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.
Getting It Wrong
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Persuasive and entertaining."--Wall Street Journal
"Toting big guns and an itchy trigger-finger, Campbell flattens established myths that you were brought up to believe were true."--Slate Magazine
"It may be the best book about journalism in recent memory; it is certainly the most subversive."--Commentary Magazine
"Campbell's Getting It Wrong: Ten of the Greatest Misreported Stories in American Journalism is essential reading not just for journalists but all consumers of the news."--Reason
"The value of these studies is . . . in the detailed and illuminating research Campbell has applied to each."--Columbia Journalism Review
From the Inside Flap
"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
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More About the Author
W. Joseph Campbell is an American writer, journalist, blogger, and historian. He is the author of five books, including "Getting It Wrong: Ten of the Greatest Misreported Stories in American Journalism." Dr. Campbell is a professor in the communication studies program at American University's School of Communication. Previously, he was a professional journalist for 20 years. He writes about media-driven myths and other media issues at his blog, MediaMythAlert.com.
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50 of 54 people found the following review helpful
By Jr Altfeld
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
If I gave any credence to the press prior to reading this book, it's completely gone now. The Jessica Lynch and Katrina stories alone were enough to make me scream, and I have a degree in Journalism. Not too long after reading this book, I watched ESPN's 30:30 documentary on Michael Jordan playing minor league baseball. I distinctly remember, at the time he was doing that, all I read and heard was what a mistake for him to be doing this and what a failure he was at it. Turns out all of that was untrue. Jordan applied the very same work ethic to baseball that he had applied to basketball and was actually succeeding in minor league baseball at the age of 31. The most disturbing thing about the documentary came when a Sports Illustrated writer said his story, explaining how much Jordan had improved as a ball player and why he may have what it takes to actually play in the Big Leagues was killed by Sports Illustrated because the press overall, wanted Jordan back in basketball. And if you recall, the story we were handed when he came back to Basketball was that he missed the game and that he had finally given up his stupid dream to play baseball. Turns out that wasn't true either. He came back to basketball because of the baseball strike putting him in a position where he would have to cross a picket line and he was not willing to do that. This book is filled with well known, historical events I'd read about and came to believe as fact, when in fact they were either fabricated out of thin air or greatly embellished. It's a book worth reading.
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I'm a news junkie. And, increasingly, a media critic.
Today I read nothing, hear nothing, see nothing from any news outlet that I am not skeptical of.
Objectivity in journalism, if it ever existed, is certainly rare today and many so-called journalists are quite skilled at mixing their personal opinions or editorial outlooks into what are supposedly news stories.
W. Joseph Campbell , a Professor at American University, takes apart "ten of the greatest misreported stories in American journalism" - and he does it wonderfully well.
This is not a dull book. Professor Campbell has a reasonably lively style for an academic.
He has chosen ten stories that have taken on mythical dimensions:
1. Press mogul William Randolph Hearst allegedly fomenting the Spanish-American War.
2. The panic engendered by Orson Welles' "War Of The Worlds" radio broadcast.
3. Murrow and McCarthy
4. The Bay Of Pigs
5. Walter Cronkite on the Vietnam War
6. Bra burning at Atlantic City.
7. Watergate and Woodward/Bernstein.
8. Crack-babies.
9. Creating the Jessica Lynch myth
10. Hurricane Katrina.
Using contemporaneous accounts, Campbell provides a solid basis for his claim that the underlying story was turned into a myth by the media - and, usually, without ever admitting or acknowledging it.
His chapter on the falsity of the Edward R. Murrow myth is particularly good. He demonstrates that Murrow himself and his producer Fred Friendly never claimed that they were the instigators of the downfall of Senator Joseph R. McCarthy, whose reputation was already quite a way down the slope. In fact, as Campbell points out, Murrow was relatively late to the McCarthy bashing party. Campbell does an excellent job of showing how media myths become canonical truth once the entertainment industry gets hold of them as they did in "Good Night And Good Luck".
He also examines how the media is slow to admit its errors, if it ever does.
Anyone who consumes news will find this book worthwhile. Campbell has done a service to the public, if not journalism itself.
Jerry
Today I read nothing, hear nothing, see nothing from any news outlet that I am not skeptical of.
Objectivity in journalism, if it ever existed, is certainly rare today and many so-called journalists are quite skilled at mixing their personal opinions or editorial outlooks into what are supposedly news stories.
W. Joseph Campbell , a Professor at American University, takes apart "ten of the greatest misreported stories in American journalism" - and he does it wonderfully well.
This is not a dull book. Professor Campbell has a reasonably lively style for an academic.
He has chosen ten stories that have taken on mythical dimensions:
1. Press mogul William Randolph Hearst allegedly fomenting the Spanish-American War.
2. The panic engendered by Orson Welles' "War Of The Worlds" radio broadcast.
3. Murrow and McCarthy
4. The Bay Of Pigs
5. Walter Cronkite on the Vietnam War
6. Bra burning at Atlantic City.
7. Watergate and Woodward/Bernstein.
8. Crack-babies.
9. Creating the Jessica Lynch myth
10. Hurricane Katrina.
Using contemporaneous accounts, Campbell provides a solid basis for his claim that the underlying story was turned into a myth by the media - and, usually, without ever admitting or acknowledging it.
His chapter on the falsity of the Edward R. Murrow myth is particularly good. He demonstrates that Murrow himself and his producer Fred Friendly never claimed that they were the instigators of the downfall of Senator Joseph R. McCarthy, whose reputation was already quite a way down the slope. In fact, as Campbell points out, Murrow was relatively late to the McCarthy bashing party. Campbell does an excellent job of showing how media myths become canonical truth once the entertainment industry gets hold of them as they did in "Good Night And Good Luck".
He also examines how the media is slow to admit its errors, if it ever does.
Anyone who consumes news will find this book worthwhile. Campbell has done a service to the public, if not journalism itself.
Jerry
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I read this book about six months ago and thought it was OK. It was only after I began to read a bit on this history of journalism and its role in US history that I began to see how pervasive these myths are. For instance, some of the most seminal books on media (The Media Monopoly by Ben Bagdikian which was the basis for much of Chomsky's Manufacturing Consent for instance) contain myths like Hearst's "you furnish the pictures, I'll furnish the war" basis of theses. Others include Edward Morrow taking down McCarthy, the NYT suppressing the Bay of Pigs and "We lost Cronkite, we lost Middle America," all of which are not only stock anecdotes but in fact, the bedrock of most media criticism. Authors use them like filmmakers use well-known songs in nostalgia movies: instant, inarguable mood setters. But they are not true.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Timing is everything
Admittedly, I didn't finish reading this book, but it seems that the subtitle should be "Timing is everything." Hope this helps.
Published 2 months ago by john russo, jr
3.0 out of 5 stars
Tearing Down Media Myths
Joseph Campbell uses 10 common media myths to show you can't always believe what you hear on TV or read in the papers. Repeated often enough, a story can evolve into a "fact". Read more
Published on January 29, 2011 by cpt matt
4.0 out of 5 stars
Media Myths
In "Getting It Wrong," journalism prof. W. Joseph Campbell debunks ten media myths:
1) William Randolph Hearst's alleged telegram to Frederick Remington... Read more
1) William Randolph Hearst's alleged telegram to Frederick Remington... Read more
Published on November 11, 2010 by Michael Gunther
2.0 out of 5 stars
Gets it right, but not well
Maybe "Getting I Wrong" was the editor's idea, a lighthearted title to help sell a boring and pretentious book. Read more
Published on October 20, 2010 by Steve Harrison
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