Slanted: How the News Media Taught Us to Love Censorship and Hate Journalism

Slanted serves as a unique users guide for todays inquiring news consumers, particularly those who are outraged at the control and manipulation of our information today. Sharyl Attkisson, a nonpartisan award-winning journalist, takes readers inside her industry to methodically trace how the news got to the sorry state it is today. This is no outsiders story. As Attkisson explains in gripping detail, she has seen “the devolution of the news as we once knew” it from a front row seat at CNN, PBS and CBS. She backs up her assertions with many specific real world examples. Additionally, Slanted takes apart the horrific media misreporting on many topics, especially when it comes to Donald Trump. As far as the media is concerned, anything goes when reporting on Trump. Seasoned and once-fair journalists have given up all pretense of neutrality to attack a president they claim to be “uniquely dangerous.” Attkisson argues that it is actually when challenged by their personal feelings and emotions that journalists should stick to the reporting standards theyve developed, rather than abandon them. But most interesting of all, Attkisson explains whats behind these disturbing trends. They arent due to chance. Dont miss the Appendix where Attkisson lists the Major Media Mistakes in the Era of Trump. Wait until you see how many times the New York Times, Washington Post and CNN make the list! Attkisson begins her book by comparing what we face today with the dystopian world foretold by Orwell in 1984. After reading Slanted, its hard to argue against the point.

I have read two books this week and both of them reference we are entering an Orwellian world, a world of make believe composed by those with influence. For this author those people are media personalities. She begins by her own personal journey in the 1990s and brings us many personal experiences to illustrate her thesis. The book reads like a journalistic adventure with sober warnings that this has been going on for decades and shows no signs of turning around as media is an international issue. There is hope however. She ends the book with names of personalities and media organizations that are worthy of respect. From what I have read this week this topic seems to be popular and I wouldn’t be surprised to see similar such books arriving soon.

As an independent, nonpartisan, I was interested in a critical look at how the media writ large (liberal, conservative, neutral, etc.) have become slanted due to corporate pressures or outside influences. Unfortunately, this book is not even handed. It condemns media organizations that have reported critically on Trump, while giving a pass to Fox News, which has basically become the presidents propaganda outlet. Ignoring the last four years of slanted reporting from the presidents mouthpiece seems like a glaring omission. But where the book really lost me was at the end when she referenced recommendations for good sources of journalism and off-narrative reporting. In this section, Attkisson cites Project Veritas the organization known for manipulating tapes and illegally recording interns at bars. Its embarrassing. That she goes on to recommend other extremely slanted and conflicted commentators and opinion people completely undercuts her message. On the one hand, the author laments the sorry state of the biased media in the Trump era. At the same time, her recommendation is to seek out extremely slanted reporting. Im surprised she didnt recommend Maria Bortiromo or Diamond & Silk! An even handed critical analysis would have been nice, but that wouldnt have suited her narrative (to borrow her phrase). Sadly, the book reads like a defense of Trump that could have been written by Laura Ingraham or Sean Hannity.

If your daily routine includes watching CNN and/or reading the Washington Post this book is probably not on your coffee table. Not that any of the large corporate media giants duck the authors scythe, but the liberal bastions take it pretty hard at the knees. However if youre game to give it a go I suggest you start at the end Appendix Chapter. If after that you still dont want to read the rest, then its probably better you go back to reading Vogue.
Im frankly not a big fan of the Authors writing style, its just a bit too informal for me, but Im sure others will find it comfortable. While I recognize that a fully footnoted volume of the book would have been a voluminous undertaking, nevertheless it is lacking. Not to say its not reasonably resourced, it surely is, but complete footnotes are essential in this kind of expose, particularly when you name names. Also missing, aside from a third party comment, is a historical background to Americas long history of fake news and political propaganda going back to its founding revolution, yellow journalism, muck rakers, war mongering, and the infamous journ-o-list during Obamas election.
As the Author clearly spells out, the gloves are off, any pretense of objectivity is not only gone but scoffed at in the Newsrooms of ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and the posh corporate Boardrooms of the likes of Google, Twitter, and Facebook. To look that 5000lb gorilla in the face and call them out? Damn, thats bravery. And IMO, that makes her a hero.

Eye opening heart wrenching read.only negative is that its America centric when the rest of the world- especially UK is experiencing the same thing. Factual- interesting and informative

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