Merchants of Truth

August 1, 2018

The former executive editor of the New York Times has a lot to share about the current state of the news business, and she does so by tracking two legacy publications (the Times and the Washington Post) and two shiny new venues (BuzzFeed and VICE) as they navigate economic burdens, the new technology, and the constant demands of maintaining their audiences in a tumultuous world.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from January 1, 2019
These are perilous times to be a journalist. As if the advent of the internet and the aftereffects of the 2008 recession weren't enough to challenge the existing model of daily print newspapers and nightly network broadcasts, now we have a president who makes spurious charges of fake news and dangerously deems reporters to be enemies of the people. As a former executive editor of the New York Times, Abramson was uniquely situated to observe the changes that are affecting the ways in which media companies develop and distribute news and information. On the one hand, the New York Times and Washington Post epitomize the old guard of careful and credentialed journalism. On the other, upstarts such as BuzzFeed and Vice Media are challenging those standards by capitalizing on the immediacy of web-based sharing in conjunction with social media platforms such as Facebook and Google. It's a battle for industry dominance in which all entities will need to adapt or die, when the choice is often between revenue and substance. Never better than when she is detailing her personal professional crises when inherent conflicts between old and new media rattled Times management, Abramson offers an engrossing behind the curtains journey into the demanding business of modern media. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Abramson's expert and frank assessment of the struggles of the press in the "fake news" era will attract avid attention.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

Starred review from December 1, 2018
The former executive editor of the New York Times examines how and why American journalism has changed drastically in the past decade and what those changes mean for an informed citizenry.Better than many in her business, Abramson (The Puppy Diaries: Raising a Dog Named Scout, 2011, etc.) understands the roiling craft of journalism from the inside. Refreshingly, she writes candidly about her own complicated role in the tsunami of change washing over the industry. In 1979, prominent journalist David Halberstam published The Powers That Be, which looked at a then-turning point in American news media, specifically as related to the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, CBS News, and Time Inc. Abramson notes that Halberstam's book influenced her to choose journalism as a career, and now she has adopted Halberstam's structure to drive her latest work. To illuminate the current big picture, the author focuses on four news outlets: the New York Times, Washington Post, BuzzFeed, and Vice Media. She examines these contemporary news organizations at three different intervals since the financial meltdown of 2008, and the fifth presence looming over the narrative is Facebook--and its billions of users. As Abramson delves into the Washington Post, one of the surprising positive elements (in a sea of negatives) is the ownership of Jeff Bezos, whose substantial cash infusions have brought growth, quality, and hope to the newsroom. Regarding her beloved New York Times, Abramson offers a cautionary tale, but she understands that the newspaper, in print and online, still sets the standard of quality in many ways. As for BuzzFeed's transformation from a lighthearted digital playground to a serious news presence, the author seems impressed. Vice, on the other hand, comes in for harsher treatment, mostly due to founder Shane Smith's refusal to truly understand news and his oversight of a misogynistic culture. The author also deftly weaves in important information about Breitbart, the Drudge Report, and other relevant outlets.A highly readable combination of significant topic, deep reporting, endlessly fascinating anecdotes, and vivid writing.

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