Getting It Wrong: Ten of the Greatest Misreported Stories in American Journalism - Hardcover

Campbell, W. Joseph

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0520255666 ISBN 13: 9780520255661

Publisher: University of California Press, 2010

Synopsis

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.

About this title

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. Campbell is a dogged and first-rate scholar.”—Neil Henry, Dean, University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism

“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

About the Author:

W. Joseph Campbell is Professor in the School of Communication at American University. He is the author of four other books, including Yellow Journalism: Puncturing the Myths, Defining the Legacies and The Year That Defined American Journalism: 1897 and the Clash of Paradigms.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0520255666
• ISBN 13: 9780520255661
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288