Getting It Wrong debunks 10 prominent media-driven myths, including some of the most cherished stories American journalism tells about itself.
Media-driven myths are stories about and/or by the news media that are widely believed and often retold, but which, under scrutiny, prove to be apocryphal or wildly exaggerated.
Media-driven myths debunked in Getting It Wrong include the notion that the news media brought down Richard Nixon's corrupt presidency, ended Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-communist witchhunt, and brought on the Spanish-American War.
GETTING IT WRONG:
What critics are saying
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"Persuasive and entertaining ... With old-school academic detachment, Mr. Campbell, a communications professor at American University, shows how the fog of war, the warp of ideology and muffled skepticism can transmute base journalism into golden legend." — Wall Street Journal
- "This may be the best book about journalism in recent memory; it is certainly the most subversive." — Commentary magazine
- "I especially admire the disciplined way Campbell corrects so many flawed records without taking cheap shots at the perpetrators ... Of course when you do such a good job punishing the error, as Campbell does, you don't need to bother with the errant." — Slate.com
- "An exquisitely researched and lively look at an industry that too often shines the light on itself more than it does on events and public figures." — Denver Post
GETTING IT WRONG ON VIDEO
- Q&A program: Getting It Wrong with
W. Joseph Campbell (See transcript of the show) - Newseum's Inside Media: Getting It Wrong
- Getting It Wrong, the trailer: Why you cannot afford to miss this book
GETTING IT WRONG, THE Podcast
Listen here to the author's discussion about prominent media-driven myths, including the notion that Walter Cronkite's 1968 report on Vietnam altered U.S. policy, turned public opinion against the war, and prompted Lyndon Johnson not to seek reelection to the presidency.
Mythbusting At the smithsonian
Campbell discussed Getting It Wrong at a program in late 2010 at the Smithsonian Associates in Washington. The video of his talk is available here.