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Don't Believe It!: How Lies Becomes News
Do you think shamed journalists Jayson Blair and Stephen Glass were rare bad apples? Far from it, they were just the ones stupid enough to get caught. Alexandra Kitty demonstrates with example upon example how manufactured news is endemic in our media and shows the reader how to spot suspicious stories. In the last few years, the journalism industry has cut costs by eliminating important companies have reduced the number of factcheckers, editors, and journalists. What this means is that editors and reporters cannot spend time verifying information. Moreover, journalists are not required to have professional experience or training to cover their beats. Fierce competition to get a scoop may lead to journalists making careless errors or not doublechecking information. To maintain audiences and readership, journalists, editors and producers will choose sensational stories that "shock." Combined with time and budget constraints, journalists may unwittingly or deliberately disseminate false or misleading information to the public. It is important to "get" a story, interview a subject or nab a scoop first--the accuracy of these elements is secondary. Competition from other media outlets also means the goal of a journalist is to get the scoop first--how it makes it on the air (flawed, inaccurate, questionably obtained) is unimportant. Don't Believe It! teaches news consumers how to verify information. It shows readers how to evaluate sources, eyewitnesses and data. This is a comprehensive bible to information verification from a logical standpoint, showing how to be skeptical without being jaded, step by step, with case studies and a classification manual.
- GenresNonfictionPolitics
416 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2005
About the author
Alexandra Kitty
40 books12 followersAlexandra Kitty is an award-winning author of twenty books, including The Art of Kintsugi, The Dramatic Moment of Fate: The Life of Sherlock Holmes in the Theatre, The Mind Under Siege: Mechanisms of War Propaganda, A Different Track: Hospital Trains of the Second World War, and The Sport of Presidents..
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 3, 2007
Don’t Believe It! How Lies Become News, Alexandra Kitty, The Disinformation Company Ltd, 2005
This book looks at how, and why, so many scams, hoaxes and other falsehoods seem to make it into the news.
If there is such a thing as The Reason for such a state of affairs, it is that, in general, journalists don’t bother to check a story’s accuracy. In this 24-hour-news world, there is little, or no, time to be thorough. It is better to be first than right. If a story has been covered by some other media outlet, it must automatically be legitimate. Also, an increasing number of scam artists have learned to package their scams in a media-friendly way.
All of us have seen such stories in the news. Some people claim to have found disgusting things in their food, like needles in soda cans, or fingers in chili. During Gulf War I, there was the widely reported accusation that Iraqi soldiers burst into Kuwaiti maternity wards, took the babies out of incubators, left them to die on the floor, and took the incubators. A popular story is the one about a crime victim, or someone, especially a child, fighting some major disease. Whether or not the poor individual actually exists tends to be forgotten. What if the reporter is the one who says they are sick, but then it turns out to be a lie. How many of these stories turn out to be true?
Included are a list of questions that the media consumer can ask to help weed out the hoaxes. How well is the story sourced? Is the story over hyped? Is the rumor inflammatory or slanderous? Does this interview subject have something to gain by lying? Was a “friend of a friend” the origin of the rumor? Does the story rely on unnamed sources? In war zones, does one of the warring sides seem to have media training or have hired a public relations firm?
This book belongs in every home in America. It does a fine job of showing just how easily scams and hoaxes can become news, and helping the consumer to distinguish them from legitimate news. The writing is first-rate and it is really easy to read.
This book looks at how, and why, so many scams, hoaxes and other falsehoods seem to make it into the news.
If there is such a thing as The Reason for such a state of affairs, it is that, in general, journalists don’t bother to check a story’s accuracy. In this 24-hour-news world, there is little, or no, time to be thorough. It is better to be first than right. If a story has been covered by some other media outlet, it must automatically be legitimate. Also, an increasing number of scam artists have learned to package their scams in a media-friendly way.
All of us have seen such stories in the news. Some people claim to have found disgusting things in their food, like needles in soda cans, or fingers in chili. During Gulf War I, there was the widely reported accusation that Iraqi soldiers burst into Kuwaiti maternity wards, took the babies out of incubators, left them to die on the floor, and took the incubators. A popular story is the one about a crime victim, or someone, especially a child, fighting some major disease. Whether or not the poor individual actually exists tends to be forgotten. What if the reporter is the one who says they are sick, but then it turns out to be a lie. How many of these stories turn out to be true?
Included are a list of questions that the media consumer can ask to help weed out the hoaxes. How well is the story sourced? Is the story over hyped? Is the rumor inflammatory or slanderous? Does this interview subject have something to gain by lying? Was a “friend of a friend” the origin of the rumor? Does the story rely on unnamed sources? In war zones, does one of the warring sides seem to have media training or have hired a public relations firm?
This book belongs in every home in America. It does a fine job of showing just how easily scams and hoaxes can become news, and helping the consumer to distinguish them from legitimate news. The writing is first-rate and it is really easy to read.
March 23, 2017
This deserves another review, although Paul said most of what I could say about it.
I first picked up this book in a college library, using my infamous intuition-guided hand. I saw that the book-which I read around 2012, hadn't been chevked out since 2005! And that was the only other person, if I recall correctly. I took the book home, and I'm glad I did. I may not remember the contents themselves as well, but it had a profound effect on how I evaluated news.
This book was like the fun!textbook of News Literacy class. I have watched news with a keener eye since. There are some things the book suggests that I simply am unlikely to do (verify every source in the article by making phone calls) but it made me realize that I DO have the power to find the truth, if I so seek it.
It also helped me balance my views of news. The book is pro-neutral news, disliking any sway. While I have decided that neutral news is ultimately beneficial, I still like news that sways a little to my side. But neutral news should be the anchor to that sway; rather then the rare exception, as it is now.
This book won't only change how you view news stories. It will sway how you think of blogs, scientific articles, radio. It teaches you the difference between story-pepper and acrual facts. National Geographic is one of my favorite magazines, but it's a little bit less credible now; now that I can determine when they're trying to say things to appeal to me rather then facts. A lot of magazines have become...less readable. Which is good. It means I'm focusing on the quality and accuracy of the content given to me, and demanding to get a certain level of it.
I highly recommend this book, especially during these times. I literally think it's important for people to read this book in this day and age. We need its knowledge more then ever.
I first picked up this book in a college library, using my infamous intuition-guided hand. I saw that the book-which I read around 2012, hadn't been chevked out since 2005! And that was the only other person, if I recall correctly. I took the book home, and I'm glad I did. I may not remember the contents themselves as well, but it had a profound effect on how I evaluated news.
This book was like the fun!textbook of News Literacy class. I have watched news with a keener eye since. There are some things the book suggests that I simply am unlikely to do (verify every source in the article by making phone calls) but it made me realize that I DO have the power to find the truth, if I so seek it.
It also helped me balance my views of news. The book is pro-neutral news, disliking any sway. While I have decided that neutral news is ultimately beneficial, I still like news that sways a little to my side. But neutral news should be the anchor to that sway; rather then the rare exception, as it is now.
This book won't only change how you view news stories. It will sway how you think of blogs, scientific articles, radio. It teaches you the difference between story-pepper and acrual facts. National Geographic is one of my favorite magazines, but it's a little bit less credible now; now that I can determine when they're trying to say things to appeal to me rather then facts. A lot of magazines have become...less readable. Which is good. It means I'm focusing on the quality and accuracy of the content given to me, and demanding to get a certain level of it.
I highly recommend this book, especially during these times. I literally think it's important for people to read this book in this day and age. We need its knowledge more then ever.
December 24, 2016
--Don't Believe It!: How Lies Become News
Manual of Rumors and Hoaxes
References
Manual of Rumors and Hoaxes
References
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews