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

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Merchants of Truth by Jill Abramson review – journalism’s troubles'


Book Review: ‘Easily Slip Into Another World,’ by Henry Threadgill

Henry Threadgill’s memoir unfolds from his maddening wartime experience to his boundary-pushing musical career. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-05-19 02:17:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book review #easily slip #henry threadgill #memoir unfolds #memoir


Book Review: ‘Yellowface,’ by R.F. Kuang

In “Yellowface,” R.F. Kuang satirizes the publishing industry with a tale of a struggling writer who passes off her recently deceased friend’s book as her own. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-05-16 09:00:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book review #publishing industry


Book Review: ‘Easily Slip Into Another World,’ by Henry Threadgill

Henry Threadgill’s memoir unfolds from his maddening wartime experience to his boundary-pushing musical career. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-05-15 09:00:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book review #easily slip #henry threadgill #memoir unfolds #memoir


Book Review: ‘The Labors of Hercules Beal,’ by Gary D. Schmidt, and ‘The Storyteller,’ by Brandon Hobson

In new novels by the National Book Award finalists Gary D. Schmidt and Brandon Hobson, adolescent boys navigating parental loss find strength in ancient mythology. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-05-12 09:00:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book review #brandon hobson #national book award


Book Review: ‘Our Migrant Souls,’ by Héctor Tobar

“Our Migrant Souls,” the author’s first nonfiction book in nearly a decade, is a deeply personal meditation on Latino American experience. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-05-09 09:00:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book review #hctor tobar #nonfiction book


It's Pulitzer Prize day, honoring journalism's best work

The Pulitzer Prizes will be awarded Monday to honor outstanding journalism during a violent year that included Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, mass shootings that targeted an elementary school and supermarket, and floods and flames fueled by clima... Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2023-05-08 05:17:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pulitzer prizes #mass shootings #elementary school #pulitzer prize


‘Too greedy’: mass walkout at global science journal over ‘unethical’ fees

Entire board resigns over actions of academic publisher whose profit margins outstrip even Google and AmazonMore than 40 leading scientists have resigned en masse from the editorial board of a top science journal in protest at what they describe as the “greed” of publishing giant Elsevier.The... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-05-07 07:00:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #editorial board #oxford university #college london #publishing giant #academic publisher


Book Review: ‘African Studies,’ by Edward Burtynsky

A large-format photo book reveals the toll of industrialization on the landscapes of sub-Saharan Africa. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-05-05 09:00:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book review #sub-saharan africa #photo book


Traffic review: Ben Smith on Bannon, BuzzFeed and where it all went wrong

Now a co-founder of Semafor, formerly of Politico, BuzzFeed and the New York Times, the author expertly pulls readers inBen Smith is a willing passenger on the rollercoaster also known as the internet. He reported for Politico, was founding editor-in-chief at BuzzFeed News and did a stint as a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-04-29 06:00:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #buzzfeed news #ben smith #keen eye #sharp wit #tucker carlson #penguin random house


Book Review: ‘Affinities,’ by Brian Dillon

In “Affinities,” his latest book of essays, the critic Brian Dillon meditates on images by photographers, filmmakers, dancers and other artists, exploring their attractions and affiliations. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-04-25 09:00:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book review #brian dillon


Book Review: ‘Mott Street,’ by Ava Chin

Ava Chin’s memoir is an expansive family history encompassing perilous journeys, sensational crimes and social change. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-04-24 12:37:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book review #social change #memoir


Can You Guess The Horror Book Based On Its 1-Star Reviews?

You've seen every movie on Shudder and have a whole bookshelf devoted to King, but can you guess the horror book based on its 1-star reviews? Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-04-20 10:34:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #1-star reviews #book based


A Quick Disclaimer Before My Book Review Today…

A BookToker offers a quick disclaimer before a negative review to head off some anticipated complaints in the comments... Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-04-19 10:31:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book review


Book Review: ‘Chita: A Memoir,’ by Chita Rivera with Patrick Pacheco

Her new memoir finds the 90-year-old singer-dancer hungry for acclaim, but generous to others on her way to getting it. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-04-17 09:00:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #chita rivera #memoir finds #book review #memoir


Granta 163: Best of Young British Novelists 5 review – more solipsism than state of the nation

The latest celebration of emerging literary talent brings thrills, charm and emotional punch to the page. But this new generation have taken an inward turn compared with the more worldly themes of bygone yearsEvery decade since 1983, an editor of the literary quarterly Granta has tasked a panel... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-04-16 06:00:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #eleanor catton #derek owusu #sigrid rausing #literary fiction #novelists


Book Review: ‘Stalking Shakespeare: A Memoir of Madness, Murder, and My Search for the Poet Beneath the Paint,’ by Lee Durkee

In “Stalking Shakespeare,” Lee Durkee describes his quest to find a true, authentic image of the famous playwright, a search that becomes a tragicomic tale in its own right. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-04-15 09:00:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book review #memoir


Book Review: ‘The Weight,’ by Jeff Boyd

Jeff Boyd’s searching debut novel portrays a Black musician alienated from his city, his faith and his past. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-04-10 09:00:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book review #debut novel


Book Review: ‘How Not to Kill Yourself,’ by Clancy Martin

After 10 attempts and years of suffering and addiction, Clancy Martin describes facing the darkness in his raw memoir “How Not to Kill Yourself.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-03-26 09:00:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book review #clancy martin #raw memoir #memoir


BookBeat Review: Better than Scribd but Not Widely Accessible

In this in-depth BookBeat review, let’s find out what makes this service better than Scribd for English-language audiobook listeners. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-03-24 10:33:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #audiobook