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Eric Alterman
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What Liberal Media?: The Truth about Bias and the News Paperback – January 1, 2003

by Eric Alterman (Author)
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 173 ratings
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Widely acclaimed and hotly contested, veteran journalist Eric Alterman's ambitious investigation into the true nature of the U.S. news media touched a nerve and sparked debate across the country. As the question of whose interests the media protects-and how-continues to raise hackles, Alterman's sharp, utterly convincing assessment cuts through the cloud of inflammatory rhetoric, settling the question of liberal bias in the news once and for all. Eye-opening, witty, and thoroughly and solidly researched, What Liberal Media? is required reading for media watchers, and anyone concerned about the potentially dangerous consequences for the future of democracy in America.
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  1. Print length
    357 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    January 1, 2003
  4. Dimensions
    6.14 x 0.95 x 9.21 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0465001777
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0465001774
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From The New Yorker

Alterman, a columnist for The Nation, says that, to the extent that the liberal media still exists, "I work in the middle of it, and so do many of my friends. And guess what? It's filled with right-wingers." His thesis, a response to recent books by the conservatives Ann Coulter and Bernard Goldberg, is that liberal media outlets take pains to feature opinion from all across the political spectrum (and are in some cases veering rightward); meanwhile, the right-wing media—a well-funded empire of radio stations, TV shows, and magazines—pursues an overtly partisan agenda. A polemic is nothing without passion, and Alterman's argumentative vigor is engaging, although his focus sometimes drifts, and he can happily spend an entire paragraph upbraiding Howard Kurtz for having said that William Kristol's being a Mets fan proves him to be "contrarian." Like most media commentators, Alterman probably overestimates the influence of media commentators, but the meticulous care with which his arguments are sourced and footnoted is in commendable contrast to the efforts of some of his more fire-breathing conservative opponents.
Copyright © 2005 The New Yorker

Review

"A polemic is nothing without passion, and Alterman's vigor is engaging.... The meticulous care with which his arguments are sourced and footnoted is in commendable contrast to the efforts of some of his more fire-breathing opponents."

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Basic Books; Reprint edition (January 1, 2003)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 357 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0465001777
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0465001774
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.14 x 0.95 x 9.21 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 173 ratings

About the author

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Eric Alterman

Eric Alterman

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Eric Alterman is Distinguished Professor of English, Brooklyn College, City University of New York. From 1995-2020, he was The Nation’s “Liberal Media" columnist and is now a contributing writer to the magazine and also to The American Prospect. In the past, he has been a senior fellow of the Center for American Progress, the World Policy Institute and The Nation Institute, a columnist for Rolling Stone, Mother Jones, The Guardian, The Daily Beast, MSNBC.com, The Forward, Moment and the Sunday Express (London) as well as a contributor to The New Yorker, The Atlantic and Le Monde Diplomatique, among other publications. Alterman has also been named a Media Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, a Schusterman Foundation Fellow at Brandeis University, a Fellow of the Society of American Historians and a member of the Usage Panel of the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.

Alterman is the author of the national bestseller What Liberal Media? The Truth About Bias and the News, as well eleven other books, including We Are Not One: A History of America’s Fight Over Israel, published late in 2022 by Basic Books, which was added to The New Yorker’s list of the best books of that year after both the list was initially published. In past years, he has won the George Orwell Prize, the Stephen Crane Literary Award and the Mirror Award for media criticism (twice). Alterman holds a PhD in US history from Stanford (minoring in Jewish Studies), an M.A. in international relations at Yale and a B.A. from Cornell. He lives in Manhattan and tweets at @eric_alterman and has an open Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/alterman.eric

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
173 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book well-researched, insightful, and convincing. They also describe it as readable and an excellent addition to anyone's reading list. Opinions are mixed on the value for money, with some finding it excellent and others saying it's not worth the read.

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CredibilityReadabilityValue for money
11 customers mention "Credibility"9 positive2 negative

Customers find the book well-researched, insightful, and convincing. They appreciate the excellent references and premise. Readers also mention it's a compelling case supported by facts and opinions.

"...a tool to recognize one direction of bias slant, in a readable, comprehensive and pretty convincing package...." Read more

"This book is a MUST READ. It is a complete and very well documented refutation of one of the Big Lies the Conservatives repeat endlessly, namely..." Read more

"...Well researched and documented...." Read more

"...This book is worth the purchase price, and presents a lot of facts that most of the public may not be aware of...." Read more

3 customers mention "Readability"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable, comprehensive, and convincing. They say it's a great read and an excellent addition to anyone's reading list.

"...does is provide a tool to recognize one direction of bias slant, in a readable, comprehensive and pretty convincing package...." Read more

"...Its a shame bc the author is very good, he just doesn't really look hard enough or care to...." Read more

"...This is a great read and an excellent addition to anyone's reading list who is interested in exploring what is really going on in the media trenches..." Read more

7 customers mention "Value for money"4 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the value for money of the book. Some mention it's excellent and an excellent addition to anyone's reading list, while others say it's not worth the read and of poor quality.

"...All in all, an excellent book that succeeds in discrediting a notion that was sold to the American people and continues to harm our democratic..." Read more

"...The problem is Bias and Slander are very poor quality books...." Read more

"...This is a great read and an excellent addition to anyone's reading list who is interested in exploring what is really going on in the media trenches..." Read more

"Excellent book. performs as advertised. Very pleased with purchase." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Matthew G. Michaels
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent references, outstanding resource
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2003
Verified Purchase
What Liberal Media? The Truth About Bias and the News
by Eric Alterman could be seen as the liberal answer to Slander by Anne Coulter and Bias by Bernard Goldberg.
Eric Alterman makes a very strong case that it is not the supposedly predominantly liberal reporters who influence what news we see on TV, hear on the radio and read in the papers, but it is the far more conservative and influential owners and editors who make those decisions.
Furthermore, the entire myth of the Liberal media is one invented and promulgated by the right to suit their own ends, by their own admission. Read and find out for yourself!
Slander and Bias were received with much praise by the right wing establishment because these books stated what the right wanted said.
The problem is Bias and Slander are very poor quality books. I am a physician and as such I judge non-fiction writing by its ability to back up the facts that it presents. Slander and Bias are virtually un-referenced and therefore, as far as any one can tell, the attacks and innuendo thrown about by Goldberg and Coulter may as well be pure invention. In fact, fully 1/3 of Goldberg�s book is dedicated to griping about his former relationship with Dan Rather. This gives one the distinct feeling That Goldberg saw an opportunity to cash in on a right wing trend in America through his position as a supposed Liberal media insider. I see little value in his book based on it�s own obvious BIAS.
Coulter�s position is obvious, with her having made recent statement�s such as calling the Columbia shuttle disaster an expensive plane crash and bashing the �Liberal media� for being distracted for one minute from the nations War mania to cover it. The woman clearly has issues. This combined with the fact that Slander is so thinly referenced as to be transparent make it a weak counterpart to the excellently researched and referenced What Liberal Media?
43 people found this helpful
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Stephen Kilduff
4.0 out of 5 stars Read them all
Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2003
Verified Purchase
I've just finished Alterman, Goldberg, and have 40 pages left in Coulter. What's my advice if you're looking for the "truth"? Read them all.
Is there bias in the media's political and social coverage? You betcha. Is it both conservative and liberal? Yep. And is there also plenty of "entertainment" that panders and/or leans in either direction? Of course (but barely touched in any of the three).
What this book does is provide a tool to recognize one direction of bias slant, in a readable, comprehensive and pretty convincing package.
But I also find that Goldberg's theory of network news' liberal bias, at least on social issues, remains plausible. And Coulter's not just funny in a slanderous kind of way, she's also correct in her attack on the NY Times (the only paper I consistently read) as socially liberal masquerading as mainstream. (Ignore the business section. In that respect all media is obviously "conservative." But the various Style sections are not just liberal - they're radically un-mainstream. Maybe that's "balanced" reporting?)
By the way, anyone else notice that both Alterman and Coulter are Cornell grads? So much for conspiratorial university unanimity.
9 people found this helpful
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watzizname
5.0 out of 5 stars A Well-Documented Refutation of a Conservative Big Lie
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2003
Verified Purchase
This book is a MUST READ. It is a complete and very well documented refutation of one of the Big Lies the Conservatives repeat endlessly, namely that of the "Liberal Media." Granted, there exist a few liberal magazines, such as Mother Jones, The Nation, The Proressive, and Z, and a handful of liberal websites, such as truthout.org and democrats.com. But against these, there are six TV networks and four radio networks, none of which dare to be left of center, and hundreds of newspapers, only a very small percentage of which ever stray left of center.

Alterman explains and documents the forces which prevent any significant degree of progressivism from appearing in the overwhelming majority of newspapers, magazines, and radio and television broadcasts. He finds only two liberal radio talk show hosts, both on one small station in California late at night and thru the wee hours of the morning. I remember three liberal talk show hosts in New York City, Fred Gale, Alex Bennett, and the gretest talk show host of all, Malachy McCourt, all of whom were forced off the air by a steady barrage of conservative complaints and threats to boycott advertisers. (Read more in Malachy's book Singing My Him Song)

Many conservative reviewers fault Alterman for using anecdotal evidence; they (perhaps intentionally) miss the point. Yes, he provides a leaven of anecdotal evidence, which he uses to illustrate points he has made and to make for easier reading; nothing but facts and analysis thereof can be terminally boring, and Alterman does not bore, nor should he!

I have just one small carp: the footnotes are all in a separate section at the end of the book, instead of at the bottom of each page where they belong. This imposes on the reader the infernal nuisance of keeping two places and continually flipping back and forth.

This book should be required reading, not only for all prospective journalists but for all citizens who need to know what is going on in the world so that they can vote intelligently.

watziznaym@gmail.com
68 people found this helpful
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J Smith
1.0 out of 5 stars Unconvincing.
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2018
Verified Purchase
If you read this book and were already suspicious of a liberal media, you will NOT be convinced that there isnt one from reading this book! Its a shame bc the author is very good, he just doesn't really look hard enough or care to. If you put this book beside virtually any book or video that claimed there WAS a liberal media, you would must surely side with the latter.
15 people found this helpful
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Dr H
4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but dated.
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2017
Verified Purchase
Good expose of the "liberal media" myth that's dogged us now for almost two decades.
Well researched and documented.

A bit dated, though, as it refers to people like Roger Ailes and Bill O'Reilly as if they were still media movers and shakers.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

dirtyal1
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 13, 2013
Verified Purchase
This book is full of hard core facts and a huge amount of supporting evidence to support the author's claim that a reporter or newscater is only as liberal or conservative as the boss who pays his salary. Some of the interesting facts that this author talks about is how many conservative groups pay huge speaking fees to supposedly liberal newscasters and reporters in an effort to buy whatever views they want or do not want. Information on how some groups buy huge numbers of conservative books in order to falsey get these books onto bestseller lists. Conservatives hate this book and I can see why. The book is very well documented and well researched.
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