unSpun: Finding Facts in a World of Disinformation
Where to buy unSpun: Finding Facts in a World of Disinformation books online?
- ISBN13: 9781400065660
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
Americans are bombarded daily with mixed messages, half-truths, misleading statements, and out-and-out fabrications masquerading as facts. The news media–once the vaunted watchdogs of our republic–are regularly too timid or distracted to identify these deceptions.
unSpun is the secret decoder ring for the twenty-first-century world of disinformation. Written by Brooks Jackson and Kathleen Hall Jamieson, the founders of the acclaimed website FactCheck.org, unSpun reveals the secrets of separating facts from disinformation, such as:
• the warning signs of spin, hype, and bogus news
• common tricks used to deceive us
• how to find trustworthy and objective sources of information
Telling fact from fiction shouldn’t be a hard task. With this book and a healthy dose of skepticism, anyone can cut through the haze of biased media reportage to be a savvier consumer and a better-informed citizen.
“Read this book and you will not go exposed into the political wars yet to be of us. Jackson and Jamieson equip us to be our own truth squad, and that just might be the salvation of democracy.”
–Bill Moyers
“THE DEFINITIVE B.S. DETECTOR–AN ABSOLUTELY INVALUABLE GUIDEBOOK.”
–Mark Shields, syndicated columnist and political analyst, NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
“unSpun is an essential guide to cutting through the political fog. Just in time for the 2008 battle, Brooks Jackson and Kathleen Hall Jamieson have written a citizen’s guide to avoiding the malarkey of partisan politics.”
–Mara Liasson, NPR national political correspondent
“The Internet may be a wildly effective means of communication and an invaluable source of knowledge, but it has also become a new virtual haven for scammers–financial, political, even personal. Better than anything written before, unSpun shows us how to admit these scams and protect ourselves from them.”
–Craig Newmark, founder and customer service representative, Craigslist.org
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Boy oh boy, was I disappointed in Un-Spun. If I had seen the names of the people on the back who recommended it, I’d have been warned.
Come on, Mark Shields? His middle name is liberal spin!
The authors were heavy on inserting criticism of President Bush whether to do so was in context or not. Just one example….
This is a liberal’s book.
I wish I could get my money back.
Rose Marie Russell
Reader’s Rating: 1 / 5
This book purports to help the reader sift the wheat from the chaff in all aspects of public diinformation, which I can agree has become a pestilence. But, I bought the book after carefully reviewing the editorial and reader commentaries on the book and its competitiors, of which there are a heap. I bought it for ONE purpose; to enable me to sift through competing versions of the history of geological calamities and determine which were right and which were not. I can only say that the book was of absolutely no help in this regard. Surely, it is appealing to to read how are political and marketing preferences are “guided” by a steady stream of lies and distortions, but this is a mere glimpse into the obvious. Everybody knows that such thinbg are lies from the get-go, and that only hard, independent thinking, based on ascertainble facts can solved the dilemma. I didn’t need a book to tell me that.
What I did need was a book to help me sift through competing factual claims, some based on information; some not. Despite its glowing take in appraisal, and the rafe editorial reviews, this book simply proves the difficulty lf obtaining the truth, more by its content, or should I say lack of it?
Fraud is a hard word to use, but I do feel I was deceived by what I read on here about the book. It certainly was not what I anticipated or needed when I bought the book. I guess this whole episode proves that even when it comes to a book’s claims to help battle disinformation, that condition permeates the very product that is being sold. If you are confused by politics or what soap to buy, read the book. Otherwise, don’t bother.
Reader’s Rating: 2 / 5
This book is a clear and sometimes frightening look at how the information we’re agreed on a daily basis is “doctored”. By advertisers, politician, political groups, and anyone who wants us to judge something. The information we’re questioned to accept as truth is slanted, misleading, and sometimes downright lies. I really liked that the authors were very unbiased. They skewered everyone who deserved it; both political parties were place under the microscope. The lawsuits against advertisers were a real eye-opener. The authors are contributors to the fabulous website, [...]. I originally got this book from the library but had to buy my own copy for reference.
Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
“Lacking a doubt, this is one of the most valuable books of our day because ‘we live in a world of spin’” (the first line of the book). In just under 200 pages, the authors offer readers the warning signs of spin, hype, and bogus news (e.g., “if it’s scary, be wary,” “a tale that’s too excellent,” “the dangling comparative,” “the superlatives swindle,” “the ‘pay you Tuesday’ con,” “the blame game,” and “glittering generalities”), common tricks used to deceive us (e.g., “misnomers,” “weasel words,” “eye candy,” “the ‘average bear,” “the baseline bluff,” “the factually right falsehood,” and “the implied falsehood”), how to find the best evidence, and nine rules that help answer the question, “How do we know?” (e.g., “you can’t be completely certain,” “you can be certain enough,” “look for all-purpose agreement among experts,” “check primary sources,” “know what counts,” “know who’s talking,” “seeing shouldn’t automatically be believing,” “cross-check everything that matters,” and “be skeptical, but not cynical”) What their book boils down to (supported with brilliant, captivating examples) is stated forthrightly on page 149: “When confronted with a aver, keep an open mind, question questions, cross-check, look for the best information, and then weigh the evidence.” If you read just one book in the next year, this would be a excellent choice. It is brilliant and well written.unSpun: Finding Facts in a World of Disinformation
Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
This is an brilliant source for gaining insight into the ways in which we are misled by the media whether it is in ads or politics. This clarifies how to admit it so you can make better decisions. I would recommend this as required information for anyone graduating high school or older.
Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5