Merchants of Truth by Jill Abramson review – journalism’s troubles

A former editor of the New York Times takes an unsparing look at the decline of US journalismThis book about the commercial takeover of the news business is sure to make a lot of powerful people very angry. Jill Abramson takes an unsparing look at US journalism’s moral decline; as former executive editor of the New York Times, she is someone who knows where most of the bodies are buried and is prepared to draw the reader a detailed map. Names are named, mistakes are exposed, and the writing is unforgiving and unadorned, as befits a woman with “balls like iron cantaloupes”, as one veteran journalist tells her. It is a cracking read, and a complicated one, flawed in many places yet absorbing in its frank desire to hold journalism to account for becoming overly willing to sell out to advertisers and thereby endangering its own future.Abramson compares four media organisations: the New York Times; its longtime rival the Washington Post; BuzzFeed; and Vice. These last two digital media companies, born of early viral content and gonzo reporting, are often the madcap foils to the gravitas of the Times and Post – though by the end it’s clear that all four are closer to each other than they may think. In fact, both the digital and traditional publications have shown great adaptability; BuzzFeed and Vice have unquestionably succeeded, in a short time, in producing compelling journalism, even in Abramson’s telling. As well as a Pulitzer nomination, both have won highly respected... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2019-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #media organisations #longtime rival

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The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s Group Emphasize First-Party Data to Advertisers

In an especially challenging year for print media advertising, The Wall Street Journal and Barron's Group executives spent their NewFronts presentation (virtually) touting their first-party data on consumers, especially the new paying readers who signed up during the pandemic. "There's a lot... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2020-06-24 18:42:54 UTC ]
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Review: A wicked debut novel about a levitation cult occasionally lifts off

Emily Temple's "The Lightness," about a seeker who loses more than she finds, is a beguiling novel after Donna Tartt's heart, if not her plotting. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-06-24 13:45:57 UTC ]
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John Bolton's bad reviews don't stop him topping US book charts

The Room Where It Happened, due out later this month if attempts to block publication fail, has received stinging early notices but is already Amazon’s No 1John Bolton’s damning indictment of the Trump presidency is topping bestseller charts in the US a week before its release, despite withering... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-06-18 11:54:13 UTC ]
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The elusive truths of Melania Trump

In “The Art of Her Deal,” Mary Jordan portrays the first lady as an avid creator of her own history. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-06-14 14:36:01 UTC ]
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Facing the ‘Hard Truth’: An Indie Reading List

Here at BookLife, we’ve compiled our own list of titles from self-published authors that address systemic racism and police brutality; explore African American history; or that otherwise reflect the diverse lived experiences of black individuals in America. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-06-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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News Corp Carnage: Fine Print Reveals Even Greater Hit to Local Journalism

Of the 112 printed newspapers shut down by News Corp this week, 76 will survive as digital-only publications but the Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2020-05-29 21:38:27 UTC ]
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News Corp carnage: fine print reveals even greater hit to local journalism | The Weekly Beast

Suburban and regional papers won’t have standalone websites. Plus: ABC reposts tweet after backlashOf the 112 printed newspapers shut down by News Corp this week, 76 will survive as digital-only publications but the devil is in the detail.The suburban and regional papers – such as the Inner West... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-05-29 01:07:11 UTC ]
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“We Were Created for a Moment Like This.” How Harvard Business Review Is Forging Ahead During a Pandemic

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[ Folio Magazine | 2020-05-21 17:12:01 UTC ]
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Darran Anderson’s granular memoir of the Troubles

“We are only sheltered from tragedy”, he writes in “Inventory”, “by the thin ice that we call time.” Continue reading at The Economist

[ The Economist | 2020-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Darran Anderson’s granular memoir of the Troubles

“We are only sheltered from tragedy”, he writes in “Inventory”, “by the thin ice that we call time.” Continue reading at The Economist

[ The Economist | 2020-05-07 14:55:41 UTC ]
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News Corp Appoints Almar Latour as CEO of Dow Jones, Publisher of The Wall Street Journal

News Corp announced today the appointment of Almar Latour as the new Chief Executive Officer of Dow Jones and Publisher Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2020-05-05 16:57:28 UTC ]
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Bertrams confirms its future is under strategic review

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[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-02 22:55:42 UTC ]
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Rethinking Freud: Spotlight on Jill Hannum and Ines Rieder

An English translation of the biography of one of Freud’s most mysterious patients gives readers an opportunity to reconsider the only essay on female homosexuality by the founder of psychoanalysis. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Protocol layoffs raise some troubling questions

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[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2020-04-23 11:45:31 UTC ]
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‘It would be all right’: Novelist Susanna Moore finds solace in a sometimes troubling life story

In the memoir “Miss Aluminum,” the writer and former script reader for Jack Nicholson shares a #MeToo moment, and more. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-04-22 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Untitled launches online journal after lockdown hits salon event

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[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-21 17:23:31 UTC ]
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Eat Your Books Review: Search a Recipe Database to Find Out What's for Dinner

Searching this cookbook mega-index is the best way to find out what's for dinner. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2020-04-18 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Historical Fiction: Discover New Truths in the Past

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[ Writer's Digest | 2020-04-04 12:00:35 UTC ]
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Statement: Ad Tech Companies: Stop Journalism-Harming Keyword Blocking Practices

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[ Editor & Publisher | 2020-04-03 21:38:18 UTC ]
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An unvarnished look at the troubled life of novelist Robert Stone

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[ The Washington Post | 2020-03-27 17:30:40 UTC ]
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