Media Makeover: Improving The News One Click at a Time (Kindle Single) (TED Books) [Kindle Edition]

Alisa Miller (Author)

Book Description

On average, many of us spend more than 70 minutes per day consuming news. That’s double the amount of time we spend caring for loved ones. How is it that we know so little about something that is such a big part of our lives? Alisa Miller, CEO of Public Radio International and media and technology leader, urges us to be aware and take control of the news if we want a more accurate picture of the world. "Media Makeover" is an entertaining and informative bird’s eye view of how “news” is made, what is missing from our news diets, why certain types of content are harder to come by, the implications for our society, and perhaps most importantly, what can be done about it. "Media Makeover" is a must-read for anyone who wants to be better informed and to take action: consumers, innovators, technologists, journalists, and media leaders alike.



“Alisa Miller shows how we need to take care of our News diet as much as our Food diet - an important book for all who care about how we learn about the world."
--Richard Sambrook, Former Director of BBC Global News and Visiting Fellow of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism

"TV news is junk, utter wasted, distracting, useless junk. It's not going to get better unless we speak up, and Alisa Miller is doing just that."
--Seth Godin, Author of We Are All Weird

Product Details

• File Size: 718 KB
• Print Length: 31 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: TED Conferences (June 23, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0057ZEENC
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #93,741 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #24 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Education & Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Journalism
  • #38 in Kindle Store > Kindle Singles > Essays & Ideas

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read for Media Consumers (and Providers) June 29, 2011

By Susan Bradford

Format:Kindle Edition

After reading Alisa Miller's well-written revelatory book, I'll never read or see the news the same way again. Miller lays out clearly and concisely the way news today is gathered and delivered, showing how media consumers get a skewed reality of what is important to know and understand as informed and engaged citizens. She uses excellent examples, links to sites that should be bookmarked on everyone's computer, and offers concrete steps to overcome the dangerous trend favoring sensationalism over critical local, national and world events.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars It all started with the tick-tick-tick of the "60 Minutes" stopwatch June 29, 2011

By Rett01 TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm a sucker for anyone who invokes the name of "60 Minutes" creator Don Hewitt in a think piece about the media. Hewitt - along with Fred Friendly, Edward R Morrow, Eric Sevareid and Pat Weaver - is in my pantheon of news pioneers.

Alisa Miller, Public Radio International president and CEO, mentions Hewitt in her second paragraph when she writes about growing up sitting on the shag carpet in her rec room in Lincoln, Neb. Sunday nights slurping tomato soup and watching "60 Minutes" for its ability to transport her to "magical places all over the world."

So there you have it. Miller grabbed me early and I tend give in to everything she says in her Kindle Short. What she has to say is salient and important. Everything is certainly well documented and footnoted.

"Media Makeover" is really a love story about Miller's life-long attachment to the news and news media technology and delivery. In its essence it is really an essay about the powerful effect and pull of stories and storytelling. "I wanted to understand how news is made - or could be made - and when they are at their best, how stories can move people and even improve lives," Miller says.

The state of the news, Miller argues, has pretty much gone to hell in a hand basket. Less than a third of Americans believe the press gets the facts straight and a meager 18 percent believe the news is presented fairly. Miller points out that with ratings like that very few products would manage to survive. But the news continues to be delivered and to serve its preeminent function by setting our information agenda. News isn't very good at telling information seekers what to think, but it is "stunningly good at telling them what to think about."

Her central idea is that our American tribe is frustrated with the "news as we know it and want(s) better." She gives us some of her ideas on how to go about straightening things out by taking control and engaging in this media makeover.

Miller sorts the problems with the news into six buckets. Top of the list is the idea that key stories are not being told or shared. Going down the list, fewer people trust the news media. Next is the realization that we as individuals are living in news silos and are only getting a few pixels of the big picture. Consider this, Miller says: because of bad habits and narrow preferences, people many actually know less than their parents, who are better news gatherers with broader tastes in the way they get their information.

She has ways to fix each and every one of these six problems and generally the fixes involve taking control by transforming the news and helping "improve our lives in the process." She wants each of us to become active, engaged information gatherers and gives us many more examples of the tools and resources available to drive the transformation.

I glommed onto Media Cloud. Developed at Harvard, it tracks the news cycle and what is being covered by whom in real time. It generates word clouds and "heat maps" that show amount of coverage by geographical location.

Another application in my arsenal to bring about the news transformation is Newsmap, which visually depicts "bands" of news that can be spread and sorted in a number of ways, by country or by topic (e.g. business, technology, health). These are two; there are many, many more technology driven applications, websites and open-news platforms that are as interesting as they are illuminating.

The important thing, Miller says, is to get engaged in the news. Do something for yourself and make things better. If you admit that change in the news represents a great opportunity, then get going, Miller says. "Small action steps are how change happens. Our news needs a Media Makeover. Let's make it happen one click at a time."

Miller is thinking strategically about how to initiate a media makeover for the long term. For me, the greatest value in her essay is tactical. Miller introduced me to an array of new applications and initiatives that are not only extremely informative and eye opening, they're often gee-whiz fun to play with. I plan to get involved and do my part to drive the media makeover. I'm pretty certain I'm going to end up being better informed and I'm sure I'm going to enjoy the ride.
[Give it 4.5 stars]

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars FINALLY an intelligent approach to fair journalism! August 18, 2011

By Sheila

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is brief, an easy read, and compelling. She quotes research and identifies trends. I have 15 years experience in the News Industry. I see how they work behind the scenes. Not only does the author illustrate the obvious, she has insight and is implementing a plan to create a realistic and socially-responsible news platform. Stop complaining about the bias and negligence in news industry and help create change. Please be part of the solution as opposed to complaining and be frustrated, or worse (ignoring reality all together.)

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