Donald Rumsfeld’s press, then and now

On Tuesday, Donald Rumsfeld—who, as defense secretary under George W. Bush, was a driving force behind the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq—died. Major outlets wheeled out pre-written obituaries. The AP’s, by Robert Burns, bordered on hagiography. Its headline initially declared Rumsfeld “a cunning leader undermined by Iraq war”; that language was later changed to “cunning leader who oversaw a ruinous Iraq war,” but the opening paragraph still says that “try as he might,” Rumsfeld “could not outmaneuver the ruinous politics of the Iraq war,” as if he had been forced to play chess against a supercomputer. The Iraqi death toll from the war is not noted; the American death toll is—but not before Rumsfeld’s charitable work on behalf of veterans, his “accomplished” college wrestling career, and colleagues’ recollections of his smarts and patriotism. The first words of the article’s URL are “Chicago Bears,” a reference to the football team Rumsfeld supported as a kid. Because the AP is a wire service, the obituary was republished widely. Other prominent efforts were better, but did not adequately foreground the human cost of Rumsfeld’s military aggression: The New York Times addressed Iraq only after mentioning the records he broke as defense secretary (he was the youngest person in that post, under Gerald Ford, then the oldest, under Bush) and his reputation as a “combative infighter” who challenged “military orthodoxies.” The Washington Post described him as “controversial,” but... Continue reading at 'Columbia Journalism Review'

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2021-07-02 12:32:38 UTC ]

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Last minute Father’s Day gifts for 7 different kinds of book-loving dads

Books are a go-to gift for Father's Day, but if you rely on chain bookstore displays, you'll probably find a lot of the same things: cookbooks with recipes for grilling obscenely large hunks of meat, ghostwritten memoirs by pro athletes, and techno-thrillers featuring very long descriptions... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-06-11 17:30:00 UTC ]
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Former NBA star Dwyane Wade to publish a memoir this fall

Newly retired NBA star Dwyane Wade will tell the story of his life and celebrated basketball career in a new memoir. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-06-05 17:29:40 UTC ]
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Review: Colin Dayan's 'In the Belly of Her Ghost' exorcises memories of mother after she's gone

Colin Dayan's brief but explosive memoir of her relationship to her mother should find a place among the more indelible life histories of the last several years. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-06-05 16:00:01 UTC ]
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Czech Newspaper Launches Crowdfunded Effort in Book Publishing

The Miami-based Czech news correspondent Jana Ciglerová is the author of the first book to be released in October by the newly established Edice N in Prague. The post Czech Newspaper Launches Crowdfunded Effort in Book Publishing appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-05-31 05:30:45 UTC ]
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Rob Zabrecky's memoir 'Strange Cures' is an ode to a forgotten L.A.

In musician and magician Rob Zabrecky's new memoir, "Strange Cures," the Los Angeles of the 1980s and early '90s is an alien landscape of raucous underground nightclubs, seedy Hollywood crack dens and low-rent Silver Lake duplexes; and the Valley is a place where errant teens roam free, sans... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-05-30 18:01:20 UTC ]
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Debbie Harry of Blondie to release her first memoir

Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry will tell the story of her career as a musician and actress in a new memoir set for release this fall. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-05-30 16:44:35 UTC ]
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Jonas Brothers announce a memoir for fall release

Pop sensations the Jonas Brothers will tell the story of their lives in the music world in a new memoir. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-05-29 17:59:56 UTC ]
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What We're Reading – April 2019

Her Body and Other Parties, by Carmen Maria Machado I've absolutely loved this collection of short stories, which floats between the weird and the queer, passing horror, black comedy and feminism along the way. Doubles and others are especially important: a wife enters her wife’s dream when they... Continue reading at British Council global

[ British Council global | 2019-04-11 08:49:28 UTC ]
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The book industry isn't dead. That's just an excuse to keep salaries low

Poor working conditions for book editors are ingrained. It’s time for that to change – no matter how much we love our jobsBook editors love their jobs, perhaps more than the average worker. We work diligently with motivated and inspiring peers on projects we are proud of. You may not realise... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Art Connects Us: Sarah Odedina

As a recipient of the Arts Connects Us Grant I travelled to Ghana and Sierra Leone to meet with writers and publishing professionals working in the field of books for young readers to foster creative and collaborative exchanges between those contacts and publishing professionals and readers in... Continue reading at British Council global

[ British Council global | 2019-03-19 11:10:28 UTC ]
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How we can enable different voices to emerge in book publishing?

The professor and author discusses his research into the publishing industry’s recent attempts to improve diversity. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Despite Selling Millions of Books, Novelist Nick Hornby Still Can’t Tell if He’s Good Enough

With Fever Pitch, About a Boy, and High Fidelity, Nick Hornby created a niche penning romantic comedies from the male perspective and launching the crush-worthy careers of Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, and John Cusack on both sides of the pond. Then he went on to prove that he can deftly embody a... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2019-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Diana Athill obituary

Remarkable editor at André Deutsch who later in life found success as a frank and clear-sighted memoiristDiana Athill, who has died aged 101, was one of book publishing’s most remarkable editors, but in the latter part of her life it was her own writing that brought her much-enjoyed literary... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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RightsTech Europe: A New Summit for Publishing and ‘Related Sectors’

On April 9-10 in Frankfurt, the new RightsTech Europe conference will explore rights management and monetization in book publishing and media industries. The post RightsTech Europe: A New Summit for Publishing and ‘Related Sectors’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-01-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Blockchain in Publishing: Modeling the Future at Canada’s Access Copyright

In Canada, Access Copyright is working on developing blockchain solutions for book publishing, including smart contracts and an attribution ledger. The post Blockchain in Publishing: Modeling the Future at Canada’s Access Copyright appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Why Books Matter for the Long Run

Book publishing is a business and increasingly a technical one, but at its heart it is an art, writes Peter J. Dougherty from Princeton University Press in this opinion piece. Continue reading at Knowledge@Wharton

[ Knowledge@Wharton | 2018-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A Public Space Branches Into Book Publishing

The literary magazine, founded in 2006 by former 'Paris Review' editor Brigid Hughes, is launching a book publishing imprint. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BISG Explores Promise, Reality of Blockchain Technology

BISG organized a panel about blockchain and its application to book publishing that examined its potential and the reality of a much-hyped but barely understood technological innovation. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-11-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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F+W Creates Standalone Book Group

F+W Media has established a new standalone book group, naming Heidi Sachner as its chief. Sachner, in her new role, will be responsible for all book publishing in F+W's various communities. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-11-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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