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A Grain of Truth debunks the myth that growing public distrust of genetically modified organisms can be attributed to scientific illiteracy or sensationalistic news stories. Media coverage of these issues has been dominated by the spokespersons of industry-yet evidence of consumer uncertainty has been available all along. The roots of the controversy are visible in press coverage and public opinion polls over the past decade, covering everything from the manufacture of growth hormones used in dairy cows through the cloning of Dolly the sheep to the appearance of the so-called "terminator gene." Arguing neither for nor against genetic engineering and other forms of biotechnology, this book charges both media and industry with ignoring the concerns of the general public and encourages greater public debate over biotech and other such complex issues. ... Read more

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Through his personal and professional experience, respected journalist George Negus explores the concerns surrounding one of the most debated topics in the world today: Islam.

What is Islam? What is it that Muslims believe and why? Why do they fight not just wars but jihads-holy wars? How great are the belief differences between Muslims, Jews and Christians?

Written in a very readable and nonacademic style, Negus dispels the myths and explores the mutual ignorance, beliefs, differences and philosophies concerning the three great religions, while explaining the entirely different way of life that is Islam. Through his contacts and his experience with the Islamic world, he examines the issues that have set Islamic and non-Islamic worlds against each other.

Customer Reviews (1)

The World of Islam by George Negus
George Negus is a well respected journalist, so the points he makes throughout this book give the reader something to seriously think about. We can't just believe the very biased reports which are fed to us via the various media outlets. There is often another side to what is presented to us by media, which is far more interested in sensationalism than facts. Sure there are extremists in Islam, but we also have our extremists. We need to be wary of judging everyone by the actions of a few. George Negus lets us see the moderate side of Islam. I was originally loaned a copy of this book and, once I had read it, wanted my own copy. ... Read more

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La Trevi sacudió a todo un país.
Sin embargo, nadie sabía realmente quién era esta mujer. . .

Como ninguna otra cantante, la amada, la adorada Gloria Trevi encendió el escenario artístico de México con sus temas revolucionarios y una verborragia insólita. Por una década lo tuvo todo: fama, gloria, encanto, impunidad. Ahora, la misma Gloria espera la sentencia de un tribunal, acusada de rapto, violación y corrupción de menores.

He aquí en un solo tomo la historia imparcial del ascenso y la subsiguiente caída en desgracia de la estrella más cotizada de México, cuyo increíble caso monopolizó los titulares de la prensa internacional como The New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker y The Wall Street Journal. Ahora por primera vez, la autora Ximena Diego examina a través de una exhausta investigación periodística las cuestiones candentes hasta ahora no aclaradas:

¿Cómo lograron dos personajes públicos de tan alto perfil como Gloria Trevi y su representante Sergio Andrade mantener por tantos años un grupo de características sectarias? ¿Qué tipo de poder tenían que los hacía incuestionables ante la opinión pública? ¿Cuál es la responsabilidad de Gloria Trevi en el caso? Y más importante, ¿por qué sigue defendiendo a su representante frente a toda la sarta de evidencia en su contra? ¿Es ella una víctima más o, todo lo contrario, una aliada que, en total control de su voluntad, sólo buscaba su propia gloria artística sin importar los medios?

Dentro de estas páginas el gran misterio de la vida secreta de Gloria Trevi queda revelado. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This book sucked!
The author says that she reveals Gloria Trevi's unknown life.She fails to do this.I expected to read somewhat of a biography on Gloria Trevi's life.Gloria Trevi is Latin America's most famous singer/actress and although her songs, movies, calendars, magazines, and interviews are well known and popular;her personal life story has been unknown to the public.
I bought this book to discover who the real Gloria Trevi is and who she was before she reached fame.The author's research is based on "opinions" not facts.As a matter of fact, this author has not interviewed or ever met Gloria Trevi.It seems like she's just another person who is trying to make money by using Gloria Trevi's name.
If you are a Gloria Trevi fan do not waste your money on this book.Instead, you should purchase "Gloria" por Gloria Trevi.It's the only book written by Gloria Trevi. ... Read more

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An objective critique of the sometimes disastrous relationship between the White House and the press traces the history of the relationship, from George Washington to Clinton, and offers anecdotes about chronic problems with both the government and the fourth estate. 25,000 first printing.Amazon.com Review
For 10 years, Kenneth T. Walsh worked the most glamorous beatin American journalism. The White House correspondent for U.S. News& World Report, he was a firsthand participant in the dailystruggle for status and recognition waged by both the White Housestaff and the reporters themselves. It can be an odd task forjournalists, who, having risen to the pinnacle of a very competitiveprofession, find themselves more or less at the mercy ofarrogant--and often very young--staffers who serve as buffers betweenthe press and executive branch of government. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

What does "Middle America" want?
Many Americans have grown increasingly disenchanted with the quality of national news coverage and journalist Kenneth Walsh is one of them. Taking aim at the vindictiveness and sensationalism that pervades coverage of theWhite House in particular, Walsh attributes much of the blame, notsurprisingly, to shorter news cycles that encourage reporters to"advance the story" with "hard-edged" analysis andpredictions, fierce competition for ratings, and the public's appetite forentertainment over hard news. The strength of the book, I believe, lies inhis interviews with White House reporters and network news anchors. Theirreactions to Walsh's questions struck me as running the gamut fromsurprisingly self-aware and candid to hopelessly defensive, sarcastic andnaive. The weaknesses of the book, while not outweighing the strengths, aremanifold. Walsh takes too much time to detail how, at the outset, Clintonand his youthful press secretaries needlessly antagonized the press; in theend, he concedes that Clinton's aversion to "gotcha" journalismis well-founded, and that even deft handling of the White House press wouldhave done little to curb rampant negativism. And while he criticizes theClintons for failing to reveal enough of their private personas to themedia, Walsh also acknowledges that the unquenchable press appetite forthis sort of information exceeds the limits of human toleration. My mostserious reservations concern the author's conclusions. After identifyingthe competitive pressures that drive the news business, Walsh seems toforget about them as he lamely calls on journalists to restore professionalstandards. And although many would agree with him that Washington reportersoften seem out of touch with the public, his cliched recommendation thatreporters reconnect with the "real" America, MIddle America,seems to contravene his own agenda. If Middle America had a greaterpredilection for hard news and reasoned presentation, as offered forexample on public radio and TV, it seems to me that commercial news sourceswould be only too happy to oblige them. ... Read more

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"Now in paperback and featuring a new preface by the authors, Cameras in the Courtroom looks at the effects of both allowing and barring television coverage of legal proceedings. Cohn and Dow examine landmark televised trials, including those of O.J. Simpson, the Menendez brothers, and William Kennedy Smith. Also, analyzing the impact of Court TV and the history of cameras in American courtrooms, the text strikes a balanced discussion among diverse opinions. In the new preface, the authors consider the effect of excluding television coverage from the upcoming trial of Zacarias Moussaoui on charges stemming from the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. The book also includes an array of interviews with judges, attorneys, jurors, witnesses, and legal scholars, shedding light on a subject that has become an important topic in both media and law." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

The most comprehensive and balanced study available
Certainly the most comprehensive and balanced study available to guide lawyers, judges and the media through some very contentious issues.

The definitive work on cameras in the courtroom
Cohn and Dow have written the definitive work on cameras in the courtroom.Thoroughly researched and brilliantly written, CAMERAS IN THE COURTROOM gives an honest, balanced and realistic discussion of the role ofelectronic journalism in courtrooms of the past, present and future.Thisbook is an incredible resource!

The best book yet about cameras in the courtroom.
The best book yet about cameras in the courtroom.Meticulously researched and engagingly written, the book traces the history of cameras in courts and carefully presents the arguments on both sides of this heated debate.

Perfect summary of cameras in the courtroom
CAMERAS IN THE COURTROOM lives and breathes with the challenges andcomplexities of legal realities.It should become a standard resource forthe continuing debate over the place that cameras could occupy in thecourtrooms of the land. ... Read more

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Ted Koppel, anchor of Nightline, is one of America's most intelligent and respected journalists. With this fascinating book, he finally lets us know the man behind the face we've trusted late at night for almost twenty years.

Off Camera is a daily journal of the year that brought the twentieth century to a close--the year of Monica and Y2K, of shootings at Columbine, of the death of JFK, Jr. With riveting insight and lucid prose, Koppel chronicles his thoughts on these events and more, from interactive TV to the war in Kosovo to the dumbing down of network news. Witty, provocative, and wise, this book is indispensable.


From the Trade Paperback edition.Amazon.com Review
The title of Ted Koppel's memoir, Off Camera: Private Thoughts Made Public, promises opinions that its author wouldn't deliver on camera, where he's been the anchor of ABC's popular Nightline program since 1980. And, indeed, he's blistering at times in this book, which is essentially a daily journal from 1999. That year began between President Clinton's impeachment by the House of Representatives and his trial in the Senate. Here's Koppel delivering his prognosis of the situation: "Whichever way it goes, it will leave a nasty aftertaste. The President and First Lady will speak piously of national reconciliation, while their loyalists ram the rockets' red glare up the tailpipes of the right-wing fanatics, who have confused low morals with high crimes." Koppel's comments are not always so interesting, but he's reliably candid. He mentions that Jordan's late King Hussein "had his share of adulterous relationships," that Dan Quayle "is not stupid. He is also likable. But you would feel uncomfortable serving under him in a platoon," and that Henry Hyde once informed him privately that "he was incontinent following his prostate surgery."

There's no particular theme to the book; these pages simply collect the thoughts of an important newsman during the course of a year (whose noteworthy events included not just the Clinton trial but also NATO's war with Serbia). Sometimes they're pompous: "I'm off for a meeting with Bill Bradley. It's at his request, which is a clear signal that he's running for the presidency." Sometimes they're funny: "Let's combine all the awards ceremonies for the communications and entertainment industries and name that one event after the single piece of equipment used by all of us--the microphone. I suggest calling the occasion 'the Phonies.'" Koppel is occasionally offbeat, as when he compares George W. Bush to Vanna White, and often informative, as when he's recommending books like Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden or Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (which he once gave as a gift to Clinton). Off Camera is an eclectic package of thoughts and diversions that will by turns intrigue, frustrate, and entertain readers. --John J. Miller ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Eloquent with interesting opinions but not deep and profound
Ted Koppel is quite eloquent and has many interesting views but the audiobook (unabridged) lacks any deep and profound views or analysis. Nevertheless, well read and not boring. Good for long drives or plane flights, especially now that it is selling at a discount price.

1999 Daily Journal Of A Public Figure
Nightline anchor and legendary tele-journalist Ted Koppel set out on January 1, 1999 with an interesting idea. He would write one entry per day in a diary that would record the events in his own life and in the world around him.

Admirable.

Koppel's notes on the goings-on in 1999 seem oddly distant in this post-911 world of 2005. Was the last year of the century just passed really quite as innocent as it seems in this record of a journalist and his travels across the world? That was the biggest point of notice I came away with from this remarkable read: exactly how much our society and the greater world has altered in so small a time.

That said, it is still worthwhile to read through Koppel's thoughts on the happenings of that year and to gain perspective on all that went on in a top-ranking network journalist's life. In those twelve months, Koppel traveled to at least four continents, met with dozens of noteworthies, and also managed to fit in time at home, where he tells us of the joys of something small like a redecorating project after having spent so many of the previous weeks in and out of war zones, jets, vans, and studios. Koppel is never shy about giving his opinion and sometimes I admired his views, at other times he frankly ticked me off. That's probably someplace in his job description.

I've heard Ted Koppel is retiring soon, and I wonder if he intends to devote more time to writing once his days in front of the camera are done? If this book is any indication of what that output might be, then I hope so.

Ignore the bad reviews!
Ted Koppel's Off Camera is a caring and informative view into just that, his thoughts and daily activities off camera. Mr Koppel provides us daily journal entries from the year 1999. From Monica to the strains of reporting from Kosovo. I loved reading this book.

Diary copied over into book with no editing.
My first thought in his first couple entries was that he was trying a little to hard to be funny ala Dennis Miller or Jay Leno. However, then I realized that he wasn't, he was just blurting out his thoughts from each day (and almost every day).

I feel there was not much cohesion throughout the book. He spends a lot of time on the war in Kosovo, as that was a big event during that year. However, he puts in little tidbits about his growing up and his new house or something irrelevant. Even though it was meant to be his personal thoughts on various topics, I felt he should have organized the material a little bit.

On the good side, it was interesting hearing about the difficulties of being a reporter during the war, and getting some of that insider information. Similarly, it was interesting hearing his perspective from having been around for a while in the journalism business.

Overall, I made it through the whole book, but every once in a while while listening to it (Audio CD version), I would think, "Now why did he include that?" I feel this work could have been improved through some editting and some thoughtful exclusions or reorganization of the material.

Is this the best you can do, Ted?
...The dust cover should be a clue that this book is trivial.Here is Koppel, wearing a leather jacket and holding a stick. If that photo interests you, you will love this book. It is filled with self-indulgent information about Koppel and his grandchildren. It would have been a better book, perhaps, had Koppel chosen to write about the leather jacket and the stick.
Readers who are able to overlook Koppel's arrogance will find little insight into international events. First, these events are quite dated.Kosovo, Monica and Viagra are not fresh, riveting subjects.Secondly, Koppel doesn't have the time to give us thoughtful insight.He appears to be jotting down a few bedtime thoughts about his day. And so often his predictions and views of current events prove wrong.
What I came away with is the realization that much of our daily news stories are fleeting, insignificant events. ... ... Read more

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Es muy difícil encontrar un libro autobiográfico escrito con franqueza y objetividad. Más aún cuando el personaje es un famoso locutor de radio aclamado por las multitudes que hablan español en los Estados Unidos.

Este es el caso del libro sobre la vida de Renán Almenaárez Coello "El Cucuy de la Mañana". El fenómeno de la radio. El ocurrente locutor que hace gala de humor y picardía. El psicólogo del aire. El poeta del micrófono.El hombre caritativo. El luchador social. El defensor de los pobres y de los oprimidos.Para unos ofensivo, para otros un santo. Pero, ¿ quién en realidad es Renán?¿De dónde proviene? ¿Cuáles son sus aspiraciones? ¿Cómo alcanzó el éxito?

Todas estas preguntas y más, son reveladas en las páginas de este libro. A veces con un relato crudo, reflejo fíel de la realidad de los pueblos Latinoamericanos, Renán comparte aquellos momentos que fueron forjando su espíritu de luchador indomable. En otros, nos revela tiernamente el lado más frágil del espíritu humano. Y en otros, con inocencia no libre de cierta culpa, nos cuenta las historias pícaras provocadas por la necesidad de la supervivencia. Las alegrías y tristezas, los fracasos temporales y los éxitos, los excesos y las angustias, se tejen milagrosamente dando forma a la historia amena de un niño inquieto y soñador que crece rodeado de la pobreza absoluta. Luego, Renán nos conduce con la alegría de siempre, por sus años jóvenes, los más pícaros. Sus inicios en la radio. La tragedia de alcoholismo y la dependencia de las drogas. Sus aventuras amorosas. Su llegada a los Estados Unidos y el duro camino al éxito. Renán comparte con sus lectores, a pecho descubierto, aquellos detalles que se esconden Det.ás del micrófono en el ambiente de la radio. Las envidias y los celos de sus gentes, las ambiciones,las bajezas, los insultos, y también, por cierto, las cosas buenas y alentadoras de la industria.

Este libro va más allá del mundo de la radio y se convierte en un reflejo de nosotros mismos. De nuestra lucha diaria por salir adelante. De nuestra carrera loca por evitar que nos alcance el fracaso. En estas páginas se verán retratados todos aquellos que migraron de sus países y lo dejaron todo, algunos por necesidad y otros, persiguiendo sus sueños de grandeza.Al transitar por estas páginas, usted descubrirá los secretos nunca antes dichos sobre la vida privada de "El Cucuy de la Mañana" revelados por el mismo Renán Almenaárez Coello.

Customer Reviews (2)

It took me back to my Childhood and touched me...
Reading this book and being from Central America took me back to the place I came from and remember all the stuff that my Dad and my Uncles used to do.I feel like I was reading part of my life.It made me cry, it made me happy, it made me sad....I think its a great book and I definitely recommend it!

EN LA CUMBRE DE LA POBRESA
THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS THE PEOPLE EVER READ BECAUSE TELLS ALL THE TRUE ABOUT SPANISH PEOPLE HOW HARD WE WORK TO SURVIVE IN LIFE HOW HARD WORKING PEOPLE WE ARE THANKS RENAN FOR REPRESENT OUR CULTURE AUR PEOPLE SO WELL THE WAY YOU DOU THANK YOU ''CUCUY'' ... Read more

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Posing questions about the quality of life today, and our role as media consumers, this study attempts to analyze attitudes to the revolutionary changes affecting the media, encapsulated in the terms "digital revolution" and "multimedia". As individuals we are confronted with the problem of a vast expansion of choices in media consumption, and we face a new burden of aesthetic and ethical responsibility for the quality of the media we receive, and whose production we encourage. How are we to exercise that responsibility and ensure quality control? The contributors to this text attempt to show us ways in which this may be achieved. ... Read more

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The probing, provocative examination of television that Rolling Stone called "dense, funny, and smart as hell." In Smoke and Mirrors, John Leonard, one of the nation's leading media critics, offers a provocative challenge to conventional ideas about television. Instead of scapegoating television as the cause of crime in our streets, stupidity in our schools, and spectacle rather than substance in our government, Leonard sees something else inside the box: an echo chamber and a feed-back loop, a medium neither wholly innocent of, nor entirely responsible for, the frantic disorder it brings to our homes. Amazon.com Review
You can't find a smarter, more savvy, and learned couch potatothan John Leonard, the literary editor of The Nation andtelevision critic for New York magazine and CBS SundayMorning.In the pages of Smoke and Mirrors he accomplishessomething close to the unthinkable: he creates a convincing case forthe merits of our collective viewing habits through thoughtful essayson what television tells us about ourselves.At times Leonard'sknowledge of television programming can be overwhelming, as he clicksthrough the history of long-canceled programs with a frighteningintimacy.In contrast to real T.V., Leonard always offers up something worthtuning into. He treats our tired, media-saturated eyes to such topicsas what detective programs reveal about out confidence in theindividual, how our sense of national coherence has fractured intomultitudinous channels of individual identity, and what talk showsexpress about the need for a collective legitimation.Leonard's arguments might not always sway the reader, but unlike theboob tube, he rarely disappoints. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Almost unreadable, meandering nonsense
The introduction almost holds together as John Leonard ignores the scientific basis of television research and counters it with indefensible but plausible-sounding arguments. Then he talks a little about Ed Sullivan. Then he wanders around for another few hundred pages tossing factlets into our faces, seemingly without ever making a point, using logic, or doing anything other than showing off his immense knowledge of TV trivia and inability to use reason. This is the worst book I have ever read, and that's saying something.

Each chapter is a wandering group of lists, as Leonard tosses out name after name after name, dazzling us with both the amount of time spent in front of the TV and his wonderful memory for actors and series - but there is no depth behind anything. No point seems to ever be made. It's like watching the images flashed in movie commercials - but for hours instead of 30 seconds. Watching too much TV seems to have left Leonard without the ability to focus his attention for any length of time.

Do yourself a favor and find a book written by someone who (a) can actually make arguments, (b) understands how research is conducted, (c) has something to say, and/or (d) can actually provide information rather than rambling on and on for nearly 300 pages about his opinions on this, that, and the other thing, in the end without imparting any information other than some useless facts about Ed Sullivan (in chapter one so you can save lots of time by stopping there).

I borrowed this book for free from the library and did not find it to be worth the price.

PS> Most of my other reviews have all been positive so I'm not some sort of crank ... nor do I think I disagree with whatever Leonard's main point is, though I have no idea what that might be. And ignore the "this refers to the hardcover edition" comment, it's both!

Some interesting insights,but pedantic and overwritten.
Leonard has never really been my cup of tea for a variety of reasons. Nonetheless, this is a book of important, if limited value.

Unlike most people who write about television, Leonard is neither contemptous andcondescending toward the medium, nor does he write publicist vetted puffpieces. Rather, he is an obviously learned and literate man who feelstelevision is an undeniably important part of the cultural scene and worthyof taking seriously. There are some perceptions and insights here that arestriking in their originality and in their ability to link some of TV'sconventions with those of other art forms.

HOWEVER...In order to get tothese few nuggets one has to wade through reams of prose that is almostunbearably purple and self-concious. On virtually ever page Leonard seesfit to let fly with a string of overblown metaphors that more often thannot collapse under their own weight into one large puddle of incoherence.It often seems that Leonard is more interested in showing off his superiorerudition and word-wizardry than he is in cleary and effectivelycommunicating his ideas. As with other stuff by Leonard that I've read,this book either had no editor to speak of, or s/he was asleep at theswitch.

The other major flaw in this book (from my perspective), isLeonard's flaunting of his puerile, tiresome (far)leftism. While he'sadmirably upfront about his biases, unlike some other culturalcommentators, this doesn't make his inanities any easier to take(in somecases he is downright mean, if not mendacious). The gist of any point thathe makes seems to be that if you disagree or deviate in any way from theworld according to JL, you are not merely wrong, but also most likely anevil, selfish, hateful human being.His opinion on many TV shows seemsunduly influenced by whether or not he approves of the program's politics(if a program has NO political agenda, he either has to huff and puff toinvent one for it, or he feels it is unworthy of serious consideration)andwhether it deals appropriately (or at all) with what Leonard has decreedare the burning issues of the day.

All in all, Mr. Leonard's continuingcareer is proof that the political right by no means has a monopoly ontiresome, hectoring, self-righteous gasbags. ... Read more

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This innovative book examines the careers of three performers whose professional lives together spanned the period from the late eighteenth to the late nineteenth centuries, from the heyday of neoclassicism to the coming of realism. While the individual essays concentrate on the specific work of each actress, a wide-ranging introduction relates their collective achievement to social and cultural change. Vivid reconstructions of their interpretations and unique accounts of theatrical conditions place the art of three very different but pivotal figures in context. ... Read more

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PBS originataed with good intentions: Making the world better through education. But according to media analyst Laurence Jarvik, America's only taxpayer-supported public broadcasting network has gone astray.

" ... must reading for anyone who is interested in how the public broadcasting system was created, what it achieved, and where it has gone wrong."
— David Horowitz

PBS: Behind the Screen answers the following questions:

Does Sesame Street really educate?
What political agenda underlies PBS's hard-hitting documentary programs?
Is the real Bill Moyers the carefully crafted image viewers see on the screen?
What challenges did William F. Buckley Jr. have to overcome before Firing Line could be broadcast?
Just how much did America's favorite chef, Julia Child, really know about cooking when she started out? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Information the public should know
Tightly written, well researched and chock full of surprising anecodtes--some amusing, some which make you wonder why the country puts up with this.

Bill Moyers refused to be interviewed for the book. That typifies the mindset at the top of PBS (others did agree to an interview. Kudos to them).

This book is not a hit piece on liberalism. It is not all negative. It is the history, a rather detailed history, of the ups and downs of public broadcasting in America.

The chapter on fundraising alone is worth the purchase price.

Thorough Research in Exposing People Taking Advantage of the System
This book adds to the growing body of evidence that seeing is not believing when it comes to the media. PBS is not what it seems to be. In graduate school, it's odd that none of the information Dr. Jarvik presents in his book was in any of the readings or class discussions. The tone of the book is not alarmist, rather it is analytical. He simply presents factual data. Even the foreword by Van Gordon Sauter (former president of CBS news) is written in the same objective, journalistic style.

Just to illustrate the point, consider this tidbit early on. Fred Friendly, well-known "scholar, thinker, media fixture, et cetera," was both a mover and shaker in academe and broadcasting. However, I did not know until reading Jarvik's book that "Professor Friendly" . . . "never graduated from college yet ended up a professor at Columbia University." Jarvik shows how the convoluted system of public broadcast created a level of bureaucrats who wound up being accountable to no one, all the while taking taxpayer dollars to accumlate large streams of personal income. A significant amount of the people receiving the greatest benefit are from England!

Jarvik quotes former PBS president Larry Grossman as saying it was "a system no one in the outside world understands or can penetrate." Filled with contradictions, lack of accountability, and competing agendas, a select few grew very wealthy in that system. The band plays on, the "pledge drives" keep airing, and new suckers are born every minute. P. T. Barnum is validated again.

A Laughably Bad Book Written by a Failed Neocon
Laurence Jarvik is that rare creature, a failed neo-con living in a neo-con city under a right wing president. While every half-wit right winger has managed to get a job in the administration or at least a TV spot as a pundit, all he has managed to achieve is a book attacking such evils as Big Bird and Masterpiece Theater. PBS is pompous, boring and corporate but to dismiss it as an evil outpost of left wing propaganda is just ignorant and laughable. Jarvik knows nothing about the media having never worked in it and knows nothing about writing -- he appears to be almost functionally illiterate. Jarvik is a failure as an academic, a failure as a writer, a failure as a thinker and a failure as a critic. This has to be one of the dullest, most pointless books ever written.

The only thing bad about this book is it's not longer.
For those interested in truth, this book is a page-turner.For those who cringe when brought up short by truths that spoils their pet lies, this book is a "groaner" (as I noticed in some of the reviews on this site). Desperate to discredit this book, and resorting to lies, one reviewerwrote that the author of this book bashes Julia Child.Nothing could be further from the truth.

This book begins with a fascinating in-depth look at the origins of PBS, dating all the way back to 1919.Therein we learn that the child called "PBS" seems to not have a single politcally conservative ancestor. She is the offspring of leftists, who used a Trojan Horse called "education" to lure the federal govenment into authorizing and funding public broadcasting. Then once inside the gate of the American home, she pulled out her weapon of leftist leaning "public policy" programming on everything from FDR's "New Deal", to the HIV virus.

She also brandished her weapon of money-making machines such as "Sesame Street". Offered up ostensibly to help disadvantaged inner-city children, after 30 years of production the "Sesame Street" producers cannot point to a single academic study which proves she has succeeded. But that show makes money (billions of dollars over the years) for it's producers, though not one penny for the federal government. And it was the federal government that bankrolled it's creation.

Learn how many of the shows you've seen and HAVE enjoyed on PBS were opposed by PBS executives and only got on the air because of intense pressure, or because certain producers bypassed PBS and went direct to the local PBS affiliates. (Virtually every comedy you've ever seen on PBS, to this day, is purchased locally without official PBS sanction or approval. Leftist don't want us enjoying ourselves. Instead we're supposed to submit to their brainwashing on social issues.)

This, and much more.Read this book.You owe it to yourself to know the truth.

Shows us all how PBS betrays its trust to the taxpayers
As Americans, we support PBS with our tax dollars.Are we getting our money's worth?

Well, the first issue is political bias.Jarvik shows that there's plenty of that.William Buckley has been the token conservative: we've always known that.There are enough clearly political shows so that a little more equal representation, given that the public is paying for it, would be in order.

Still, there is one truly frightening example of bad journalism that I think casts even more doubt on PBS, namely its treatment of the Arab war on Israel.Jarvik shows that PBS is indeed guilty as charged of prevarications, outright falsehoods, and contempt for journalistic ethics.It simply churns out anti-Israeli propaganda.And if is willing to do all this just to hurt a few Jews, we can only wonder what other lies it's telling us.I think this book is doing us all a service by showing that PBS can't be trusted, and that it is in need of reform. ... Read more

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The claims made for television when it was a fledgling industry in the early 1950s have virtually all proven false. TV was to be the great entertainer-educator, an electronic marvel that would, over time, elevate viewers' tastes and sensibilities. As we now know, the need for entertainment dominates, and everything has been reduced to simple and slick images. Now the authors address this most pressing of social issues. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Feelin' the Late 'Eighties Burnout...
Mitroff and Bennis' _The Unreality Industry_ is about the nature of unreality and how the manufacturing of unreality is taking over America.Needless to state, TV is the primary medium of unreality, with the disconnected, a-historical context which it presents its news and entertainment material.The authors take care to outline the dichotomy between reality and unreality.Reality is very difficult to understand, is stressful to deal with, and only increases in its complexity.Unreality is simple, mindless, and creates the illusion (computer games, movies) of some kind of control over one's surroundings.Our embrace of unreality as a means of escape from the harshness and confounding nature of reality is deeply rooted in US culture: bigger is better, the infallibility of science and technology, the veneration of "progress".One aspect of unreality is that it employs "boundary warping" to catch the audience's attention."Boundary warping" entails the near complete destruction of rational thought processes and categorization, the lack of any organization and coherence.The MTV music video is where "boundary warping" will find its most unadulterated manifestation--brightness, quick movement, lack of central focus, erotic images, disconnected and apocalyptic themes.It is often difficult to differentiate between male and female for instance and some androgyny or hybrid concoction is the norm (sounds like Gnostic Gnostalgia to me, but the book doesn't take the analysis that far).Another phenomenon that figures in unreality the commercialized, systematized and industrialized manufacture of celebrities.They have a mass-market appeal for various audiences, such as movie stars, sports figures, political parties, etc.The entertainment industry uses archetypes to sell its products as well.Archetypes, the primal images and ideas that unite humanity embodied in fairy tales, religions and myths, are constantly being re-hashed into different combinations to create stereotypical programming for the masses.The US is increasingly becoming a "leaderless" society, with true leadership replaced by managerial and bureaucratic ability.A chapter is devoted to the "Metaphysics of Sappiness" i.e., the dummying-down of society and discourse between people.With the advent of the electronic age, when people get together in large groups, it is usually for the purpose of entertaining each other rather than for intellectual conversation.In all, the authors seem to support the idea that the masses are not able to tolerate sustained inquiry, however, they warn against the trap of becoming too pessimistic.Obviously, this subject matter is going to arouse some controversy, and the authors pre-empt the criticism.They explicitly state in their introduction that their study in _The Unreality Industry_ would be one of a moral argument rather than one of dispassionate objectivity.Perhaps it can be said that Mitroff (a Ph.D. in engineering) and Bennis (a Ph.D. in economics from MIT) are two eggheads distasteful of the lack of more cultured programming (they like _Masterpiece Theatre_ for example).But in all, this book was written in 1989--the end of the Eighties.What did come out of the Eighties?Reaganomics, yuppies, video games, Madonna, Gorbechev, crack, hair-bands?_The Unreality Industry_ is late-Eighties burnout, pure and simple, and as we just wrapped up the Nineties a couple years ago, the idea that unreality is in total control is more relevant than ever.

Media Revealed
Ian Mitroff and Warren Bennis are two academics heavily involved in the technological revolution. Their purpose in writing this book is to examine how technology, in what they call the "systems age," has created an all-consuming cocoon of unreality in our daily lives. They are not bashing technology, but examining how a lack of ethics has allowed technology to threaten the very nature of our system of government and of our lives. There are plenty of books available on media studies: Todd Gitlin, Jerry Mander, Neil Postman, and others; what makes this book different, at least in the eyes of the authors, is that it studies the underlying causes of the effects of television and mass media. This underlying effect is the creation of unreality, or a system that is so all consuming that it blocks out the real world.

The problem with an omnipresent unreality is that the real reality has not gone away. One of the reasons we create an unreality is that the real world is far too complex to understand. In the modern world, the interdependence of every aspect of global life has led to a complexity that is simply astonishing to behold. Not one human being on the face of the Earth can make heads or tails of events anymore. The result is fear on the part of humans, which leads to the creation of an alternate, unreal world where answers are easy and presented in a somewhat non-threatening way (I'm not sure this is right; the media loves to start panics). This alternate world has become so pervasive that it has become an actual industry, generating celebrities and images that people can relate to.

How celebrity is created and marketed is probably the best part of the book. The authors use charts and graphs to show how this process has become a huge industry employing thousands and thousands of people. The book also shows how the masses react to this celebrity, which in extreme cases, leads to the likes of Jonestown and Mark David Chapman. Celebrityhood is revealed to be a process of engineering; people are "remade" to fit personalities and molds demanded by the public (or is it really demanded by the public? Perhaps the demand is created.).

Other sections show how media uses archetypes from the human psyche to create shows, how heroes are generated in a society that lacks, or at least ignores, real heroes, and boundary warping, or how reality and unreality is actually defined.

This is a good book, although it is somewhat dated. Even the 1993 update makes this book pre-Internet, a new technology that would no doubt interest the authors. One of the charts uses characters from "Dynasty" as examples, and the reliance on Sigmund Freud shows that the authors are not aware that most psychologists view Freud as a quack. I think this is a necessary read, at least for those who are interested in media studies and the like. It does tend to get a little esoteric at times, which is not surprising as the two authors are engineers who are probably not used to writing directly to the masses. Recommended.

Overdramaticized view of American Media
While I agree that the media has its share of problems and is advertising driven and needs to be carefully analyzed, the arguments these two authors use are completely blown out of proportion.Everyone knows that you can't believe what you see on TV.As for the advertisements that permeate their way into programs - I don't see why the authors don't realize television wouldn't survive without clever advertising to keep the cash rolling in.As long as you can differentiate between reality and TV, you're fine, and this book will shed no new light on anything for you.

A Penetrating & Disturbing Look At The Electronic Media
I was literally blown away by this remarkable book and its well-argued and carefully documented thesis regarding the ways in which contemporary Americans are victimized and manipulated into a kind of strange, conjured,and artificial perspective of the world around them through the rise andactive ministrations of the "unreality industry". Here is aneye-opening expose on the specific ways in which we are being influenced,entertained, and carefully manipulated even as we strive to learn moreabout the world around us. Reading this remarkable book helped me to betterunderstand the ways in which the rise of the electronic media to a positionof prominence (if not complete domination) of the promulgation,interpretation, and dissemination of information has profoundly changed theway we have come to view, interpret and understand the world around us.

The authors carefully describe, articulate and identify thosecharacteristics of the media that cause many of us such vague uneaseregarding the way the media increasingly seems to focus on provocative,entertaining and diverting news stories which often are of only tangentialimport to us as citizens or individuals. We're subjected to obligatoryoverdoses on petty, arcane and distracting stores about Michael Jackson, OJSimpson, Susan Smith, Bill Clinton's cigar fetishes, and the vagaries ofthe stock market, while vital and critical issues of importance andrelevance to us as individuals or as citizens are systematically ignored.According to Mitroff and Bennis, everything about the way the news programsare organized and presented leads us to increasingly view the news more asa vehicle for entertainment than as a method of informing ourselves to beinvolved citizens, so we come to expect ever-greater levels of stimulationand excitement by virtue of this stylized approach to what is importantenough to report and present over the airwaves.Slowly we come to forgetthe critical differences between entertainment and information.

For theauthors, as for an increasingly alarmed number of academics and socialcritics, the basic dialectic at hand revolves between objective anddiscernable "reality", on the on hand, and this artificially-generated,diverting, entertaining, but basically incorrect version of it called"unreality", a dialectic which more and more favors the organizedcollective forces of the media, who present such entertaining and stylizednotions of what is relevant, cogent and important for us to pay attentionto is not necessarily as accurate or as objectively disinterested as it mayseem to be on the surface. We would do well to remember that the outcome ofthis struggle to correctly understand the world and how it operates is ofdesperate importance, and our eagerness to be entertained and diverted fromthe most egregious and disagreeable aspects of the modern environment mustnot allowed to become an addiction to fantasy, growing ignorance, andcritical stupidity.

"Unreality is alive and well"
MICHAEL D. TYSON

REALITY VS UNREALITY

"Technology has provided a means to get information from anywhere in the free world instantaneously at the touch of a button, the question needs to be asked can we live with this" Mike Tyson

The Authors of the Unreality Industry have focussed their finger pointing on the effects of AMERICAN TELEVISION and why they believe it has ruin the lives of the American people. I do not believe that the "Tele" or any method of delivery is the root of the problem nor we I ever believe that to much information or for that matter information overload is in itself a bad thing.The problem as I see it is that people need to have the capability, education wise to be able to filter out the horse s**t and tune in to what is real. If we tend to believe everything we hear on the radio and everything we see on the Tele then we deserve to be mislead. People have either become extremely gullible or extremely stupid to not have a clue that this was coming. Prime Time television is big business it exist because we let it, but we don't haft to let it control are lives.I agree completely with the author's suggestions that we must uncommercialize television news, advertising and all programs that depict the game shows aroma. This will not be as easy as it sounds, if people are not getting shot and there's no blood, and no sex then who's gonna watch, lets not forget about those Neilson rating's and how important they are.I am convinced that education or in this case lack of is why people would rather watch COP'S than 60 minutes. People will watch programs that stimulate them and they will respond to people that they can relate to, how else can you explain the SNOOP DOGGIE DOG phenomena.For those who have not figured it out yet Modern life is nothing more than a rat race and nobody wins. The so-called information age has brought with it the tools to rule the world the problem with that is that it also provides us with a method to destroy it.How l! ong will it take before people get enough of UNREALITY can we the Industry capital of the world afford to consume much more, I bet not. ... Read more

Product Description
Detras de la mascara is a true revelation of ajournalists behind the scenes work.The author, Jorge Ramos, tellsreaders what it is really like interviewing world leaders likePresident Bill Clinton, or dictator Fidel Castro. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Gladys Agramonte
I really love all of Jorge Ramos books.I have read a couple of his book and I bought this one to complete my collection.I like it very much.

Será buen periodista, pero es mal escritor
Me decepcionó este libro, el cual no pude terminar de leer. A pesar de que me cae bien Jorge Ramos, y considero que se expresa muy bien al hablar, no supo transferir ese don de expresión a la hoja escrita. Su estilo de escribir es tan estudiado que carece de vida, y para colmo su vocabulario es bastante pobre.

Como resultado, su libro es gris, seco y sin chiste, como un pedazo rancio de machaca.

Detrás de la máscara
Detras de la mascara es un libro muy interesante para las personas que están interesadas en lo que está pasando en Latinoamérica y los Estados Unidos en la actualidad.Ramos pone en papel lo que experimentó en las entrevistas con los líderes de políticos durante los años noventa. El estilo del libro se vuelve muy ligero y muy fácil de leer ya que es un estilo periodistico, sin muchos adornos y que va "directo" al grano, como el autor lo diría. Las anécdotas de los acontecimientos que sucedieron antes, durante y después de las entrevistas, hacen de las páginas de este libro una delicia de lectura.

Creo que cualquier persona que sigue lo que sucede en Latinoamérica disfrutará de este libro. Incluso, podría ser usado en clases de español de nivel medio o avanzado para las clases de cultura e hitoria en las universidades en los Estados Unidos por su facilidad de lectura y lenguaje claro y conciso. Como en los otros libros que ha escrito este autor, nos deja con ganas de seguir leyendo sus "andanzas" en el periodismo por el mundo. Es un libro recomendable para las personas que quieran saber más sobre los líderes de los años noventa y los actuales en nuestro contiente.

Muy interesante
El libro detras de la mascara. Este libro Se me hiso muy interesante porque esta bien que la gente se de cuentade todo lo que los presidentes y personas importantes del gobierno hasen. Muchas veses los presidentes no disen las cosas que hasen alas espaldas de la jente que los eligio. y cuando algienlos descubren nunca aseptan sus errores com lo dise el libro

great
wonderful, anyone who reads this book will fully understand what being a latino in the U.S is really like. felicidades Sr. Ramos! ... Read more

Product Description
Absent significant changes in U.S. defense investment priorities, American forces could soon find themselves unable to cope with some emerging challenges in large-scale power projection operations. Specifically, U.S. forces will need better capabilities to secure a foothold in distant theaters, to defeat weapons of mass destruction and their delivery vehicles, to gain control of operations in the air, and to locate and destroy invading ground forces. New surveillance sensors, information processing capabilities, communication systems, and guided munitions are enabling operational concepts that can allow U.S. forces to meet emerging challenges and, indeed, to adopt new approaches to warfare. The authors assess quantitatively the capabilities of U.S. forces in the context of a generic scenario depicting a large-scale war in the next decade. From this, they identify priorities for modernizing U.S. forces. They argue that modernization dollars should be focused on forces and enabling capabilities that allow for decisive operations early in a conflict. If necessary, funds for such enhancements can come from modest reductions in forces that are slower to deploy. ... Read more

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Ever Wanted To Plan Your Events Yourself But Didn’t Knew How? Here Are Some Valuable Information On How To Plan The Most Breath-Taking Events ... Read more