Kirkus Reviews
Populist excoriation of the US media that amuses but never quite enlightens. In this collection of short pieces culled from his synducated weekly column "Media Beat" and other sources, Solomon gathers together just about all the complaints and criticisms of the-media the left has to make. Concentration of ownership has skewed coverage so that interests of a corporate few are well represented, but stories of working people and the poor are hard to find. White males dominate a "punditocracy" while the voices of people of color and of women are only infrequently heard. Stories of scandal, ... a la Clinton and Lewinsky, keep us amused while the real scandals of corporate downsizing and layoffs and government collusion in such actions remain virtually invisible. These are all important topics, worthy of perusal and consideration, yet here they are mostly reduced to slogans and one-liners. The trouble may lie in the format; a collection of columns is perhaps bound to be superficial. Each piece is no longer than two or three pages, so Solomon can tell us what is wrong but not why. Repetition abounds; we are told the media are "Orwellian" at least seven times. Jokes are repeated, facts are repeated. It's not that Solomon doesn't provide us at times with useful information, and he certainly writes with flair and humor -- his pundit bashing of such media figures as George Will is telling and hilarious. The political cartoons provided by Matt Wuerker and others are biting, as well. Still, there is a lack of analysis, of explanation, of in-depth investigation. True believers may nod in agreement, but others may simply become bored. Readers would be better served investigating the far superior three-volume study of the media Solomon co-authored with Jeff Cohen: Wizards of Media Oz; Through the Media Looking Glass; Adventures in Medialand (not reviewed). While skewering the media, Solomon commits the same sins of which he finds them guilty: sensationalism, superficiality, banality. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
--Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
Z Magazine, November 1999, Reviewed by Michael Hardesty
Norman Solomon is a long-time media critic who specializes in uncovering the premises behind the `centrist' prejudices of our major `mainstream' media.... Solomon's latest work consists of reprints of many fine columns and articles he's done over the years.... You won't want to miss the P.U.litzer Prize awards for exceptionally stinky journalism that Solomon, along with Jeff Cohen of FAIR, compiles every year. The incredible major media whitewashing of [figures] such as Benjamin Netanyahu and Madeleine Albright makes for depressing but informative reading. Fortunately, Solomon has a sense of humor that leavens the dreariest news and helps put the daily crap into perspective. The myth of secret reportorial leftism is nicely debunked by Solomon. Many of the Washington press corps make six figure incomes and identify with their corporate masters.... I can't think of a better tool to organize alternative media critiques than this latest welcome work of Norman Solomon's.
