W. Joseph Campbell
Getting It Wrong
Ten of the Greatest Misreported Stories in American Journalism
$60.00, £41.95 hardcover
9780520255661
NYP--Due 7/10
$24.95, £16.95 paperback
9780520262096
NYP--Due 7/10
272 pages, 6 x 9 inches, 15 b/w photographs
July 2010, Available worldwide
July 2010, Available worldwide
Did the Washington Post bring down Richard Nixon by reporting on the Watergate scandal? Did a cryptic remark by Walter Cronkite effectively end the Vietnam War? Did William Randolph Hearst vow to "furnish the war" in the 1898 conflict with Spain? In Getting It Wrong, W. Joseph Campbell addresses and dismantles these and other prominent media-driven myths—stories about or by the news media that are widely believed but which, on close examination, prove apocryphal. In a fascinating exploration of these and other cases—including the supposedly outstanding coverage of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina—Campbell describes how myths like these can feed stereotypes, deflect blame from policymakers, and overstate the power and influence of the news media.
"If daily journalism constitutes history's first rough draft, then Getting it Wrong certainly reveals how rough that draft can be. Joseph Campbell is a dogged and first-rate scholar."—Neil Henry, Dean, University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
"Dr. Campbell has done meticulous research that examines ten media myths in context. This book rightfully calls us to rethink some significant errors that have become a part of our history and our collective memories. It is just downright interesting reading."—Wallace B. Eberhard, recipient of the American Journalism Historians Association Kobre Award for Lifetime Achievement
"Dr. Campbell has done meticulous research that examines ten media myths in context. This book rightfully calls us to rethink some significant errors that have become a part of our history and our collective memories. It is just downright interesting reading."—Wallace B. Eberhard, recipient of the American Journalism Historians Association Kobre Award for Lifetime Achievement
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter One. "I'll Furnish the War": The Making of a Media Myth
Chapter Two. Fright beyond Measure? The Myth of The War of the Worlds
Chapter Three. Murrow vs. McCarthy: Timing Makes the Myth
Chapter Four. The Bay of Pigs–New York Times Suppression Myth
Chapter Five. Debunking the "Cronkite Moment"
Chapter Six. The Nuanced Myth: Bra Burning at Atlantic City
Chapter Seven. It's All about the Media: Watergate's Heroic-Journalist Myth
Chapter Eight. The "Fantasy Panic": The News Media and the Crack-Baby Myth
Chapter Nine. "She Was Fighting to the Death": Mythmaking in Iraq
Chapter Ten. Hurricane Katrina and the Myth of Superlative Reporting
Conclusion
Notes
Select Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter One. "I'll Furnish the War": The Making of a Media Myth
Chapter Two. Fright beyond Measure? The Myth of The War of the Worlds
Chapter Three. Murrow vs. McCarthy: Timing Makes the Myth
Chapter Four. The Bay of Pigs–New York Times Suppression Myth
Chapter Five. Debunking the "Cronkite Moment"
Chapter Six. The Nuanced Myth: Bra Burning at Atlantic City
Chapter Seven. It's All about the Media: Watergate's Heroic-Journalist Myth
Chapter Eight. The "Fantasy Panic": The News Media and the Crack-Baby Myth
Chapter Nine. "She Was Fighting to the Death": Mythmaking in Iraq
Chapter Ten. Hurricane Katrina and the Myth of Superlative Reporting
Conclusion
Notes
Select Bibliography
Index
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