Spin! How the News Media Misinform and Why Consumers Misunderstand

"Spin brings to light a controversial and critical issue--how the media can shape the news instead of report it. As a PhD ... (the author) gives a unique insight into the pressures, politics, and changes in the media that lead to quickly reporting, and sensationalizing stories, based on scanty evidence all to get lots of readers. Journalistic integrity seems to be waning. Personally I got a lot of insight from the chapter about the Toyota recall debacle in which relatively small problems leading to lots of vehicles recalled were blown up into computer-controlled, unstoppable, runaway cars that can only be characterized as science fiction. This book is short and to the point and should be read by all!" --Jeffrey K. Liker, PhD, author of The Toyota Way and Toyota Under Fire Ever watched the news and felt like something was missing? Or read a news story and felt like you were being misled? This book explains why. The news industry has changed dramatically in recent years and not for the best. From Sarah Palin to Toyota, from science to environmental advocacy, the waters of truth are frequently muddied by the news media. This book reviews studies about the news media by researchers, it describes the author’s personal experiences in dealing with reporters and it details a number of real-life examples that dig deep beyond headlines.