Newspapers Books

This book was very interesting from a cultural/historical perspective, and arrived quickly, in good condition, well packaged, with the dust jacket intact. It had the slight odor of old books, but not offensively so.

Schudson gives a lively explanation of American newspapers, up to 1980. Much of the discussion is about how things worked in the 19th century, when reporting was far more partisan and less regulated by convention or professional codes.

As the 20th century proceeded, the quality of reporting tended to rise; to become more objective, at least on the surface. And even partisan newspapers like the Wall Street Journal improved the accuracy of their front page articles.

Alas, the book needs a serious updating [if the author is still around], to take into account the Web 2.0 and its effect on newspapers.

This book, part of the "History of Communication" series by the University of Illinois Press, looks at 6 issues/incidents leading up to the Civil War (the caning of Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner by Rep. Preston Brooks of South Carolina on the floor of the Senate, the "Dred-Scott" Decision, the Lecompton Constitution in Kansas, John Brown's Harpers Ferry raid, Lincoln's election, and the firing on Ft. Sumter) and examines them from the perspective of the way they were presented and commented on in the press, both North and South. It's no surprise that the newspapers from either side of the Mason-Dixon Line reported events differently; basically the South felt it was protecting its way of life and institutions (slavery) from the destructive meddling of northerners, while the North believed that the South's emphasis on honor and liberty was a hypocrisy and that her "all or nothing at all" (slavery or disunion) attitude was dangerous and vindictive. No matter what the issue, newspapers attacked and defended along the same predictable lines, with rare exceptions, and those never in the South. By the time Lincoln was elected, both sides saw the other as the worst enemy of the Republic. Without going far beneath the surface and in blah academic style, the authors present each issue and resulting sectional response. The longest chapter in the book, and the least interesting, is the opening one about the press in general during the first half of the 19th century. Throughout the book, however, one occasionally comes across an especially provocative sentence such as this: "Belief that a republican form of government could work rested on the character of the people of that republic." An interesting idea, for pre-Civil War America as well as today.

This books offers a good overview of feature writing for both magazines and newspapers. However, when I compared the first edition of this text (1988) with the current 4th edition, I noticed very little difference, other than a huge price increase. Some of the book has been updated, but the sections that are aren't too relevant or useful. Thus, if you have the original edition of this otherwise fine text, don't bother to buy the newer version--it's nearly identical.

Awesome book... I admire Phil Jackson very much and this book reinforcces my belief in him.

Bird is not a former tabloid "insider," but an academic: assistant professor of humanities and anthropology at the University of Minnesota. She discusses tabloid history, beginning as far back as oral "folklore" and urban legends. She interviewed tabloid editors, writers, and readers for this book, and analyzes tabloid stories within the context of folklore theory. She claims that tabloid readers are savvier and better-educated than is assumed, that they "interact and contribute" to with what they read (through gossip and fantasy), and that working class readers (as much as upper class readers) realize that many tabloid stories are false or exaggerated. Released in 1992, by the University of Tennessee Press. An easy read, despite its academic author and publisher.

Anyone who has ever owned a basset hound SHOULD collect Fred Basset books! When a cartoonist is required to come up with something funny 365 days a year, a few are bound to be duds, but this compilation from 2005 is good, as usual.

It is perhaps ironic that only in the days of modern instant communication and political spin doctoring that much more is becoming known about the role of "Grub Street" in the war effort of 200 years ago. Napoleon's own contribution to spin is well-known, so here Simon Burrows examines the efforts made by French emigres to shift opinion both within France and outside to the restoration of order through the turbulent 1790s. The papers began with the mass exoduses from France of 1792-3 and this is the story of the sometimes hand-to-mouth existence of a relative handful of publishers who tried to keep various papers going. Although at this time, the London times was already becoming established, the émigré papers were more akin to modern magazines, relying on subscription income and mostly being produced at fortnightly or longer intervals with circulations of less than a thousand. However, having started as a mix of culture and politics, the papers increasingly moved towards pushing particular political lines as the factions jockeyed for power in Paris. Given the private nature of these operations, a surprising amount of material has survived and it is possible for Burrows to paint clear images of several proprietors, especially Mallet du Pan, although many of those involved remain shadowy figures, as do their links with the Bourbons. Having dealt with the rather complex (and sometimes rather Byzantine) business angle, Burrows goes on to explain the propaganda war and sets out a framework upon which doubtless more will be written. The book is a joint publication between the Royal Historical Society and Boydell & Brewer, publishers of Elizabeth Sparrow's book: Secret Service, so it is interesting to see several of the minor characters from Sparrow's work also showing up in this, revealing the links between the open and more clandestine émigré efforts. The newspapers themselves were also translated into English to keep British opinion with the émigrés as Britain struggled with the costs of war in the 1790s. The author gets a little ahead of himself in the propaganda section taking the story up to 1810 before returning to the detail of the 1790s, which can mix up the national policy considerations with rivalries amongst the various émigré factions. Nevertheless, the failure of the émigrés to form any kind of cohesive unity is clear and like today, various papers followed their own viewpoint. As with so many aspects of the period, the competing ideas and factions shift to a direct focus on the new regime of Napoleon Bonaparte following the coup d'etat of November 1799.The British government begins to take a greater interest in several papers and arranges substantial subscriptions to keep the favoured papers going, while at the same time, Bonaparte's regime seeks to close down any free press in the territories it controls and limit criticism from elsewhere. The struggle reaches its high point in the libel case brought on behalf of the Consul against Peltier, publisher of L'Ambigu (A title itself reflecting the mixed reaction to Bonaparte) in late 1802. The British government had tried to keep the lid on the press whilst preserving its freedom in the period immediately following the Treaty of Amiens, but the pressure both of Napoleon's efforts to suppress adverse comment and the confusion in emigre ranks caused by his invitations to return. Some émigré papers were favourable, while others become even more opposed to the French government. The journalistic output of this period provides an extra angle to the breakdown of relations between Britain and France within a year of Amiens. Then the British government increasingly supports the anti-Bonaparte papers as tools of propaganda across Europe and even into the American continent as the now Imperial French regime tightened its grip on its own press. Napoleon's struggle with the Pope also became a key part of émigré reporting and the journalistic background to several key events provides a new angle on them. The book concludes with an assessment of the creation of the Black Legend of Napoleon. In noting its origins amongst the émigré press, Burrows demonstrates how this extreme attack actually stifled a more reasoned critique of the Bonapartist regime and thereby allowed the romantic notion to come to fruition both in the reign of Napoleon III and today's revival. Further reading would include The Right-Wing Press in the French Revolution 1789-92 (WJ Murray) from the same publishers and British Periodical Press and the French Revolution, 1789-99 (Stuart Andrews). Although this is book is expensive, it is a hopeful sign - the cost is higher because this is on a short run, but at least some publishers are prepared to print worthwhile material and there is more in this book than many of the standard popular histories of the period. An illuminating and worthwhile, if rather complex, read, which shows there is little new in the press of today.

College freshman, Katelyn Spears, is a very firm believer in a little something she likes to call the two-date rule. You see, everyone knows that first dates are just about one of the most awkward things any human can possibly experience, so all guys obviously deserve a second date. But beyond that? Not unless he's a knight in shining armor. Which may just be the reason why Katelyn is swinging single. That is, until Tyler enters the picture. Tyler is the editor-in-chief of the campus paper, and yet another guy who views Katelyn as nothing more than "best friend potential." When Tyler discovers the truth about Katelyn's little rule - a la the anonymous advice she gives to students via her "Mother Hubbard" advice column, he announces that her way of thinking is a little too harsh, and proposes a little...activity for her to complete. The challenge? Katelyn must go through her Little Pink Book, and go on a third-date with all of the two-date duds. Sounds easy enough. But the clincher is that she must then report her findings as she plays the field to the entire school, through her newspaper column and blog reports. Katelyn knows that she'll be able to prove Tyler wrong in a heartbeat, and begins shuffling through her coded address book. But the more she thinks about it, the more she wonders whether one of her two-date duds could actually be her awaiting Prince.

I find that as I get older, it's hard to find teen fiction that you can actually relate to. Which is why I absolutely adore when the SIMON PULSE ROMANTIC COMEDIES center around a girl, on her own for the first time, in college - much like Kelly McClymer's GETTING TO THIRD DATE. Katelyn is a sarcastic, fresh voice to the dating scene; and her advice, while a bit outdated and harsh, can actually be applied to everyday life. The fact that she is finally starting to discover who she is, and what she wants in life is a highly appealing factor, as many girls - both pre-teen, teen, and young adult - will be able to identify with her quest to find the inner her. The fact that McClymer, jumping on the wave-of-the-future bandwagon incorporates blogging, websites, and the Internet into her SIMON PULSE addition is quite fun, as well. After all, this is the time of the future - and the future revolves around computers for many teens. McClymer's GETTING TO THIRD DATE is an invigorating, fast-paced, romantic comedy that will keep readers giggling from beginning to end; and just may make someone pull out their very own Little Pink Book, in an attempt to rekindle a romance gone awry.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

Finally, instead of speculating about the effects of media on teenage girls, someone asked the girls themselves! This book examines the features, advertising, and "advertorials" of magazines aimed at teenage girls AND interviews teenage girls (both magazine readers and non-magazine readers). So, in addition to anazlying content (something that is important and interesting but has been done), Currie speaks to girls to find out how they read the magazines, why they read the magazines, and what they get out of them. The results are surprising. In addition to the interviews and content analysis, Currie also provides information about social research methods that I, someone outside of the sociology field, found very interesting. One complaint about the book is that she used several of the same quotes in more than one section of the book. This repetition made me wonder if the author actually intended for someone to sit down and read the book cover to cover.