Into the Buzzsaw: Leading Journalists Expose the Myth of a Free Press SYNOPSIS
The first edition featured articles by award-winning journalists who described their work and the powerful interests who told them what to say in print and on camera. Their topics included fighting their own employers in court to get the news to the public, dealing with the censorship bundled with the war on terror, and the threat recent suppression and distortion of the news imposes on a free society. This new edition includes a new forward by Gore Vidal and new essays from practitioners such as Dan Rather on self-censorship, Ashleigh Banfield on creating an environment of ignorance, Charles Reina on the daily executive memos that shape the politics of Fox's reportage, and Charlotte Dennett's assessment of the press in Iraq. Written in journalistic style, the essays do not include citations or references but the editor does provide an index. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
In this uneven yet illuminating anthology, editor Borjesson succinctly explains the journalist's predicament: "The buzzsaw is what can rip through you when you try to investigate or expose anything this country's large institutions be they corporate or government want kept under wraps." Indeed, if members of the general public read this book, or even portions of it, they will be appalled. To the uninitiated reader, the accounts of what goes on behind the scenes at major news organizations are shocking. Executives regularly squelch legitimate stories that will lower their ratings, upset their advertisers or miff their investors. Unfortunately, this dirt is unlikely to reach unknowing news audiences, as this volume's likely readership is already familiar with the current state of journalism. Here, Murrow Award-winning reporter Borjesson edits essays by journalists from the Associated Press to CBS News to the New York Times. Each tells of their difficulties with news higher-ups as they tried to publish or air controversial stories relating to everything from toxic dump sites and civilian casualties to police brutality and dangerous hospitals. Some, like BBC reporter Greg Palast's, are merely rants against "corporate" journalism, but others, like New York Observer columnist Philip Weiss's, will serve as meaningful lessons to nascent and veteran writers alike. Most of the sentiments here are especially relevant given the current reports of the war in Afghanistan and questions of their validity, making this timely and essential reading for students and scholars of journalism. (Mar.) Forecast: With Bernard Goldberg's Bias riding high on bestseller lists, Borjesson's offering on news media manipulation is bound to attract serious attention and sales. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
The first edition of this book (LJ 3/1/02) appeared during the early months of the Bush administration's war on terror. Since then, the climate for investigative journalism has only become more repressive. This updated edition, which adds about 80 pages of new material, begins with a BBC interview in which Dan Rather admits that, to avoid appearing unpatriotic, he has refrained from questioning government policy. In the other new chapters, Charles Reina exposes the political pedigree of Fox News Channel, Ashleigh Banfield describes the obstacles to covering the Iraq war, and Charlotte Dennett reveals the "Great Game for Oil" underlying the war on terror. Borjesson, an award-winning investigative reporter, began collecting stories of government and corporate censorship after her own horrific experience while investigating the crash of TWA Flight 800. She hopes that journalists, policymakers, and the public will be sufficiently alarmed by these candid accounts to begin building "the nation's first independent mass media network." Highly recommended for all journalism collections but an optional purchase for public libraries that have the first edition.-Susan M. Colowick, Timberland Regional Lib., Tumwater, WA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal
Adult/High School-The buzzsaw, explains Borjesson, is what journalists encounter when they attempt to reveal information that the nation's "large institutions-be they corporate or government-" prefer to keep secret. She presents 18 firsthand accounts by authors and print and television producers and reporters who challenged the media structure, often with devastating results to their careers. While Borjesson's and David Hendrix's narratives on the 1996 TWA Flight 800 disaster alone are worth the price of the book, other contributors chronicle their experiences with everything from books suppressed by the publishing industry to drug-war "shills" (those hoping to convince an audience that the "game is honest") to Bobby Garwood, who spent 14 years as a POW in Vietnam. Self-censorship is rife, they say, forcing limits on what constitutes news and whose voice is being heard. This desperate state of modern journalism relates directly to the fact that while good investigative reporting demands time, money, and risk, news executives are more concerned with profitability. Suggested reforms include providing "news that matters" and a return to the First Amendment's promise of a "free press." Many of the essays are blunt; all are provocative, substantiated by examples and evidence. The issues each one raises should spark lively debates in journalism and government classes and stimulate the critical thinking of news consumers. A brief biography and photograph of the contributor prefaces each chapter.-Dori DeSpain, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Booknews
The buzzsaw is what reporters call the powerful system of censorship in the US that is revealed to those investigating extremely sensitive stories, usually having to do with high-level government or corporate malfeasance. Here a group of journalists, who usually avoid collaboration and the spotlight, risk the blade by describing their encounters with it. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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