From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9-A history of sensational news reporting, beginning with the story of life on the moon as described by the New York Sun in 1835. The public's appetite for the scandalous and salacious is not peculiar to our time; Cohen tells how lurid reporting, accompanied by shocking photographs, helped William Randolph Hearst and others to increase circulation of their newspapers. The author provides accounts of media coverage of some specific events such as the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, the Sam Sheppard case, and the O. J. Simpson trial. Well-chosen, black-and-white illustrations, including several graphic photographs, appear throughout. For a pro/con assessment of the media, William Barbour's The Mass Media (Greenhaven, 1994; o.p.) is still a good choice. However, Cohen's title is a worthy introduction for curious students.
Linda W. Tilden, Cherry Hill Public Library, NJ
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Linda W. Tilden, Cherry Hill Public Library, NJ
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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. Roger Leslie
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
