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 ]
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Read W. H. Auden’s 1954 review of The Fellowship of the Ring.

Sixty-nine (nice, but in Elvish) years ago this week, the godfather of high fantasy, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, published the first novel in a proposed thee-volume epic “largely concerned with hobbits.” The Fellowship of the Ring has, in the decades since publication, shifted over 150 million... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-07-28 16:55:39 UTC ]
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July’s Best Reviewed Fiction

Colson Whitehead’s Crook Manifesto, Patrick deWitt’s The Librarianist, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Silver Nitrate all feature among the best reviewed fiction titles of the month. Brought to you by Book Marks, Lit Hub’s “Rotten Tomatoes for books.” * Fiction 1. Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-07-28 09:07:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #colson whitehead #patrick dewitt #silvia moreno-garcia #book marks #lit hub #rotten tomatoes #fiction titles


July’s Best Reviewed Nonfiction

Laura Cumming’s Thunderclap, Kate Zambreno’s The Light Room, and John McPhee’s Tabula Rasa all feature among the best reviewed nonfiction titles of the month. Brought to you by Book Marks, Lit Hub’s “Rotten Tomatoes for books.” * 1. Thunderclap: A Memoir of Art and Life & Sudden Death by... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-07-28 09:00:49 UTC ]
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Read an 1890 review of The Picture of Dorian Gray.

These days, if you use your book review to call an author a pervert and instruct him to abandon writing for the sake of public morality, most reputable editors will palm you a paltry kill fee and mothball your screed. Not so, it would seem, in 1890. Here’s how an outraged book critic for The […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-07-24 18:10:37 UTC ]
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Google has a new AI tool for journalism—but should we trust tech to meddle in newsrooms?

Historically, big tech’s attempts to shape how the media operates have often done more harm than good. Google has a new plan to help save journalism—or at least make it easier for journalists to work. The company has been pitching a generative AI-powered product, nicknamed Genesis, to major... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2023-07-21 11:48:19 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘The Nenoquich,’ by Henry Bean

Henry Bean’s first novel, reissued as “The Nenoquich,” follows a young writer in Berkeley through a transformative affair. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-07-20 09:00:24 UTC ]
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IPG Lays Off Nine, Including Key Editors at Chicago Review Press

IPG CEO Joe Matthews told PW the company remains committed to its 50-year-old publishing programs but that "the current market" required adjustments. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-07-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘Strip Tees,’ by Kate Flannery

Kate Flannery’s “Strip Tees” is a racy, thoughtful memoir of her tenure during the rise and fall of the controversial retail company. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-07-14 09:00:33 UTC ]
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Kobo Plus Review: Is This the Best Kindle Unlimited Alternative?

This Kobo Plus review weighs the pros and cons of the current best alternative to Kindle Unlimited. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-07-11 10:32:00 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘Thunderclap,’ by Laura Cumming

In her memoir “Thunderclap,” the British art critic Laura Cumming explores her passion for the virtuosic images of everyday life by painters from Dutch art’s golden age. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-07-09 09:00:19 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘Counterweight,’ by Djuna

The pseudonymous South Korean author’s first novel to be translated into English pits a multinational conglomerate against life on earth. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-07-09 09:00:12 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘Owner of a Lonely Heart,’ by Beth Nguyen

Beth Nguyen left Vietnam and her biological mother when she was a baby. Her memoir “Owner of a Lonely Heart” examines the ripple effect of those departures. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-07-01 09:03:10 UTC ]
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Adventures in Memory: On Searching for Truth by Writing Fiction

As a fiction writer, I’ve always felt compelled, memoir style, to pore over my life’s timeline. But in a novel, I can erase, revise, smash, crash, reconstruct, and transfigure that squiggly narrative. A novel has no obligation to mirror or represent anything familiar, recognizable, or real. And... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-06-28 08:52:54 UTC ]
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Google Pixel Fold review: The challenger that Samsung needs

For the past few years, Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold line has been the undisputed champion of big flexible phones. But it holds that title almost by default thanks to a lack of real contenders — especially outside of China. But with the Pixel Fold, Google has created a legitimate challenger with an... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-06-26 17:00:03 UTC ]
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What Should You Read Next? Here Are the Best Reviewed Books of the Week

Jenny Erpenbeck’s Kairos, Deborah Levy’s August Blue, and Frieda Hughes’ George: A Magpie Memoir all feature among the Best Reviewed Books of the Week. Brought to you by Book Marks, Lit Hub’s “Rotten Tomatoes for books.” * Fiction 1. Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck (New Directions) 10 Rave • 3... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-06-09 08:53:52 UTC ]
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The ‘New York Times Book Review’ Mixes It Up

Gilbert Cruz, the new editor of the 'Review,' plans to keep experimenting to find the perfect formula for books coverage at the paper of record. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘Pageboy: A Memoir,’ by Elliot Page

In the “brutally honest” memoir “Pageboy,” the actor recounts the fears and obstacles to gender transition, and the hard-won happiness that’s followed. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-06-06 09:00:19 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘Code Red’ and ‘Calling the Moon: 16 Period Stories From BIPOC Authors’

Decades after “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” an anthology and a novel let readers see periods through the eyes of diverse protagonists. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-06-02 09:00:39 UTC ]
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Read Marilynne Robinson’s 1988 review of Raymond Carver’s final collection.

Raymond Carver, one of the most beloved and influential short story writers in the history of American fiction, was born eighty-five years ago today. Below is a New York Times review of Carver’s final story collection, Where I’m Calling From, written by future Pulitzer Prize (and Orange Prize,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-25 17:31:12 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘American Childhood,’ by Todd Brewster

From the 19th century to the present, the photos collected in Todd Brewster’s latest book offer glimpses into the lives of our nation’s youngest members. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-05-19 09:00:43 UTC ]
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