adds a few enlightening and entertaining anecdotes about life behind the scenes in television news to round out this fine volume.--William C. Hall
Timeless.......2003-11-12
Paul is a naturally funny guy, and now we know he can lay it out on paper, as well.
In this book he weaves memories from his career around, between, and through a serial narrative of his most famous story---the exploding whale of Florence, Oregon. Never heard of it? This event, along with the dynamite, the stench, the rain of blubber, and the resulting 'cover-up', established a comic standard for bureaucratic ineptitude. In his book, Paul answers all the questions and puts to rest the rumors, finally.
More important, this is an honest, insightful look inside television news as used to be, and as many us wish it had remained.
Paul shares as many laughs as nuggets of wisdom.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent Showcase Of Writing Talent
|
New Science Journalists
Ted Anton
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0345383656
Release Date: 1995-03-14 |
Book Description
In The New Science Journalists, Editors Ted Anton and Rick McCourt have gathered the best of the new science writing into one illuminating volume. What is new about the work of these journalists lies in the scale, pace, and uses of their writing. These writers bridge the gap between members of the science community and a society hungry for news about their work, acting not only as reporters and commentators, but also as investigators, researchers, detectives, and storytellers.
The editors have showcased three very different kinds of writers. The first group explores the complexities of our universe with childlike wonder, and includes Diane Ackerman, John Seabrook, and Elisabeth Rosenthal. The second group, relentless investigators who expose the inside stories of scientific research, includes Deborah Blum, Robert Capers, Eric Lipton, and John Crewdson. And the third group of writers, who dig through data uncovering trends that researchers themselves miss, features Timothy Ferris, E.O. Wilson, James Gleick, and many more.
These writers are helping to broaden the very boundaries of science by making complex topics such as chemistry, physics, biotechnology, and ecology accessible and entertaining to readers of every kind. Combining superb prose and compelling subjects, The New Science Journalists examines some of the most fascinating issues of our times.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Showcase Of Writing Talent.......2003-04-07
My wife bought this for me to read in hospital. It was an inspired choice. The quality of writing is uniformly excellent, though the writing styles are very diverse.
Almost all of the articles avoid the standard trap of science writing: the idea that the science itself is not interesting, so just write about the personalities. These are serious writers, seriously applying their considerable skills towards making hard, important science understandable.
I was sufficiently impressed by these writers that right now I am researching the Masters in Science Writing courses that are mentioned in the introduction.
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