'Churnalism' exposed - Rated 
I started this book with high expectations, but I was sorely disappointed in the end. In the beginning of the book there was some juicy examples of how the modern mass media distorts the world and makes it look as it wants.
Book however soon degenerates into a Jeremiad of how British newspapers have been turned into money making machines and the true journalism of the old has been quite forgotten and buried under the flood of "churnalism", where the only aim is to produce as much as possible of content as cheaply as possible.
Nick Davies has some good examples of how freely media does treat facts today, but very soon he succumbs into cheap gossiping about newspapers and people that I personally do not have any interest at all.
This book is too British to be of real value to a journalist from a foreign country like me, even if of course the same problems of greedy publishers, too little time and too much work are present everywhere in modern media.
Confirms one's suspicions - Rated 
Nick Davies has done a good job analysing developments in the news media world in recent decades. He explains, with examples, why we have little reporting from many countries of the world, why celebrity news seems to take priority over politics and economics and why most newspaper reporting looks like `copy and paste'. It's because it is `copy and paste'.
I'm not sure whether to be consoled or annoyed that the author himself demonstrates innacurate reporting and distortion of information in a couple of places by perpetrating the `everyone knows it' view rather than facts.
fascinating - Rated
Really interesting book that should be read by everyone who reads the newspapers and is interested in politics.
Essential information - Rated 
At a time when we are bombarded by information, when there are more publications, articles and blogs than ever before this book is an essential counterblast to BS journalism. Whether it it is the commercial pressures to get fewer journalists to produce more copy, the insidious influence of PR and prepared information from government or planted stories that are a thin cover for advertisement you should be worried about the quality of your news. And it is not just bad or lazy journalism that is the trouble, what is more insidious are the reasons why important, REALLY IMPORTANT, stories are either ignored or dismissed as unworthy of appropriate coverage. The pusillanimous attitudes when challenging powerful companies or government departments and the fear of legal action by litigious villains is only part of the story. The Sunday Times was a powerful investigative newspaper, as was the Observer. The Murdoch Empire, dominated by greed and malice has effectively silenced the Thunderer, and the Observer is too frightened to publish important news, such as knowing that there were no WMD well before the Iraq invasion. The final chapter in the book concerns the long and dishonourable history of the Daily Mail / Mail on Sunday. This limp organ holds the record of most complaints against it and is responsible for distortions, calumnous editorial re-writes of decent stories and downright lies. It regularly plays up to the nastiest bigotry among its target audience. As a financially successful buisness it has become the model of much current news media.
Nick Davies, with careful research and a long career in newspapers, has produced a book that will cause you to reappraise how you view the media who are manipulating you.
A Book that needed to be written - Rated
If, like me, the British press winds you right up with it's obvious lies, not so obvious distortion and warped attempts at journalism, but you can't quite express your frustration then this is the book for you.
Some of the revalations are shocking and many reinforce what you may have felt about the papers in Britain. We know we are being mislead and treated like idiots but also we're looking for some real investigative journalism from time to time to expose those that should be brought to book. Journalism is a word full of idealism and if the trust is not there in our journalists then we either take nothing or everything they print as gospel.
Nick Davies' book shows just how much of what is printed is falsehood, manipulated by PR or driven by political and economic reasons.
The writing style keeps it interesting rather than depressing though, using example after example of the tricks of the industry to keep the reader shocked and interested.
It's a shame this book has to be written but if no-one pays attention then 'journalism' in Britain will continue to deteriorate.
|
