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LIBRARY OF CONTEMPORARY THOUGHT
"When screaming headlines turn out to be based on stories that don't support them, the tale of the boy who cried wolf gets new life. When the newspaper is filled with stupid features about celebrities at the expense of hard news, the reader feels patronized. In the process, the critical relationship of reader to newspaper is slowly undermined."
--from NEWS IS A VERB

NEWS IS A VERB
Journalism at the End of the Twentieth Century

"With the usual honorable exceptions, newspapers are getting dumber. They are increasingly filled with sensation, rumor, press-agent flackery, and bloated trivialities at the expense of significant facts. The Lewinsky affair was just a magnified version of what has been going on for some time. Newspapers emphasize drama and conflict at the expense of analysis. They cover celebrities as if reporters were a bunch of waifs with their noses pressed enviously to the windows of the rich and famous. They are parochial, square, enslaved to the conventional pieties. The worst are becoming brainless printed junk food. All across the country, in large cities and small, even the better newspapers are predictable and boring. I once heard a movie director say of a certain screenwriter: 'He aspired to mediocrity, and he succeeded.' Many newspapers are succeeding in the same way."                        Amazon.com Review
Pete Hamill's fed up with the decline in quality of America's newspapers,and he's got a solution. News Is a Verb calls upon editors to focus on accuracy, leavingthe "instant" reportage to TV shows. He also stresses the need for local papers to pay attention to the issues that affect their communities, as well as the importance of reaching out to women readers and the new wave of immigrants looking for ways to assimilate American culture.

As a lifelong newspaperman, Hamill is dedicated to the idea that ifsomething didn't happen, it isn't news. Artificial celebrities such asDonald Trump should not be given valuable column inches simply because theyexist; likewise, important figures such as Bill Clinton should not be reducedto gossip fodder. Unsubstantiated rumors, he makes plain, are notnewsworthy. Anybody who cares about the state of contemporary journalismwill find much to appreciate in Pete Hamill's straightforwardappraisal. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Good sense
The problems Hamill identifies in newspapers coexist in magazine journalism, where I worked for most of a 25-year career.

For starters, the corporation has overtaken the newsroom. Along with downsizing, cost cutting and concerns for shareholder value, come certain malaise. Hamill disparages today's "tabloid" journalists, but his complaint covers the entire news corps just as well. I learned recently that one major news magazine now determines whether or not to report a story based on its research costs per page of the expected count. Since the best stories always cost most to produce, this system ensures that the best stories will not be written.

Good old tabloid reporters, he avows, would be appalled at the slovenly way the word "tabloid" is thrown around and at most current practices--what I call "state-of-the-art." Old-timers didn't pay streetwalkers for stories, he notes, or "sniff around the private lives of politicians like agents from the vice squad." On breaking news, they did not "behave like a writhing, snarling, mindless centipede, all legs and Leicas," but rather "found ways to get the story without behaving like thugs or louts."

Old-timers also believed what too many newspaper reporters and publishers have forgotten--that they should act as ombudsmen for the public (my term). They have instead traded that role for consumerism, denying fundamental responsibilities to instead give readers entertainment, "what publishers, in their omniscience, think those readers want."

Without healthy newspapers, Hamill understands, no democracy can function and evolve. He reminds us that 65 reporters died in Indochina to bring us the truth, that reporters have continued to die in wars ever since--in Lebanon, Nicaragua, Bosnia and Peru--"and a lot of other places where hard rain falls." The total is now higher--of course, including 8 reporters in Afghanistan, and Daniel Pearl, murdered in Pakistan because he was Jewish.

But Internet and television relentlessly pull readers away. From 1970 through 1990, U.S. newspaper circulation remained roughly static at 60 million.

One result is a decline in quality of which the reporters, editors and publishers are all too aware. Another is that newspapers start to lose money and die. A third is the promotion of self, celebrity journalism. Newspapers today peddle "the same obsession with big names" as everyone else. I couldn't agree more. Witness the celebrity television and movie stars hired as news anchors by CNN.

Finally comes the loss of reportorial humility. Hamill writes that few reporters are today like David Remnick of the New Yorker, remaining properly humble. Those rare souls "are uninterested in working as hangmen," because their sense of proportion prohibits it. They know they cannot reach as deeply into the secret places of the heart as great fiction. "People lie to themselves as well as others," Hamill writes. "The journalist is always a prisoner of what he or she is told. The truth is always elusive." Without humility, reporters actually believe they can hit the ever-illusive bull's eye.

But the largest casualty is the deflation of journalism's key currency--truth itself. It is defeated by conditions best described in George Orwell's fiction, conditions that have become reality. To reporters today, murderers are not killers, but activists, and terrorism is a cause celebre.

Hamill correctly savages newspapers and their current culture. "Trust is the heart of the matter," he writes.

Too bad more editors and reporters don't trust the mass of readers with the good sense to tell them that they have the most critical story wrong. They trip themselves up on old-fashioned hubris. Alyssa A. Lappen

All news is local
Pete Hamill is one of the last and finest of old-time journalists, a master of his craft who genuinely believed in the old adage that anewspaper's prime job was to "comfort the afflicted, afflict thecomfortable."

Today, the opposite is true.With the exception of afew papers, and no television stations, news is based on the idea "comfortthe comfortable advertisers, afflict the welfare victims of society."It'scalled "press release journalism" and reflects the basic reason for thedecline of many modern papers, the timidity and fear of editors who limitnews coverage to people and events about which press releases are offered. Years ago, I worked beside a reporter who had a big "No guts, no glory"sign above his desk;it took awhile to realize the emphasis of the paperhe worked for was "no guts" because any original work might upset powerfulfriends of the publisher.Readers know "a flawed watchdog is better thanno dog at all;"but editors have muzzled the watchdog for fear someonewill object to its bark.

I've been an editor at various times from1968 through 1996;on every occasion the paper gained circulation.Hamilltalks about quality, which he doesn't define except to say "it is goodstuff."My approach was to emphasize local news and provide commentarywith a sharp edge--scorched earth journalism, one fan called it -- recognizing that we couldn't obtain the kind of quality Hamill stresses.

The secret of good commentary isn't excellence;it's readers who know theyhave the complete freedom to respond.In many cases, I gave them aprominence equal to my commentary.No one ever agreed with me all of thetime, but everyone knew they had a right to reply and their response wouldnot be trivialized.It's the most important element in establishing trust,the willingness to respect readers. Hamill is wonderful atanalyzing the past;this is a man who loves newspapers, and is a superbobserver of the human condition.His book "Why Sinatra Matters" is aslender classic that offers more insight and understanding of Sinatra andAmerica than any of the mighty and lengthy biographies.He brings the sameexpertise and passion in his analysis of newspaper failures.This bookoffers dozens of examples of why papers are dull, dull, dull.

Anyonewho's disappointed in the quality of newspapers can sympathize with thefaults Hamill outlines.For example, a recent local report of a major firewith damage in the millions of dollars failed to mention the name of thecompany or their product--but, it had extensive interviews ofbystanders who came to watch the fire.It's what passes for news; bystanders who think the flames were very impressive.In the modernnewsroom, it's called ". . . the human touch."

Give me a break. Tell me about the fire, and I'll add my own human touch.I don't need anewspaper telling me that bystanders are impressed by big flames.Give melocal news and the right to talk back.That's precisely what Amazon.comdoes with reader reviews of books--it gives ordinary people anuncensored forum.It's why Amazon.com is a success;and the oppositeattitude is why newspapers are either static or declining.

Hamillpoints out, "Newspapers emphasize drama and conflict at the expense ofanalysis."He's two thirds correct;people want facts, not conflict anddrama.But, they want facts, not analysis which used to be rare andclearly identified.Readers are smart enough to make up their own minds,provided they get accurate information.What are facts?Briefly, the oldreliable "Who, What, Where, When and How."

This is a superb book foranalyzing the faults of modern newspapers;but, it falls short on offeringsolutions.Hamill thinks the fault is centered on absentee owners whodon't understand the newsroom;my experience says it is based on "pressrelease" journalism which changed the "watchdog of the community" into atame "little bark and no bite" puppy.

A great essay
I picked up the book partly because I admire Hamill's writing and partly because I had just been griping about our local newspaper.The book was great.It articulated many of my own criticisms about the press -- theadoration of celebrity, the lack of accuracy, the re-hashing of somebody'spress release.

Hamill is a great writer.He conveys his thoughts in astimulating yet simple, straightforward manner.He has the talent to"tell it to the Sweeneys" without sacrificing depth.

Hereverently tells about the great history of newspapers.Sometimes, thisdips to a form of romanticism which detracts from his message.He is bestwhen he sets forth goals for the industry and avoids the rosy-dreamcontext.

I was a bit disappointed that Hamill omitted commenting uponthe decline in grammar and spelling in the newspapers.[I found atypographical error in the text.]

The book is a must for newspaper folksand all of us shake our heads over the morning edition.

The way it ought to be
This book describes the way newspaper journalism ought to be, as seen from the eyes of an excellent newspaper journalist. It's also a glimpse of theway things were just a few decades ago, when newspaper journalism was stilla vital part of life in the town and cities of the United States. Hamill isan eloquent and emotional voice for better newspaper journalism. He isalso, sadly, a voice from the past, for the past.

The core content ofthe book is a set of well-thought out solutions, recommendations intendedto pull the papers back out of the swamp. Hamill is remarkably optimistic,in fact, about what might solve the problems he so convincingly describes.

My main question, after reading the book and watching the generaldecline it describes, is whether Hamill's solutions are realistic. Heblames publishers for the dumbing of the American newspaper, not thereaders, and that worries me. If newspapers achieved the Hamill ideal,would they win readers?

Essential reading
This book reminds me why I want to be a journalist. I have read and re-read News Is a Verb and each time it never fails to excite and inspire me. Mr. Hamill's notions of the purpose of a newspaper and ideas about howto effectively cover a city are inspirational. In addition, News Is a Verbhas greatly improved my impression of tabloid papers -- a genre which Ipreviously scorned, and was sometimes wrong to do so. My only criticism ofMr. Hamill is that he does occasionally appear bitter over the severalmisfortunes of his career, despite his disclaimer to the contrary. Inparticular, his personal attack on Donald Trump, though perhapsunderstandable, is a little over-exuberant. He loses a little credibilityhere, I think. His distrust of newspaper publishers is probablywell-founded. That one caveat aside, this is a fabulous book and deservesattention from anyone interested in the field of journalism. ... Read more

Product Description
The first volume of this two-volume work.Volumes available individually or as a set. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Appreciate History
To the last reviewer of this book, I only want to add that the original book was published in 1873! That's why it might look a bit "old" since this is a facsimile edition of the original.

Fredric Hudson was editor of the New York Herald for more than 30 years and uses a lot of the material that he could consider contemporary. He quotes letters between his boss, James Gordon Bennett, and several party members to illustrate how Bennett was driven to seek an income from sources outside of party funding. The birth of the penny press gets a lot of attention here, but also anti-slavery newspapers, women's newspapers and individual regions are covered by him.

I consider the book as a historical resource in itself since it is very detailed and also humorous in tone.

Taste the Sparkle of Historical Journalism
If you want to dive into the past, taste the sparkle of historical journalism, and devour stacks of hard news as it occurred hundreds of years ago, Frederic Hudson�s Journalism in America is the book for you.In two volumes and 789 pages, Hudson serves six heaping tablespoons from six eras of journalism history and attempts to deliver a comprehensive and connected report.Journalism in America is hard on the eyes, but easy on the mind.Although published in 2000, Hudson�s book looks ancient.He adorns his text with live examples of historical articles as they appeared in actual newspapers including the original fonts and spellings.While other authors rush through history leaving you with time to grasp a few dates and events, Hudson takes you into the minds, hearts and living rooms of the people who made journalism history and studies them one step and one person at a time.

Overall the book goes beyond strict reporting of facts and offers a great deal of insight into the thoughts and feelings that characterized the period and its history makers.Hudson�s approach is informal, for example, he dumps his sources in one huge pile early-on in the book, leaving the reader to discover for themselves what references go with what text.He offers only an index.While Hudson does an excellent job of being comprehensive and connecting events, I would consider his work a draft rather than a final product, since he obviously left a lot undone.

Hudson does seem to be favorably biased toward the press throughout the book leaving you with the feeling that the press is a beloved grandchilde who�can do no wrong.�Whether it�s a cat fight or legal fight, Hudson seems to see each historical action of the press as a necessary step in a magnificent history.Hindsight, they say, is twenty twenty.But I would add, that even there, you have the near-sighted. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Too Brief
Whilst this book was well written and interesting it was very short, only 128 pages.It only touched briefly on the main topics of her life, I was left wanting to know more.Very expensive for such a short book, wouldn't have spent $28 had I been aware of this.

Mini bio of Oprah
Pictures were great, easy reading, but not quit what was expected for price paid. Not store's problem. Their processing was great & quick.

Inspiring Oprah
Oprah Winfrey's inspiring life is detailed in this volume from the African-American Biography Library by Enslow.This book contains information many biographies written for young people about Oprah do not. Many photos and quotes accompany.Includes Chronology, Chapter Notes, and Internet Addresses.

This is One of The Best!
I've read a lot of books about Oprah, but this one stands out. It has new material that I'd never read before despite the plethora of biographic stuff I own on this amazing woman. Many of the photographs are new to me. I'm putting Westen's book at the head of my collection. It will be a while before any others come out that can compete. I recommend it highly. Before it goes out of print -- grab it.

This is the BEST book on Oprah ever
I am a big Oprah fan. I started watching her with my mother when I was just a child. So when my teacher said I could read this book for school I did it right away. It's so good. I learned so much about Oprah and now I love her even more. Every kid and grown up should read this book if they are interested in Oprah Winfrey. There were so many great pictires I never saw before also. Read this book and you will get all the REAL information you want to know about Oprah.I want to thank the author for writing this book. It is one of the best I've ever read. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from St. Louis Journalism Review, published by SJR St. Louis Journalism Review on May 1, 2009. The length of the article is 381 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Preserving broadcasting history.(off the record)(Library of American Broadcasting)
Author: Frank Absher
Publication: St. Louis Journalism Review (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 2009
Publisher: SJR St. Louis Journalism Review
Volume: 39Issue: 313Page: 5(1)

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

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Discusses the importance of computers in modern society, the variety of jobs available in the computer industry, and the education and training needed for them. ... Read more

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Careers in Journalism details the responsibilities, education and training required, and employment outlooks for the journalism field.

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This is a guide to sources of information that will assist journalists and other enquirers on where to seek information. It discusses where information is found, from libraries to electronic services, giving advice on how to carry out investigations. Less publicised, and often little known sources including data banks and specialist banks are also examined. ... Read more

Product Description
Gilreath, James, and Douglas L. Wilson, Editors.
Thomas Jefferson's Library: A Catalog with the Entries in His Own Order.
Washington: Library of Congress. 1989. [10], 149 pp. Reprint available April 2008 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. ISBN-13: 978-1-5-8447-824-0. ISBN-10: 1-58477-824-5. Cloth. $75.

* Sold to the Library of Congress in 1815 to replace volumes burned by the British during their occupation of Washington, Jefferson's library, comprising 6,700, volumes was one of the finest in the United States. The taxonomically arranged catalogue that accompanied these books was a remarkable work, one that offered great insight into the broad and systematic nature of Jefferson's mind. Unfortunately, it was lost. Using Jefferson's notes and the first edition of the Library of Congress catalogue, Gilreath and Wilson recreated Jefferson's original compilation. It contains an extensive collection of legal books arranged under the general heading "Philosophy." Beginning with the broad designations of "Ethics," "Moral Philosophy," "Law of Nature and Nations" and "Religion" Jefferson proceeds to such topics as "Common Law," "Maritime Law and "Foreign Law." It is valuable both for its insights into Jefferson's legal mind and as a guide to the titles one would want to include in a first-class American law library of the period. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from The Australian Library Journal, published by Australian Library and Information Association on February 1, 2005. The length of the article is 8191 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Burning towers and ashen learning: September 11 and the changes to critical literacy.
Author: Tara Brabazon
Publication: The Australian Library Journal (Refereed)
Date: February 1, 2005
Publisher: Australian Library and Information Association
Volume: 54Issue: 1Page: 6(17)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from St. Louis Journalism Review, published by SJR St. Louis Journalism Review on April 1, 1997. The length of the article is 1012 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: St. Louis, MO, has a number of new journalism archives. The media archives at the St. Louis Public Library have front pages of newspapers with issues dating back to 1806, public relations campaigns, radio and TV scripts, photographs and advertising records. Files at the library of the University of Missouri-St. Louis contain KETC records, papers of Irving Dillard, Virginia Irwin, Ernest Calloway, Paul Greer and George McCue, as well as copies of the Lesbian and Gay News Telegraph. There are also microfilms of all the letters and writings of the Post editor and publisher Joseph Pulitzer II. However, the USML files can only be seen by appointment.

Citation Details
Title: Several new media archives now open.
Author: Selwyn Pepper
Publication: St. Louis Journalism Review (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 1, 1997
Publisher: SJR St. Louis Journalism Review
Volume: v27Issue: n195Page: p8(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
High school journalists share the same objectives as professional reporters--finding the story, writing the story, and packaging the story so that it appeals to an audience. Understanding how to best accomplish these objectives is key to the student on the newspaper, yearbook or Web site staff, but the fundamental art of storytelling and story presentation are not always at the center of high school journalism classes. Student journalists must first understand that storytelling, at its most basic level, is about people, and that understanding the audience is essential in deciding how to present the story.

This handbook for high school journalists and teachers offers practical tips for all elements of school journalism. The author covers the essential components that students must understand: information gathering, writing, standard and alternative coverage and packaging. Students will find valuable information about identifying news, interviewing, research, narrative writing style, editing, visual presentation and layout. The book also covers the legal rights of student journalists, objective vs. opinion writing, staff planning and organization and Web-based journalism. Each chapter includes study guides for practical applications of the concepts discussed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

For Very Young Students
I am beginning a stint as a high school newspaper adviser and purchased several of the titles on the market. This book seems geared to junior high or elementary school students; I think older kids would find the explanations and language condescending and simplistic. A chapter on interviewing begins with a storyabout how the author's college friend got all the girls because he was a good listener. According to this text, good stories are like pepperonis on a pizza. A discussion of "What is news?" begins with a page on who likes broccoli and who doesn't. These explanatory analogies get tiresome immediately. There is nothing per se wrong about the information presented, but the pitch underestimates the intelligence of high school students. ... Read more

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Includes a brief history of American journalism and discusses the duties of a journalist, styles of writing, the parts of a newspaper, newspaper and yearbook design, photography, and careers in journalism. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

You can't go wrong for ONE CENT!
Convers all basics of high school journalism, many good examples. Not current with latest technology, but a very usable text. I'm considering ordering a class set, if the shipping cost isn't too high.

High School Journalism
The book, High School Journalism, by Homer L. Hall was something I picked up off the library shelf thinking "Well, who knows, maybe there'll be a good idea or two in here."I, myself am a high school journalistand after looking through this book, I have many new ideas for mystaff.

The Brief History of American Journalism is interesting andconcise, but also a little overwhelming because the entire span ofjournalism is fit into ten pages.The Style and Editing chapter points outsuch common mistakes that sometimes, even good copy editors miss them.TheStylebook, is full of all the information any editor should know.Thefollowing chapters give tips on how to write different types of articles,i.e. news, sports, etc.This book is aimed to help both newspaper andyearbook staffs and it does so quite well.

My only qualm with this bookwas the exercises following each chapter.Perhaps this book was meant as atext book to be used in class, but they seemed to me to be frivolous,especially in the large numbers of them.

Overall, I will use this book toraise the level at which my staff produces our paper, and I believe itcould be very helpful to anyone. ... Read more

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This critically annotated guide to reference literature of print and broadcast journalism features more than 800 descriptive and evaluative annotations. Nearly 90% of the entries are new or substantially revised, and there is a new chapter on commercial databases and Internet sources. ... Read more

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Few features of contemporary American culture are as widely lamented as the public's obsession with celebrity--and the trivializing effect this obsession has on what appears as news. Nevertheless, America's "culture of celebrity" remains misunderstood, particularly when critics discuss its historical roots.

In this pathbreaking book, Charles Ponce de Leon provides a new interpretation of the emergence of celebrity. Focusing on the development of human-interest journalism about prominent public figures, he illuminates the ways in which new forms of press coverage gradually undermined the belief that famous people were "great," instead encouraging the public to regard them as complex, interesting, even flawed individuals and offering readers seemingly intimate glimpses of the "real" selves that were presumed to lie behind the calculated, self-promotional fronts that celebrities displayed in public. But human-interest journalism about celebrities did more than simply offer celebrities a new means of gaining publicity or provide readers with "inside dope," says Ponce de Leon. In chapters devoted to celebrities from the realms of business, politics, entertainment, and sports, he shows how authors of celebrity journalism used their writings to weigh in on subjects as wide-ranging as social class, race relations, gender roles, democracy, political reform, self-expression, material success, competition, and the work ethic, offering the public a new lens through which to view these issues. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Simply stunning!
This is a brilliant book on a subject that we often dismiss as trivial.Remarkably, as you read Ponce de Leon's history of the evolution of celebrity journalism, you realize that most of the strategies the celeb followers and creators employed 100 years ago are still being used today in People, Sports Illustrated and similar magazines.Equally fascinating is the way more astute (or malleable?) celebrities learned to adapt to the culture of celebrity and present themselves in a certain manner so as to fit the necessary mold.(Witness the way Katherine Hepburn posed as an everyday woman with the same concerns as any other homemaker during the 1930's -- the truth was probably very different.)Mr. Ponce de Leon's first book is an engaging and penetrating critique into the ways in which celebrities are presented -- and present themselves -- and how the entire notion of celebrity is manipulated in ways that are designed to reaffirm middle class mores. ... Read more

Product Description
The second volume of this two-volume work.Volumes available individually or as a set. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

One of the Best books to have in your Library
It has 772 pages and is written by Frank Luther Mott, published by Macmillan Company in 1941. 1941 is on the title page and on the copyright page. The front picture is of Benjamin Frnaklin at the time he retired from the active management of the Pennsylvania Gazette. There are black and white photos included and the end papers show The headings of many different Newspapers. Some of the contents include; First newspapers in New England, Earlly Journalism in the Middle and Southern colonies, The press in the American Revolution, Federalist and Republicans,The village Weekly,; the south and the west. Sunrise, The Penny Press,Founding the Tribune and the Times ... Read more

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Explains how to interpret the tables and graphs of stock price information and other financial news in newspaper business pages. ... Read more