Reviews for Global Media Spectacle: News War over Hong Kong

The average rating for Global Media Spectacle: News War over Hong Kong based on 2 reviews is 2.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2017-08-06 00:00:00 Adam Black Cooke expertly displays the fifth estate in its complicated wartime glory. He points out the convoluted links- and secrets- between the military, government, and media during American wars. The book is filled with an impressive amount of nuanced research. At times he gently chastises the press' lack of involvement; at others, he commends them for fulfilling their watchdog role to point out how political actions and motivations are often hidden or distorted. However, I don't think he emphasized media's shortcomings strongly enough for me to believe that this is an attempt at objectivity (especially during the war on terror/Bush administration...not American media's finest hour). Regardless, this is impressive. He inverts the typical argument structure. Here every example is followed by results and his implicit opinion; most other research starts with an opinion, then an example. Here every single detail is concretely contextualized. It keeps things interesting. That said, this still reads like an extremely long research paper rather than a bland textbook. The structure is as follows: background leading into war, war itself, results of war and how the press was involved. It isn't boring, but it's dense with tons of specific examples regarding how certain media outlets responded to war-related events. Overall I would have liked to see more of the effects on the American public, and how that played out into the greater scheme of events. But this was engaging and a definite MUST READ for anyone interested in media criticism, media literacy, history, public relations, government, etc...and basically every American citizen. It's just another reminder that we shouldn't take what any "higher" structure spoon feeds us as "truth," and that we must be aware of existing biases of certain media outlets.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-02-25 00:00:00 Joseph Stynes In 'Echo Chamber: Rush Limbaugh and the Conservative Media Establishment,' authors Jamieson and Cappella take a much deeper and scientific approach to their study of the connection between Limbaugh, Fox News and the Wall Street Journal's editorial pages. Backed by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, 'Echo Chamber' is an exacting and through accounting of the detailed factors (framing, name calling, collusion) employed by the 'conservative opinion media' to not only broadcast their message to a narrowly chosen demographic (white, older, southerners that make up the sweet spot of the GOP), but whose agenda actually reaches right into the heart of the Republican party to do everything in their power to either anoint, or deny political success to, candidates that pass their litmus test of Reagan conservatism (anti-regulation, gun rights, small government, anti-welfare, pro-life, etc.) Examples of those who have benefitted (Bush, Palin) as well those who have been attacked, or perhaps killed, politically for not being conservative enough (McCain, Huckabee.) The missing piece in both books is the deep dive, where the authors look way under the hood at the true germination and funding of these messaging campaigns (lobbyists), the benefactors of the message (corporations) and the true innerworkings of the skunkworks who pull the strings on all of this (Frank Luntz, Dick Armey, RNC operatives, etc.) The opportunity here is for a new Woodward and Bernstein to emerge to get beyond the surface speakers of this movement and to reveal the real shadow players in this political agenda. In other words, it's time for a new Deep Throat.