unSpun: Finding Facts in a World of Disinformation
by Brooks Jackson, Kathleen Hall Jamieson
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Book Summary Information
Author: Brooks Jackson, Kathleen Hall JamiesonEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-04-24
ISBN: 1400065666
Number of pages: 208
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Book Reviews of unSpun: Finding Facts in a World of Disinformation
Book Review: The Value of Reason in an Age of Hype
Summary: 5 Stars
I was shocked, *shocked*, to learn that advertisers and politicians had been lying to me.
Actually, no, I wasn't. But it seems too many people are unaware of the degree to which they are being "spun" and the ways in which the facts are being distorted to create a particular impression.
The authors have written a clear, concise, and direct treatise on the subject. This should be required reading for all citizens in this country, and probably also should be taught in the schools. They have organized their discourse into several sections:
* Warning signs of trickery - Seven key warning signs that one is being "spun."
* Tricks - Eight proven tricks used against the public.
* Rules for How to be Sure - Nine invaluable rules to follow when trying to sort fact from fiction.
Each of these signs, tricks, and rules is illustrated with revealing and amusing tales of successful flim-flam.
Between the Tricks and the Rules are excellent chapters on the psychological reasons we fall for such tricks, techniques for avoiding falling for hoaxes, and a clear argument that facts can save your life.
Some, such as William Lutz in "Doublespeak" (1989), have exposed the techniques used and inveighed against them.
Others, such as Farhad Manjoo in "True Enough: Learning to Live in a Post-Fact Society" (2008), have addressed some of the psychological reasons and methods people manage to avoid reasoning based on the facts.
Jackson and Jamieson have cut to the chase and offered a clear and concise manual for understanding the techniques used and making oneself proof against them
This book is a must-read and a real "keeper."
Summary of unSpun: Finding Facts in a World of Disinformation
Americans are bombarded daily with mixed messages, half-truths, misleading statements, and out-and-out fabrications masquerading as facts. The news media-once the vaunted watchdogs of our republic-are often too timid or distracted to identify these deceptions.unSpun is the secret decoder ring for the twenty-first-century world of disinformation. Written by Brooks Jackson and Kathleen Hall Jamieson, the founders of the acclaimed website FactCheck.org, unSpun reveals the secrets of separating facts from disinformation, such as:
. the warning signs of spin, hype, and bogus news
. common tricks used to deceive us
. how to find trustworthy and objective sources of information
Telling fact from fiction shouldn't be a difficult task. With this book and a healthy dose of skepticism, anyone can cut through the haze of biased media reportage to be a savvier consumer and a better-informed citizen.
"Read this book and you will not go unarmed into the political wars ahead of us. Jackson and Jamieson equip us to be our own truth squad, and that just might be the salvation of democracy."
-Bill Moyers
"THE DEFINITIVE B.S. DETECTOR-AN ABSOLUTELY INVALUABLE GUIDEBOOK."
-Mark Shields, syndicated columnist and political analyst, NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
"unSpun is an essential guide to cutting through the political fog. Just in time for the 2008 campaign, Brooks Jackson and Kathleen Hall Jamieson have written a citizen's guide to avoiding the malarkey of partisan politics."
-Mara Liasson, NPR national political correspondent
"The Internet may be a wildly effective means of communication and an invaluable source of knowledge, but it has also become a new virtual haven for scammers-financial, political, even personal. Better than anything written before, unSpun shows us how to recognize these scams and protect ourselves from them."
-Craig Newmark, founder and customer service representative, Craigslist.org
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