Book Description
Bill O’Reilly is the very embodiment of the idea of a Culture Warrior—and in this book he lives up to the title brilliantly, with all the brashness and forthrightness at his command. He sees that America is in the midst of a fierce culture war between those who embrace traditional values and those who want to change America into a “secular-progressive” country. This is a conflict that differs in many ways from the usual liberal/conservative divide, but it is no less heated, and the stakes are even higher.
In Culture Warrior, Bill O’Reilly defines this war and analyzes the competing philosophies of the traditionalist and secular-progressive camps. He examines why the nation’s motto “E Pluribus Unum” (“From Many, One”) might change to “What About Me?”; dissects the forces driving the secular-progressive agenda in the media and behind the scenes, including George Soros, George Lakoff, and the ACLU; and dives into matters of race, education, and the war on terror. He also shows how the culture war has played out in such high-profile instances as The Passion of the Christ, Fahrenheit 9/11, the abuse epidemic (child and otherwise), and the embattled place of religion in public life—with special emphasis on the war against Christmas. Whatever controversies are roiling the nation, he fearlessly confronts them—and no one will be in the dark about which side he’s on.
Culture Warrior showcases Bill O’Reilly at his most eloquent and impassioned. He is an unrelenting fighter for the soul of America, and in this book he fights the good fight for the traditional values that have served this country so well for so long.
Customer Reviews:
Culture Warrior.......2007-10-24
As usual, O'Reilly shows his stuff. If you are one who watches/listens to him on a regular basis, then you already know about what he's saying in this book. The far lefties are trying to disrupt our culture, and most of us don't think our culture should be altered--very much, anyway. Sure, we have our problems, but to abruptly toss revered and esteemed good values aside is almost criminal. Yet, with what help from Rush calls "the Drive-by Media," the left is continuing to push, push, push. Those of us on the right (or even Centrists) must become "Culture Warriors" and keep up our vigil and push back--hard.
Stunningly Brilliant Tour de Force.......2007-10-22
Bill O. proves once again that he's THE MAN. His deep loathing for the God-hating, America-hating puke left elements is palpable. I've proudly been using his term "secular-progressive traitors to America" since the moment I read it. And his piece on Rather, Reid, Pelosi, Soros, Boxer, Durbin, Dodd, Murtha, Sulzburger,Teddy and the rest of "Osama's gaggle of bedwetting, braying apologists and lickspittles here on America's sacred soil" expose these squalid lab specimens for what they really are. I take my cap off and thank this great American for his stalwart defense of the America I know and love.
Boot-licking propaganda pimp.......2007-10-16
One hardly knows whether to laugh or cry. It is a little frightening to know there are people out there that can put their clothes on and food in their mouth, and actually give attention to the likes of O'Reilly and Coulter. What pathetic little tics full of drivel, I mean, just look at the guy.....freak supreme. If this is your cup of tea, please consider thinking for yourself and waking up a bit and try something sane and reasonable, compassionate and loving, creative and expansive for a change. Otherwise, see you in Hell.
Eye Opener.......2007-10-14
This book will definitely give you a different perspective when you view the news media. There is a lot of truth here!
interesting read.......2007-09-27
Well written book. I'm not sure of the validity of all the things he talks about because he is often defending himself, but I think he makes some very smart points. I can see some of the effects of the sp movement that Bill mentions in his book almost everyday.
Book Description
Write with understanding and purpose with PUBLIC RELATIONS WRITING: FORM AND STYLE! With a practical approach, this communication text uses the principles and theories of public relations to provide you with the tools you need to improve your writing skills. Examples, illustrations, and end-of-chapter exercises give you the opportunity to see public relations in action. The book-specific website saves you time by providing you with exercises, tutorial quizzes, and web activities.
Customer Reviews:
Great PR Piece.......2005-10-05
This is a great PR book. It has all of the essentials for PR writing along with general PR information. I would highly recommend it if you want an in-depth study of the field, or just brush up on genereal info.
good book.......2002-08-12
As a Public Relations student, I found this book to be extremely helpful. It demonstrates the proper way to write so that you can lear effective style and techinque. I have found that this book, along with Guerilla PR Wired by Michael Levine, create the foundation for my studies.
Book Description
Tired of the Hollywood Left-and the vast network of liberals in elite positions-who always bad mouth America? Well, so is feisty radio sensation Laura Ingraham-and she has the answers in this pugnacious, funny, and devastating critique of the liberals who hate America.
Customer Reviews:
The Truth Hurts, The 'elites' are not elite!.......2007-08-20
Political commentator and radio talk-show host Laura Ingraham decries self-styled "elite" groups who believe themselves superior to those with traditional American values. She singles out mainstream media, academic intellectuals, and showbiz celebrities as well as the United Nations and antireligious and pro-immigration supporters. This is an interesting book and an easy read.
Don't waste your money!!!.......2007-08-13
This book is a waste of time. It has no real substance. She constantly contradicts herself, and drones on and on about nothing.
Feels like a high school term paper.......2007-08-10
I knew nothing of Laura Ingraham before picking up this book. Never heard her radio show, never read anything (that I'm aware of, at least.) Though I agree with much of what she says, she says it in a boring, repetitive, know-it-all, condescendingly-laughing-at-the-condescending, smarmy and whiny manner. The personal asides, where she describes those she disagrees with as failed actors or once-funny comedians may work on radio, but in print just come off as mean spirited and irrelevant. We care about the views, not the source.
Besides being smug and pompous, she is a mediocre writer. (And the typos--come on, guys....) Her prose reads like someone who talks extemporaneously for a living. And I don't think I learned anything new at all. The same ideas are expressed far more eloquently by many others. Mona Charen, Daniel Flynn, Peter Wood. Go to those authors to read excellent prose and thoughtful reasoning. This is stream of consciousness blather, a product that feels rushed to market. Books written in a hurry die equally fast. Save your time. Go elsewhere.
This is entertaining as all get out................2007-07-15
Once again, the reviewers are almost as good as the actual book. The Left are convinced that the author is the devil incarnate, while the Right can't quite think of her, as one of their own. Why the left even bothers to read this, knowing her slant of things, is almost beyond comprehension. She's kind of like Coulter---they just can't get enough of this stuff. As far as the right--the mind reels.For those of us not on the extreme, one way or the other,well, let me put it this way. Unless all of you checked this book out at your local library, or stole it---she got your money, didn't she???
A culling of news stories misses the mark, which is regrettable.......2007-04-24
Laura Ingraham had a good idea: show how self-anointed elites are destroying the Constitution-based American way of life. The problem is not with her writing style, which is commendibly clear. Rather, she has collected hundreds of snippets from the news and spun them out, one after another, with often too little analysis and, worse, virtually no footnotes.
For example, Ingraham describes former Secretary of State Madeline Albright's supremely clueless performance in North Korea without a single reference to third-party sources. Yes, her accounting is accurate, but you'd only know that if you follow the news closely. The people who need to be persuaded do not, so it is important to provide sources for the few who may want to pursue the subject.
Ingraham's point is not news to many of us: the people who constitute the various elites of show business, academia, the UN and other areas are strictly of the "do as I say, not as I do" variety. Al Gore wants you to ride a bicycle, while he uses a private jet to go from point to point. College professors want their young, often gullible, students to ignore - in fact, never learn about - the more than 100 million murdered by Communists while they preach their Marxist dogma. The same academics are also in the forefront of stifling independent thinking and freedom of speech on campus. The UN, of course, is painted as the corrupt organization it is, a world body dedicated to the enrichment of its bureaucrats while it ignores human rights abuses throughout the world.
Ingraham makes her points, but not as tellingly as they could be made. A good overview of how the self-appointed doyens are trying to rip down the United Stats and destroy the Consitution, but not as effective as it could be.
Jerry
Average customer rating:
- Wow... are we not spellchecking or editing books anymore??
- Fair information, edited by a twit.
- Excellent resourse for post-modern media theory.
- Media, stereotypes, white ideologies, marginalization.
- best text reader ever for my communication major
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Gender, Race, and Class in Media: A Text-Reader
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Media, Gender and Identity: An Introduction
ASIN: 076192261X |
Book Description
Incisive analyses of mass media – including such forms
as talk shows, MTV, the Internet, soap operas, television sitcoms, dramatic series, pornography, and advertising—enable this provocative new edition of
Gender, Race and Class in Media to engage students in critical mass media scholarship. Issues of power related to gender, race, and class are integrated into a wide range of articles examining the economic and cultural implications of mass media as institutions, including the political economy of media production, textual analysis, and media consumption.
Ten new, original essays are included in this text, along with compelling previously published articles and book chapters by both established media scholars and new voices in the field. Together with new section introductions by Gail Dines and Jean Humez, the readings provide a solid yet accessible critical introduction to mass media studies.
Features:
- Authority. Original essays
and important reprinted articles
from renowned scholars comprise this comprehensive and diverse volume
Original essaysand important reprinted articlesfrom renowned scholars comprise this comprehensive and diverse volume
- Accessibility. Work in cultural studies and queer theory is made accessible to undergraduate students
. Work in cultural studies and queer theory is made accessible to undergraduate students
- Activist Philosophy. Extensive bibliography and media resources encourage conscientious activism.
. Extensive bibliography and media resources encourage conscientious activism.
- Integrated analysis. Race is examined throughout the text rather than treated in a separate chapter.
Race is examined throughout the text rather than treated in a separate chapter.
Original essaysand important reprinted articlesfrom renowned scholars comprise this comprehensive and diverse volume . Work in cultural studies and queer theory is made accessible to undergraduate students . Extensive bibliography and media resources encourage conscientious activism. Race is examined throughout the text rather than treated in a separate chapter.
New to the Second Edition:
- Expanded coverage of "queer" representations in mass media
- New section introductions provide readers with a guide for each section
- New section on the violence debates and a new section on the Internet
- Two sections devoted to consumerism, marketing, and advertising
Recommended for courses in mass media, feminist theory, race, class, and gender, and social theory in the Sociology, Communication, and Women’s Studies disciplines. Also recommended as a general reference title for scholars and anyone interested in the representation of race, class, and gender in the media.
Customer Reviews:
Wow... are we not spellchecking or editing books anymore??.......2007-06-21
First, let me say that the premise of each article was great for a 400- or 500-level college course and prompted many heated discussions.
But, along the lines of the other reviewer... how are we to take it seriously when we come across dozens of grammatical errors, missing words (the most prevalent error) and punctuation disasters? It read as though the articles were submitted, read by a third-grader and then stuffed hurriedly into the book for publication. A quick read by the "editors" would have found the vast majority of errors.
This is not something isolated, for 3 out of the 4 textbooks I have been assigned this summer session have dozens (yes, "dozens") of grammatical, typographical and punctuation disasters -- books well into their 2nd, 4th and 7th editions. No wonder kids graduating college habitually spell "too" as "to."
Fix the errors before you print the third edition!
Fair information, edited by a twit........2004-02-15
I could not finish reading the book, because I could not take the authors seriously. The many misspellings and mechanical errors were far to distracting. This text is a worthy example of how NOT to write a book.
Excellent resourse for post-modern media theory........1999-09-14
As the media becomes one of the most dominant means by which we frame our social reality, it becomes crucial for each of us to understand how media can become a mean to someone's own end. An excellent treatment of hegemony and dominant/ prefered readings. This should be a required text in all communication/ social science programs. But it ain't bad readin' for anyone else who consumes media either, namely you!
Media, stereotypes, white ideologies, marginalization........1999-01-11
An excellent reader explaining the media's role in perpetrating common stereotypes of historically marginalized people. Includes analysis of advertising, sexual representation, TV and music. An excellent textbook for cultural studies.
best text reader ever for my communication major.......1998-12-06
broad and complete view point on the issues that face college critics in media fields. Most comprehensive text I have been required to buy with my major. Would highly recommend to other prof.s
Book Description
Stimulate your imagination and body--open this book and see what pops up!
A scandalously clever tour of the erotic arts, The Pop-up Book of Sex provides a unique perspective on such positions as the classic Missionary, the naughty Mile-High Club, the exotic Lotus, and the whimsical Fantasy.
Sensuously illustrated, spectacular three-dimensional pop-ups bring to life the art of getting busy, and will forever electrify your boudoir repertoire.
You'll never see sex the same way again.
Click on the image below for a sneek peek of the book in action:
Customer Reviews:
Very sexy and fun........2007-10-21
The book is loads of fun to go through. It lasts a lot longer than a novelty item. I keep it on top of my piano and everybody who walks in can't resist looking through it. I love it! It's worth the money.
Fabianism's Better Half .......2007-10-21
To this reader, its content seems rather PG-13, cautionary. No "bones" about it. The illustrators kept it fairly clean. Which is good. I had hoped to give it as a gift. And so I can.
Just FYI:
To some military strategists, our first president George Washington is known as the "American Fabian."
"I am sick of Fabian systems in all quarters!" - John Adams expressing his dissatisfaction with Washington's conduct of the war.
HILARIOUS!!!.......2007-10-21
This book was the perfect bachelorette party gift! The girls were laughing and could not believe that a pop-up book of this nature existed. I will definitely purchase it again for the next bachelorette party I attend.
Pop Up Book of Sex.......2007-06-27
I have to admit, I bought the book for my husband for his birthday, so I have not opened it. However, it came neatly sealed, looks very nice, is a great present and I am anxious to open it.
My sister called me laughing when she recieved it in the mail!.......2007-04-12
I bought this book for my sister for a Christmas present, and boy howdy was she ever surprised when she got it in the mail!
She couldn't stop laughing when she called me to thank me!
I asked her if she could tell me about her favorite part and she told me that she'd rather not describe it!
A hoot for sisters of all ages over 18!
Amazon.com
This forceful, sarcastic, and often hilarious book offers tips on arguing with liberals, which include the following: don't be defensive, always outrage the enemy, and never apologize to, compliment, or show graciousness to a Democrat. Welcome to the world according to Ann Coulter. Ever combative, Coulter is unafraid to court controversy or confront her detractors head-on, whether they are mainstream journalists and talk-show hosts who have misquoted her without apology or "weak and frightened conservatives" craving liberal approval. Though the writing is often over-the-top, the book if full of one-liners that will delight conservatives, such as "the best way to convert liberals is to have them move out of their parents' home, get a job, and start paying taxes." But there is more here than just insults and countless jabs at Bill Clinton, and even her most devoted readers will find much new material in the book. Largely a collection of her syndicated columns from the past decade, How to Talk to a Liberal also includes columns that were never released or were rejected by editors--in Coulter's words, "what you could have read if you lived in a free country." --Shawn Carkonen
Amazon.com Exclusive Content
Ann Coulter on Election 2004
Ann Coulter has become a fixture among the country's leading conservative pundits with her take-no-prisoners approach making for controversial headline copy. She speaks out about Election 2004 in our exclusive interview.
Ann Coulter's Significant Seven
Ann Coulter kindly agreed to take the life quiz we like to give to all our authors: the Amazon Significant Seven. Read her answers here.
Book Description
Welcome to the world of Ann Coulter. With her monumental bestsellers Treason, Slander, and High Crimes and Misdemeanors, Coulter has become the most recognized and talked-about conservative intellectual in years—and certainly the most controversial. Now, in How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must), which is sure to ignite impassioned debate, she offers her most comprehensive analysis of the American political scene to date. With incisive reasoning, refreshing candor, and razor-sharp wit, she reveals just why liberals have got it so wrong.
In this powerful and entertaining book, which draws on her weekly columns, Coulter ranges far and wide. No subject is off-limits, and no comment is left unsaid. After all, she writes, “Nothing too extreme can be said about liberals because it’s all true.” How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must) offers Coulter’s unvarnished take on:
•The essence of being a liberal: “The absolute conviction that there is one set of rules for you, and another, completely different set of rules for everyone else.”
•John Kerry: “A reporter asked Kerry, ‘Are you for or against gay marriage?’ As usual, his answer was, ‘Yes.’ ”
•Her 9/11 comments: “I am often asked if I still think we should invade their countries, kill their leaders, and convert them to Christianity. The answer is: Now more than ever!”
•The state of the Democratic Party: “Teddy Kennedy crawls out of Boston Harbor with a quart of Scotch in one pocket and a pair of pantyhose in the other, and Democrats hail him as their party’s spiritual leader.”
•Her philosophy for arguing with liberals: “Tough love, except I don’t love them. My ‘tough love’ approach is much like the Democrats’ ‘middle-class tax cuts’—everything but the last word.”
•The “Treason Lobby”: “Want to make liberals angry? Defend the United States.”
In this full-on Coulterpalooza, you’ll find the real, uncensored Ann Coulter. A special concluding chapter even includes the pieces that squeamish editors refused to publish—“what you could have read if you lived in a free country,” says Coulter. How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must) is a stunning reminder of why Ann Coulter’s commentary has achieved must-read status.
“A fluent polemicist with a gift for Menckenesque invective...and she can harness such language to subtle, syllogistic argument.”--Washington Post Book World
“Ann Coulter is a trailblazer.”--Los Angeles Times Book Review
“She can zing one-liners faster than Zeus can throw lightning bolts.”--Kansas City Star
“You know those pundits who bore you to tears trying to balance everyone’s point of view? Coulter isn’t one.”--People
“A great deal of research supports Ms. Coulter’s wisecracks.”--New York Times
“The conservative movement has found its diva.”--Bill Maher
“Ann Coulter is a pundit extraordinaire.”--Rush Limbaugh
Also available as a Random House AudioBook and as an e-Book
Customer Reviews:
Factual.......2007-10-23
Most negative reviews you'll see about Anne Coulter's books are purely negative because she's a conservative, and the reviewer is a liberal. But in all honesty, it's a great book, and her information is 100% true, and very informative
Anyone can write a book these days..........2007-10-09
It doesn't matter if you ignore the facts and instead just rant and rave. Hey, if you please the right people you're going to make lots of money! I think I'm going to write my own book called, "How to talk to dumb blonds, if you must."
Once again....Right on!.......2007-10-02
This is absolutely one of Ann's greatest books. She says the things I think quietly to myself. Maybe SHE should be the first woman President.
Her best book.......2007-10-01
This is, in my opinion, Ann Coulter's strongest book. The book is a collection of the essays that she writes weekly and posts on her website and on some conservative sites. Ann Coulter is a good writer and a strong thinker; she has the ability to construct very strong arguments. However, I have never been impressed with her ability to turn her arguments into books. Treason, Godless, etc all have very interesting ideas in them but her argument gets away from her at time.
How to Talk to a Liberal though is different. Coulter's ability to form strong arguments really shines in the short essay format and the essays collected in this book are a real treat to read. I don't agree with everything that Coulter writes but what she has written in this book is bound to make the reader take another look at some of the most serious political issues of our time.
Coulter: The High Priestess of Lunacy.......2007-09-27
Ann Coulter...what can we say about her? I'll take her very own approach to reviewing this book. This book is evil, the work of Satan. Republicans hate America, hate reason and knowledge, hate anything but brainwash, and wallow in primitive myths. There. Brilliant review, right Annie? Annie are you ok, are you ok, Annie?
P.S. At the time of this writing, there are 227 available used copies, starting at less than $1.50! That's funny.
Book Description
"Bernays' honest and practical manual provides much insight into some of the most powerful and influential institutions of contemporary industrial state capitalist democracies."-Noam Chomsky
"The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country."-Edward Bernays, Propaganda
A seminal and controversial figure in the history of political thought and public relations, Edward Bernays (1891–1995), pioneered the scientific technique of shaping and manipulating public opinion, which he famously dubbed "engineering of consent." During World War I, he was an integral part of the U.S. Committee on Public Information (CPI), a powerful propaganda apparatus that was mobilized to package, advertise and sell the war to the American people as one that would "Make the World Safe for Democracy." The CPI would become the blueprint in which marketing strategies for future wars would be based upon.
Bernays applied the techniques he had learned in the CPI and, incorporating some of the ideas of Walter Lipmann, became an outspoken proponent of propaganda as a tool for democratic and corporate manipulation of the population. His 1928 bombshell Propaganda lays out his eerily prescient vision for using propaganda to regiment the collective mind in a variety of areas, including government, politics, art, science and education. To read this book today is to frightfully comprehend what our contemporary institutions of government and business have become in regards to organized manipulation of the masses.
This is the first reprint of Propaganda in over 30 years and features an introduction by Mark Crispin Miller, author of The Bush Dyslexicon: Observations on a National Disorder.
Customer Reviews:
Brilliant - but he already knew that.......2007-10-04
Edward bernays laying the groundwork for the control of population via descrete means. Enjoy BEING the product, TV watchers!
Insightful and Essential.......2007-01-30
A master of his craft, in "Propaganda" Edward Bernays splendidly advocates the art he defines as the "consistent, enduring effort to create or shape events to influence the relations of the public to an enterprise, idea or group." (p.52). Some may recoil from his assertions that propaganda is necessary to give order to a chaotic world and that in a democracy an intelligent minority must "regiment and guide the masses" ... "to clear understanding and intelligent action." (p.127 & 128)
As refreshing today as when he wrote eighty years ago, Bernays explains that, contrary to what many believe, propaganda is not confined to corporate advertising, but is indispensable to political parties, special interest groups, news media, and some government agencies. Indeed, today's global warming "crisis" would cease to exist without it.
Bernays declares propagandists should maintain certain principles including refusing clients believed to be dishonest, products that are fraudulent, and not engaging in deceit or outright lying. Though severely criticized for establishing the successful cigarette advertising campaigns for tobacco companies, he demonstrated his integrity by dropping the companies as clients when he became convinced of the strong association between smoking cigarettes and lung cancer. Unfortunately, many modern practitioners are not as scrupulous.
This concise book is compelling for those who dare to think on their own rather than being told by an elite few what to think and how to act.
Conceptually Brilliant.......2006-11-28
From the creator of public relations, Edward Bernays describes how he discovered to manipulate and engineer the consent of public opinion. This book is a conceptual model for governments, corporations, and lobbying firms to show the principles behind swaying public thought and opinion and controlling the masses. As the nephew of Sigmund Freud, Edward Bernays was able to learn from the master of psychoanalysis and through his many opportunities working for various of the United States largest corporations.
This book was incredibly useful and informational. I would recommend it to anyone interested in swaying opinion or being able to identify it in advertising, news, or public figures. Edward Bernays is the utmost authority on the subject so much so that even the Germans in the Nazi political party used this book to spread their policy beliefs. This book is still relevant today in a world of spin.
Edward Bernays runs through the psychology of developing public opinion and runs through several different areas where it could be applied from government to being implimented in the education system. Regardless of the brilliance this book contains, it still was written as though a lay-person was the intended audience. I would highly definitely recommend this book.
Very Revealing Expose of Present Day Government.......2006-11-04
This book clearly shows how those in power think of the every day citizen. Bernays provided a "peek" into the world of propaganda where what you eat, drink, watch, and drive is really managed to the extent that you do not really know what is going on. In additioin the attitudes that brought this about are clearly explained.
If you want a primmer on how the elite looks at you, check this out.
Propaganda and the manufacture of consent!.......2006-09-10
Bernays, the Guru of prapaganda who pioneered the technique of shaping and manipulating public opinion which he named "engineered consent," has written an iteresting book on this topic that might be worth reviewing. His book has superficially tackled the propaganda techniques, and gave the reader a taste of the mass manipulation machine.
However, I found the cover page to be the most profound and enlightening. It contains Bernays' views which reflect the reality and the condition of the masses or the bewildered herd (as called by Walter Lippmann, another propagandist), as well as the genuine elitist view on the stupidity of the people. Here are some examples from the cover page: "Only through the active energy of the intelligent few can the public at large become aware and act upon new ideas." "A presidential candidate may be drafted in response to overwhelming popular demand, but it is well known that his name may be decided upon by half a dozen men sitting around a table in a hotel room." "Democracy is administered by the intelligent minority who know how to regiment and guide the masses."
This book might be an eye opening reading for the oblivious person.
Amazon.com
An absolutely brilliant analysis of the ways in which individuals and organizations of the media are influenced to shape the social agendas of knowledge and, therefore, belief. Contrary to the popular conception of members of the press as hard-bitten realists doggedly pursuing unpopular truths, Herman and Chomsky prove conclusively that the free-market economics model of media leads inevitably to normative and narrow reporting. Whether or not you've seen the eye-opening movie, buy this book, and you will be a far more knowledgeable person and much less prone to having your beliefs manipulated as easily as the press.
Book Description
In this pathbreaking work, now with a new introduction, Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky show that, contrary to the usual image of the news media as cantankerous, obstinate, and ubiquitous in their search for truth and defense of justice, in their actual practice they defend the economic, social, and political agendas of the privileged groups that dominate domestic society, the state, and the global order.
Based on a series of case studies—including the media’s dichotomous treatment of “worthy” versus “unworthy” victims, “legitimizing” and “meaningless” Third World elections, and devastating critiques of media coverage of the U.S. wars against Indochina—Herman and Chomsky draw on decades of criticism and research to propose a Propaganda Model to explain the media’s behavior and performance. Their new introduction updates the Propaganda Model and the earlier case studies, and it discusses several other applications. These include the manner in which the media covered the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement and subsequent Mexican financial meltdown of 1994-1995, the media’s handling of the protests against the World Trade Organization, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund in 1999 and 2000, and the media’s treatment of the chemical industry and its regulation. What emerges from this work is a powerful assessment of how propagandistic the U.S. mass media are, how they systematically fail to live up to their self-image as providers of the kind of information that people need to make sense of the world, and how we can understand their function in a radically new way.
Customer Reviews:
A brilliant critique of the American mass media.......2007-09-30
In this critique of the American Mass Media, the authors present a "propaganda model" and then go on to support it with a variety of examples. The model is based on five "filters" that news passes through:
1. That of corporate/profit-minded ownership
2. Of advertising as a revenue model, which makes media reliant on big advertisers
3. Of the necessity to be close to common "sources" of news and PR (because the media can not be present themselves everywhere that news is made at the time it's made), many of which are controlled by Government and big corporations
4. The aversion to Flak, i.e., negative responses to media programs and
5. Anti-communism as a control mechanism (yes, the book is fairly old - it was originally written in 1988, I think)
These forces cause the media to behave in certain strange ways towards news. One of these, the authors point out, is the treatment of "worthy" and "unworthy" victims, the former being those that are oppressed by/in countries aligned with Communists, and the latter being victims of policies supported by the United States. For instance, the murder of Jerzy Popieluszko, a Polish priest murdered by the Polish police, attracted far greater attention in the media than the murders of several other priests murdered in countries that were within the American sphere of influence.
Unlike other treatments that suggest a conspiracy theory, the authors have chosen to analyze the forces (the five filters) that make journalists and others internalize the principles of distortion.
The Propaganda Model in the book is very powerful, and comes alive through the numerous case studies. As the authors point out, a freely functioning media is often thought to be central to any notion of a democracy, and hence the importance of this deep understanding of the ways the media operates.
The book leaves me hanging with a few thoughts:
1. How does this thinking apply to media in other countries where the models of ownership, legal structures, market economy and many other variables are very different? Especially, I am curious to know if someone has done a similar analysis of media in my home country, India.
2. Is the web helping democratize news? The authors talk a fair bit about the consolidation of mainstream media in a few hands, and the reasons for that which are primarily around the economics of distribution. I feel that the web has changed the economics sufficiently for news to become more open, but I'd love to see a more academic treatment of the subject.
Presents Examples; Model is Too Theoretical.......2007-08-13
This book presents a "propaganda model" which is designed to predict (and has held up remarkably well) what stories will be covered by the press and what ones will go uncovered. The model is made by filters, which a story must pass through - the more filters a story collides with the less likely it'll be covered. The problem with the model is that it's nothing new - it explains what we've already known; that victims of the state get less coverage and victims of our enemies are exaggerated. But, no new insight will arise about what causes it (editors blocking the story, journalistic incompetence, etc.) and it might be naive to think anything one model can, because circumstances are highly individual.
Furthermore, the rest of the book (which is just individual analyses of overseas conflicts and how they were depicted back home) hardly addresses the model - because it can't. The only way a book could have incorporated the thesis (propaganda model) would be to investigate what at home, in the newsbereaus went wrong. Instead, the authors examine overseas situations and who the media sided with. Regardless of your views about whether Chomsky's and Herman's view of the truth about these situations is, the model seems like an excuse to write about these overseas situations.
With that being said, the book is very helpful in describing what really happened overseas, particularly Indochina and Central America. Not only will you learn a lot about what actually happened, but also about the unreported and misreported events.
Don't get the book to understand anything more about how the media operates (you'll learn nothing new). Get the book if you want another side to the presented overseas situations. This newer edition talks about the IMF and World Bank protests in 1999 and 2000, and also the Kosovo Crisis.
Best book to read if you want to understand how the media works .......2007-07-07
Manufacturing Consent
Manufacturing Consent pretty much sums up how the media works within the United States model of democracy. Far from a "conspiracy theorist" (which Chomsky is not) evaluation, the authors explain that the control of the media is systematic within a corporate-controlled framework; that is to say that, since the media is essentially run by large corporations, they wont go too far to the left, exposing the crimes of the country that allowed them to be subsequently rich. So this book is as much of a "conspiracy" analysis as an analysis of capitalism itself it, which is ludicrous, as neither are "conspiratorial" (in the sense of people who think, for example, the U.S. government faked the 1969 moon landing), but rather the expected, systematic outcome of what takes place under such a system; YOU own a newspaper - you get YOUR views across (or something close to it).
Chomsky and Herman vociferously reveal that political debate is framed within certain bounds that are mainly applicable to how far "left" you can go. For example, the question is always asked, "What are `we' going to do about Iran's nuclear program?" The question is almost never asked whether they have the right to even have a nuclear program, so there definitely won't ever be any debate within that framework. So in other words, the media makes presuppositions we're just supposed to accept, and if we don't debate within that structure, we'll be labeled "marginal" and thus our opinions shunned.
This book is far better than, say, Slander, by Ann Coulter, as she apparently fails to understand the role of the "liberal" intellectuals and reporters, which is to set the bounds on how far to the left you can go in political debate - and if you cross that line, there will be a whole list of words you'll be called, like,
-socialist
-communist
-anti-American
-terrorist sympathizer
-and a slew of other silly buzzwords, which have been completely evacuated of any substance, and utilized purposely to dismantle any further discourse.
Anton Batey
Anton_Batey@yahoo.com
A socialist idea from a socialist.......2007-06-28
Now im going to sate this right out: i dont have any negative feelings for Noam Chomsky as a person. He seems well intentioned and his work does bring out facts about american foreign policy that are interesting. My problem with most of his works are his scholarship. This book i have read more then once and it is a severe blunder in an attempt at media analysis. The basic theory behind this book is that The News corporations are beholden to the advertising companies who give them money and the the government who not only helps the news corp with "Selective" news leaks but is sinisterly connected to the corporations. Not to mention the monopoly of only a few media corporations controlling the news. Since Big business (which owns government) is controlled by elites, They mold the news to fit what they want people to hear.
This is supposed to be a free market view. Actually this is very much the view a person steeped on socialist thinking would have. The idea of elites managing a system from the top down could be nothing farther from a freemarket view. As a editor states in the documentary, this view could only come from someone who doesnt understand the way a newspaper or news show works. This book is interesting if you believe in capitalist conspiracies
Manufacturing Lies.......2007-06-05
Manufacturing Consent is poorly researched, shoddily organized and replete with attempts to mislead and deceive the unsuspecting reader. This is not hyperbole- one can find falsehoods on nearly every page.
A typical example of the book's deceit is Chomsky and Herman's analysis of "legitimizing versus meaningless" Central American elections. They attack the fairness of the 1984 Salvadoran elections on the grounds that voting was required by law and that the government defense minister Guillermo Garcia stated abstention would be treasonous. They state that a "climate of fear" which worked to "encumber free debate and free choice... was rarely even hinted at in the mass media" (Manufacturing Consent p. 108).
They also provide a footnote (n. 69, p. 359) stating: "Warren Hoge did quote Garcia, but only to suggest an open election: 'Without any lies, you can see here what it is that the people want...' ("Salvadorans Jam Polling Stations," New York Times, Mar. 29, 1982)".
There are two problems here:
1) The Warren Hoge NYT article (the actual headline is "Salvadorans Jam Polling Stations; Rebels Close Some" - the latter part curiously omitted) cited in the footnote proves just the opposite of what Chomsky and Herman claim about the US media:
a) It explicitly mentions that "[t]he left had refused to run any candidates, arguing that they would not be safe from retaliatory violence in the current atmosphere in El Salvador."
b) It explicitly quotes a woman at a polling place who said "that people had voted out of fear that officials would threaten those whose names did not appear on the voting lists."
c) It explicitly mentions that after a guerrilla attack on a polling place, "soldiers pulled residents from their homes and beat them." Other articles from the same day mention guerrilla threats to kill those who voted ("Rural Voters, Despite Fears, Hike for Miles," New York Times, Mar. 29, 1982)
And from these sources Chomsky and Herman would have the reader believe that a "climate of fear" in the Salvadoran elections was "rarely even hinted at" in the major media. Ridiculous.
2) Chomsky and Herman also do not mention Daniel Ortega giving the same treason warning as the Salvadoran defense minister to Nicaraguans in 1984: "The only ones who will not vote will be the enemies of Nicaragua, the traitors, the turncoats... and [they] will expose themselves to the fury of the people at the moment of intervention" (Robert Leiken, Why Nicaragua Vanished, p. 136), nor that this threat at a campaign rally was not cited in major press accounts (ibid. p. 135), a fact which would seem to directly contradict their propaganda model. Instead Chomsky and Herman's analysis of coercion in Nicaragua's 1984 elections descends into utter hypocrisy and absurdity: they cite a Time magazine article that says failure to vote was considered a counter-revolutionary stance, and which quotes Ortega as saying those who did not vote would be "sellouts". To this they lamely reply that Ortega's statement "was an insult but not a clear threat... not clearly a warning" (p. 124). And this rubbish is held up as penetrating analysis?
Anyone who reads this book should take the time to fact check and verify each citation, if only to see how badly they're being conned. Better yet, save your time and money and look elsewhere for scholarly and intellectually honest treatments of media bias.
Book Description
In Disinformation, a veteran investigative reporter and bestselling author Richard Miniter debunks the myths of the left (and the right) with hard evidence, high-level interviews and on-the-ground reporting in more than a dozen countries.
Customer Reviews:
How much to believe?.......2007-08-27
Miniter sets out to debunk 22 Medial Myths, and presents compelling facts for each myth. Is he correct?
I only have the expertise to evaluate his treatment of the 17th Myth: Suitcase nukes are a real threat. Miniter, like most authors, is not a nuclear physicists or engineer. He must take the representations of others as factual. Herein lies the problem. He has been trapped by using incorrect (not necessarily disinformation) to support his position. I will constrain my comments to Myth 17.
LG Alexander Lebed is referenced and ridiculed. On page 138 Miniter says, "He [Lebed] said the bombs would fit `in a 60-by-40-by-20 centimeter case' [23.6 in x 15.75 in x 7.9 in] and would be `an ideal weapon for nuclear terror. The warhead is activated by one person and easy to transport.' It would later emerge that none of these statements were true." Miniter shot himself in the foot with this statement. A small gun-type nuclear device, weighing less than 100 pounds is possible. A mock up of such a device was presented to a Congressional committee. Such devices are Special Atomic Demolition Munitions (SADMs), something Miniter acknowledges on pages 141 and 143. The U.S. SADM used an implosion warhead, not a gun-type one, which accounts for the larger size reported on page 141.
Miniter, and most other authors, suffer from a lack of understanding definitions and terms. Highly enriched uranium (HEU) is a good place to start. Weapons graded HEU is 90% or more of the isotope U-235. Reactor grade HEU is between 5% - 20% U-235. The dual definition creates problems because most authors do not specify which HEU they are writing about.
Suitcase nuke is also a vague and improper term. It is used to describe items varying is size from a briefcase to multiple trunks. Unless the KGB produced a small SADM disguised as a small suitcase, there is no such thing. There are SADMs weighing less than 100 pounds that can be carried in a knapsack. The U.S. had them, and I have no reason to doubt that the Soviet's developed them too.
Proper terminology. SADM is a man portable nuclear device with a yield of less than 1 KT (probably less than .5 KT). ADM, atomic demolition munition, is a nuclear warhead, weighing hundreds of pounds, with yields as high as several hundred KTs. ADMs could be used as mines. Their main purpose was a welcoming device for Soviet troops who had captured U.S. or NATO positions--sort of a surprise party favor.
Mr. Miniter makes my point on page 140 when he presents Rose Gottemoeller as seeing a "suitcase-sized nuclear device" that "actually required three footlockers and a team of several people to detonate." What Ms. Gottemoller saw was an ADM. She did not see a SADM, which one person can cause to detonate. Miniter continues with the assumption that because Ms. Gottemoller did not see a SADM, there were none. He concludes his argument by saying (page 148), "For now, suitcase-sized nuclear bombs remain in the realm of James Bond movies." Really? The last above ground nuclear detonation at the Nevada Test Site was a Davie Crocket nuclear warhead, the same warhead used in our SADMs.
I have no specific knowledge of Soviet SADMs, but it is reasonable to assume the early ones did not have safeties. I helped fit a prototype PAL (prescribed action link) safety device on the Davie Crocket warhead.
Miniter's worst error (page 140) is his perpetuation of another myth which begs debunking: nuclear material has to be replaced every six to nine months. Miniter refers to LG Igor Valynkin who denied [Soviet] nuclear suitcase nukes were ever produced (note he did not say SADMs), then mentions that they are technically feasible, and acknowledges that such weapons would have "a life span of only several months." At this point Miniter jumps to faulty conclusions. "Radioactive weapons require a lot of shielding," [not so] and "The half-life of the most likely materials in the infinitesimal weighs necessary to fit in a suitcase is a few months. So as a mater of physics and engineering, the nuclear suitcase is an impractical weapon. It would have to be rebuilt every few months." The half-life of pulotonium-239 is over 24,000 years. Uranium-235 is 700 million years. What LG Valynkin was referring to was the polonium-210 half of the neutron source (nuclear trigger)--a tiny gold foil packet much smaller than the blue or red sweetener found on a restaurant table. Makes one wonder what Litvinenko and his pals were doing with Po-210.
My novel, The Rings of Allah, presents a technically accurate description of how simple nuclear weapons work, and how a terrorist can plant one in a U.S. city. The Po-210 nuclear trigger is discussed on pages 58-59.
I found the rest of Miniter's book interesting. Except for Myth 17, I would have given the book four stars.
A Must Read for those regular honest folks seeking the Truth In this War Against Al-Qaeda.......2007-07-29
This book is a must for all those regular, hard working, honest people out there who need the truth (raw facts) on the war on terrorism (Al-Qaeda).
What we have here is a fine straight forward documentary on what is real, and what is a mythology or straight lies fed to us through the mass "drive by" media on the war, Osama Bin Laden, and many others things including the Iraq conflict.
I really like this author's work and have found his other books just as insightful.
WOW.......2007-02-07
Show this to your University Prof's and it'll make their heads spin! It's brilliant!
MrCajunBoy.......2006-10-25
Great book. A "must-read" for anyone surrounded by libs. I love the footnotes and research available.
Great Book! Must Read!.......2006-07-27
Nevermind the inebriated folks who can't get over the fact that Haliburton stock has climbed since 2003 because they're solely focused on one stock and blinded by their previously installed hate for anything Republican or conservative.
If they had an objective eye towards anything (let alone the stock price of Haliburton [ticker symbol: HAL]) they would never have written anything about Haliburton seeing growth in their company over the past three years. The fact is that almost EVERY company has seen enormous growth over the past three years (thanks in large part to the economic stimulus of our current administration and management of the FOMC) and the stock market has been going STRAIGHT UP since 2003! Haliburton was losing money hand over fist for the three years prior to 2003, but along with the rest of the economy and business ventures in Iraq and Afghanistan they made a turn around, but STILL are not doing any better than they were in the 1990's!
One guy said that he "would have loved to have invested some money into Haliburton in 2003", when all he had to do was invest some money into ANY company in 2003 and he would be sitting pretty! The economic growth that our country has seen in the past several years can only be rivaled by the the growth we saw in the late 90's! What about Google? They had an IPO at $80 and now they're trading upwards of $400 per share!!! Are they conspiring along with Haliburton? C'mon!
Anyone who uses the stock price of Haliburton to debunk this book clearly doesn't have an understanding of modern economic movements and they clearly don't understand how ALL oil companies have seen growth year after year for the past decade!
This is a must read for anyone who wants a different point of view other than what nearly ALL of the media outlets are spewing these days. You will at least have something to debate in your mind instead of listening to the mind numbing crud that comes from Anderson Cooper or Wolf Blitzer's pie hole!
Book Description
""A solid... insightful explanation of how the Internet has armed the consumer—which is to say, everyone—against the mindless blather of corporate messaging attempts. Drop everything and read this book.""—The Wall Street Journal
The woman next to you in the coffee shop, typing madly on her laptop, just might be determining the ending to next year's block-buster film or how quickly the hottest new PDAT hits store shelves. In homes, dorm rooms, waiting rooms, planes and trains around the world, millions of people are exercising enormous influence on what we buy, even though they have no official connection to those products and services.
Who are they? What motivates them? Marketing experts Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba explore the ramifications of social media in Citizen Marketers. As everyday people increasingly create content on behalf of companies, brands or products, they are collaborating with others just like themselves and forming ever-growing communities of enhusiasts and evangelists. From the rough to the sophisticated, the ""user-generated media"" of blogs, online bulletin boards, podcasts, photos, songs, and animations are influencing companies' customer relationships, product design, and marketing campaigns, whether they participate willingly or not.
Citizen Marketers is the first book to document this phenomenon, examining some of the early winners and losers in this new genre, as well as some of its most noted constituents. With their exceptional knowledge of brands, products, companies and industries, the citizen marketers are democratizing traditional notions of communication and marketing, even entire business models.
Features:
Research on social mediaCase studies of people and organizations fueling the growth of citizen marketingClarifies the context and importance of technological and societal shifts that are changing the nature of customer expectations and relationships
Customer Reviews:
A field guide to the new social media phenomenon.......2007-10-04
Much like the cyberculture events that Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba cherish, their book is fun, jazzy and almost habit-forming. They spin tale after tale of individuals and communities that are doing new and exciting things online, demonstrating just how much the emerging "social media" movement has changed the media landscape. Although fan sites devoted to particular cars or fictional universes are similar to older media phenomena such as fan magazines, spontaneously arising mass movements dedicated to saving discontinued soft drinks or spreading song parodies are unpredictable and unprecedented. The authors do a great job of sketching the outlines of the new movement. However, in part because the movement is still emerging, and in part because of their genuine enthusiasm for its activities, their analyses aren't as strong as their descriptions. This is especially true of their discussion of the forces driving social media, which are apparently all positive. With that caveat, we recommend this book to old-media communicators who want to understand the latest cyberculture developments and apply them to their own businesses.
average.......2007-09-28
the book is OK. i did not learn too many things, because majority of this book is filled with examples.
Another introduction.......2007-09-03
Another introduction to utilizing your existing fanbase to help with your marketing. I'm just not sure how this one stands out from the rest.
A Wakeup Call for Old School Marketers.......2007-04-03
I love business books with real world stories to back up the concepts. This book is full of stories that demonstrate how one person can make a big difference (good or bad) in the fortunes of a company, using the Internet as a conduit to tell their story.
Once you start, this book is hard to put down. Read it.
A must have for any marketing executives or small business owners!.......2007-03-19
Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba share great examples of how companies and individuals are building great customer focused marketing initiatives. In the new world of marketing, word of mouth is essential to your business success. Citizen Marketers offers hundreds of ideas and examples of effective ways to build community among your customers to deliver results. This book inspired me to try new things and find better ways to involve customers in our business.
Books:
- Developing Quality Technical Information: A Handbook for Writers and Editors (2nd Edition) (IBM Press Series--Information Management)
- Doctor Strange: Beginnings and Endings (New Avengers)
- Doing Business in the New Latin America: A Guide to Cultures, Practices, and Opportunities
- Doing Business Internationally, Second Edition: The Guide To Cross-Cultural Success
- Effective Group Discussion: Theory and Practice
- Effective Phrases for Performance Appraisals: A Guide to Successful Evaluations
- Effective Phrases for Performance Appraisals: A Guide to Successful Evaluations
- Essential SNMP, Second Edition
- Essentials of Business Communication
- Evaluating Practice: Guidelines for the Accountable Professional (5th Edition)
Books Index
Books Home
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- Leverage of Sea Power
- Challenges to Research Universities
- Century 21 Accounting: General Journal
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- Lost Girls
- Introduction to Law for Paralegals: A Critical Thinking Approach
- 2003-2004 Pia Ratios All Printers by Sales Volume and Geographic Areas
- Econometric Modelling of World Shipping
- Computer Assisted Vegetation Analysis
The Mr. & Mrs. Happy Handbook: Everything I Know About Love and Marriage (with corrections by Mrs. Doocy)
Godless: The Church of Liberalism
State of Emergency: The Third World Invasion and Conquest of America
Rediscovering God in America: Reflections on the Role of Faith in Our Nation's History
Who's Looking Out for You?
