Barbara R. (Crop4Fun) reviewed Yellow Journalism: Scandal, Sensationalism and Gossip in the Media on + 1217 more book reviews
From Booklist
Beginning with a comical takeoff on sensational journalism, Cohen takes a look at journalism gone awry, making the facts every bit as absorbing as the most exaggerated tabloid. Tracing the history of modern yellow journalism back to an 1835 New York Sun article describing alien life discovered on the moon, he strings together one fascinating story after another, illustrating how the public's voracious appetite for scandal empowers hack journalists. Most of the book focuses on print media, though later chapters include discussion of the influence of television and the Internet on shaping public opinion on everything from Kennedy's election to Monica Lewinsky's notoriety. The book also treats readers to a brief history lesson that highlights people (Hearst, Winchell), places (death row, O.J.'s courtroom), and trials (Lindbergh, Sheppard) that have become part of popular culture. Enhanced by vivid if occasionally gruesome photos, this is nonfiction so riveting it's almost impossible to put down.
Beginning with a comical takeoff on sensational journalism, Cohen takes a look at journalism gone awry, making the facts every bit as absorbing as the most exaggerated tabloid. Tracing the history of modern yellow journalism back to an 1835 New York Sun article describing alien life discovered on the moon, he strings together one fascinating story after another, illustrating how the public's voracious appetite for scandal empowers hack journalists. Most of the book focuses on print media, though later chapters include discussion of the influence of television and the Internet on shaping public opinion on everything from Kennedy's election to Monica Lewinsky's notoriety. The book also treats readers to a brief history lesson that highlights people (Hearst, Winchell), places (death row, O.J.'s courtroom), and trials (Lindbergh, Sheppard) that have become part of popular culture. Enhanced by vivid if occasionally gruesome photos, this is nonfiction so riveting it's almost impossible to put down.
