Mueller revisionism, and the culpability of the press

Under a presidency that, perhaps more than any in recent memory, tends to be rendered in starkly moralistic terms, there is perhaps no better case study of the rise-and-fall character arc than Robert Mueller. Where the right always hated Mueller’s probe into Trump, Russia, and the 2016 campaign, liberals once lionized him—sticking his rumpled face on everything from protest placards to prayer candles—and many members of the mainstream press cast him as a redoubt of institutional rectitude in a world gone mad. All of this, of course, was projection. Amid the frenzied interest in his character and his investigation, Mueller worked in complete silence. These days, he’s seen differently. His report, which failed to dent Trump politically, is now viewed, in many quarters, as a tragically missed opportunity; with the passage of time, Mueller’s by-the-book stoicism has come to look less heroic, and more like witlessness. Over the summer, Jeffrey Toobin outlined the bones of such a case in a book and New Yorker article. Toobin argues that Mueller failed in two defining respects: he did not issue a subpoena for Trump’s testimony, and he refused to state, one way or another, whether he’d found prosecutable evidence that Trump obstructed justice. (Mueller’s office agreed to abide by a Justice Department rule that a sitting president can’t be indicted; Mueller felt that accusing Trump of crimes would be unfair since Trump wouldn’t have the chance to defend himself in court.) The... Continue reading at 'Columbia Journalism Review'

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2020-09-23 12:32:09 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "Mueller revisionism, and the culpability of the press"

Refuge, Gossip, and Revelation on the Private Book Club Circuit

Imagine being a fly on the wall for gatherings where friends who’ve known each other for years share intimate details about love, loss, and the longings of their lives. Imagine being invited into the homes of complete strangers to share a meal and discuss politics, religion, and other matters of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-12 08:48:44 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Danticat, Levin, Miller Among NBCC Award Winners

The National Book Critic Circle, which was forced to cancel its awards ceremony due to the new coronavirus, announced the winners of is annual slate of literary book awards. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Before 'American Dirt,' a history of Oprah's Book Club controversies

Oprah Winfrey first launched Oprah's Book Club on Sept. 16, 1996, 10 years into "The Oprah Winfrey Show," one of the highest-rated daytime talk shows in television history. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-03-10 14:00:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Magazines Are Perfect. The Industry Is Not

Something more than a little unsettling dawned on me the other day: I’ve spent five decades in and around the magazine business, all on the editorial side. Half a century! How did that happen? Well, to borrow a phrase from master lyricist Paul McCartney, it’s been a long and winding road.... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2020-03-09 20:25:47 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Oprah’s Book Club Drops My Dark Vanessa, Keeps American Dirt

After holding a forum to discuss one contentious novel, Winfrey said she did not want to wade into literary controversy again. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2020-03-06 21:49:29 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Oprah, Macmillan Promise 'To Do Better' to Amplify Latinx Voices

Oprah Winfrey's lively but emotional book club discussion of 'American Dirt' features Winfrey and Macmillan president Don Weisberg both promising to do better to amplify Latinx voices. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-06 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Oprah and Jeanine Cummins’ American Dirt interview will air tomorrow on Apple TV+.

The debate around Jeanine Cummins’ controversial novel American Dirt will continue on March 6th when a new episode of Oprah’s Book Club airs at midnight (ET) on Apple TV+. The two-part episode centers on the Oprah Book Club selection that stirred one of the most vociferous discussions about race... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-05 17:53:35 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Oprah’s Book Club drops My Dark Vanessa as a pick because of Twitter controversy.

After the massive blowback from its selection of American Dirt—a book about the migrant experience widely denounced for having very little connection to the migrant experience (or to Mexico, where the book is set)—it makes sense that Oprah’s Book Club would make future selections more... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-05 17:20:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this

The Best Book Club Questions to Jump Start Conversation: Critical Linking, March 1, 2020

An awesome daily roundup of the most interesting bookish links from around the web. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-03-01 11:30:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this

I asked experts to analyze my to-do lists. This is what they found

I’d often start one project, only to realize that a more urgent one needed my attention. So I asked organizational experts to help give my to-do list strategy a makeover. As a solopreneur juggling multiple projects, clients, and income streams—copywriting, journalism, anthology editing, and... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2020-02-28 09:00:24 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Best Online Book Clubs: 15 Online Clubs to Join in 2020

So you want to join a book club but don't have time to commit to real-life meetings? Here are the 15 best online book clubs to join right now. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-02-27 11:38:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Nicole Chung Talks Anthologies and the Nerdy Joys of Structure

In this episode of Reading Women, Kendra talks with Nicole Chung about the anthology she co-edited, A Map Is Only One Story out now from Catapult. From the episode: Kendra: Today, I’m talking to Nicole Chung, the editor in chief of Catapult Magazine and also one of the co-editors of the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-02-26 09:47:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Want to Start a Queer Book Club? Here’s How

Looking for a queer book club or even want to start your own? This is how to get started. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-02-25 11:36:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this

You Can Do It! (If You Want To): An Introvert’s Guide to Joining a Book Club

If the very idea of book club puts the fear in you, take a page from the introvert's guide to joining book club and consider these tips for participating. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-02-24 11:36:04 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Richard & Judy Book Club features Gregory, Lefteri and Gayle

Novels by Philippa Gregory, Christy Lefteri and Mike Gayle are among the six-strong line-up for the Richard & Judy Book Club this spring. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-19 12:29:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Panel Mania: Banned Book Club by Kim Hyun Sook, Ko Hyung-Ju, and Ryan Estrada

'Banned Book Club' by Kim Hyun Sook, Ko Hyung-Ju, and Ryan Estrada is the true story of Hyun Sook’s years as a South Korean college student under the brutal military regime of the early 1980s. In this 11-page excerpt a naive and apolitical Hyun Sook meets the fearless student members of a book... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-02-19 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

This Week's Bestsellers: February 17, 2020

Fashion mogul and onetime pop singer and reality TV star Jessica Simpson has the #1 book in the country with ‘Open Book.’ Plus Reese Witherspoon and Jenna Bush Hager’s new book club picks make their list debuts. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-02-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Mission Rocío: From Quito to Paris and Guadalajara, Saving the Earth One Poem at a Time, by Alice-Catherine Carls

Cultural Cross Sections Alice-Catherine Carls Pachamama / Pichincha / Photo by Scipio Rocío Durán-Barba / Photo by Stephen Carls Rocío Durán-Barba is one of the most important voices of Latin American literature today. The author of more than fifty... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2020-02-13 15:00:14 UTC ]
More news stories like this