Broken News, Chris Stirewalt
Broken News, Chris Stirewalt
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

Broken News
Why the Media Rage Machine Divides America and How to Fight Back

Author: Chris Stirewalt

Narrator: Chris Stirewalt

Unabridged: 7 hr 15 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Center Street

Published: 08/23/2022


Synopsis

A former Fox News political editor reveals how news organizations have succumbed to the temptation of “rage revenue” through slanted coverage that drives political division and rewards outrageous conduct.
 
Rage revenue-addicted news companies are plagued by shoddy reporting, sensationalism, groupthink, and brain-dead partisan tribalism. Newsrooms rely on emotion-driven blabber to entrance conflict-addled super users.
 
In Broken News, Chris Stirewalt, celebrated as one of America’s sharpest political analysts in print and on television, employs his trademark wit and insight to give readers an inside look at these problems. He explains that these companies don’t reward bad journalism because they like it, but because it is easy and profitable.
 
Take it from Stirewalt: As a top editor and election forecaster on Fox News’ decision desk during the 2020 election, he knows firsthand what happens when viewers (including the president of the United States) become more accustomed to flattery and less willing to hear news that punctures their bubbles.
 
Broken News is a fascinating, deeply researched, conversation-provoking study of how the news is made and how it must be repaired, with surprising takeaways about who’s to blame. Stirewalt goes deep inside the history of the industry to explain how today’s media divides America for profit. And he offers practical advice for how everyday readers, listeners and viewers can (and should) become better news consumers for the sake of the republic.
 
This is a book for those who care about our country—and want the news to do the news again.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Stetson on August 21, 2022

Chris Stirewalt of former Fox News Decision Desk fame has put together a brisk book of media criticism. Broken News is polemic contra the phenomenon of "post-journalism," which is an Andrey Miroshnichenko term used to describe the cultivation of a focused consumer based that "highly habituated" to p......more

Goodreads review by Janalyn, the blind reviewer on August 10, 2023

I was surprised to learn that a man who work for Fox News was going to be responsible for writing a fair and balance portrayal of the broken new system today, but he did. From targeting our emotions to picking a side in the political race to outing someone the news really doesn’t seem to have morals......more

Goodreads review by Sandra Ziegler on September 09, 2022

Required Reading I want to give this book to every member of my family with whom I can’t talk about politics anymore. When I try to explain why it’s a bad idea to watch 5 hours of political entertainment on one network every night, they just say “but the other side is so bad!” Stirewalt takes on this......more

Goodreads review by Brittany on July 12, 2023

Chris Stirewalt uses "rage revenue" to be hypocritical about media "rage revenue." He also makes claims that he CANNOT be unbiased. Some interesting commentary mixed up in the bias that didn't make it complete fodder. What more do you need to know? 1.5 stars.......more

Goodreads review by Nancy on September 10, 2022

An interesting look at the media from someone who has worked in television....including Fox News...and has seen how journalism has declined in actually providing real news. This one would make a great group discussion piece.......more


Quotes

"One of America’s most experienced and exemplary journalists has written an unsparing analysis of the dreadful consequences -- for journalism and the nation -- of “how the news lost a race to the bottom with itself.” Readers of Stirewalt’s indispensable, mind-opening book-as-warning should remember this: There actually is no such thing as rock bottom."—George F. Will

"Chris Stirewalt is an ideal guide to what has happened to the news business because he doesn’t just hate what it has become, but also loves what it ought to be. Free of nostalgia or partisan vitriol, and full of insight, experience, and clear-eyed realism, this book is an essential guide to repairing American journalism."—Yuval Levin, author of A Time to Build