The FAIR reader

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In just about every major news story of the '90s from the U.S. invasion of Panama to the 1994 midterm elections, the major media has misled, misinformed and manipulated its audience. That's the overriding message in this exhaustive and occasionally overwhelming collection of articles culled from EXTRA!, the official publication of the New York-based Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR). Whether the deception occurs because of laziness (reporters condemning the philosophies of assistant attorney general nominee Lani Guinier without bothering to read them) or government manipulation (during the Gulf War, the Pentagon curried favor by flying in U.S. reporters to cover "hometown troops"), it's chilling to be presented with evidence that the news outlets on whom most Americans rely are doing such a shoddy job. A few earn praise, but overall the tone is one of pedantic disapproval. That makes sense-FAIR is a media watchdog. But in addition to the relentless scolding, the editors might have answered some of the questions that they raise. Specifically: Why haven't more people attacked this trend? How can journalistic accountability be fostered? Equally troublesome is that many of the FAIR writers rely as much on statistics as the journalists they criticize. How is the reader to know whose numbers are valid? That said, this is a valuable collection, if for no other reason than it reminds readers to question everything. (Apr.)

Booknews

A collection of critical articles originally published in Extra! and Extra! update, the journals of the national media watch group FAIR. The articles cover the coverage of the Bush administration, the Gulf War, homelessness, health care reform, NAFTA, crime, and the economy. Particular and extensive attention is given to Clinton's election campaign and to his administration. The volume poses questions about the biases of mainstream media, and its threat to the democratic process. Paper edition (unseen), $17.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Mary Carroll

Libraries subscribing to "EXTRA!", the media review published by Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR), can skip this collection; where "EXTRA!" is not available, however, these articles from the late 1980s and the 1990s will fill a gap. To balance Reed Irvine's Accuracy in Media (AIM), which represents the "liberal bias" theory of what's wrong with the media, FAIR, most visibly represented by Jeff Cohen, scores the "corporate agenda" that colors and constrains the stories the media choose to report and the angles from which they report these stories. The collection includes articles on media coverage of the Bush and Clinton administrations, the 1992 and 1994 elections, and media scapegoating of various elements within society, such as teen mothers, the homeless, and "greedy geezers." From the Gulf War and Iran-Contra to media scandal-mongering, health care reform, crime hysteria, and the "war on immigration," "The FAIR Reader"'s analyses shed light on who benefits when the nation's major newspapers and broadcast media cover--or choose not to cover--news stories the way they do.