Book 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 often 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 difficult 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 unarmed into the political wars ahead 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 campaign, 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 recognize these scams and protect ourselves from them.”
–Craig Newmark, founder and customer service representative, Craigslist.org
Customer Reviews:
learn your biases in order to make better decisions.......2007-08-28
Unspun was an informative read. The first part covered examples of manipulation by politicians and adverstisers. I saw the pattern early enough. They could have used fewer examples to make the point with me.
The steps to identify and deal with manipulation were straightforward and helpful.
But it was the latter part of the book that really grabbed my interest. They covered the psychological factors that "blind" us. I was intrigued by the brain studies that show that we don't engage our rational part of the brain when confronted with information that goes against our core beliefs.
Yet they didn't leave us in despair about the situation. The authors offered ways to find the biases in ourselves so that we can allow the rational part of us to evaluate all these messages. I would encourage anyone to read this book in order to evaluate situations better. Better evaluations lead to better decisions.
Excellent Summary of How Disinformation is Spread.......2007-07-07
"UnSpun" tells us that respect for facts isn't a major concern in the advertising industry, and is far too rare in politics as well. There is no federal law requiring truth in political advertising, and the few states that have tried have had their efforts overturned or proven ineffective. At the same time, lawsuits for defamation are rare, and move too slowly to do wronged candidates any good.
The authors then go on to provide a number of guideline rules to alert us to likely disinformation - eg. "If it's scary, be wary," and offer simple rules to also assist - eg. beware of stories that are too good, the dangling comparative (eg. longer than what?), weasel words (eg. "up to 50% off"), the blame game, glittering generalities, misuse of the term "average," baseline bluffing ("cuts" measured against alternative programs, instead of current spending), and use of value-laden words (eg. death tax, instead of estate tax).
"UnSpun" ends by offering some helpful rules for information consumers; unfortunately, it still is too easy to play games with words.
Good start on a much needed topic--but somehow I expected more!.......2007-06-19
I got this book from the local library and read it before checking any of the reviews on Amazon.com. The authors have many good points that they make. As others have observed, their liberal bias does sneak through as you read example after example that they cite. MY biggest disappointment came from my own expectation, based on the book's title, that it would cover more ground and give a broader range of specific recommendations for people who are searching for the TRUTH in a world of sensory overload, SPIN doctors, and shouting alarmists. For example, a summary page of references and web sites and the information covered would have been very useful. Although much of the info in the text given was very useful, it seemed at times like they were pushing their our website a little too much.
Just the facts, ma'am.......2007-06-17
This book is written by Brooks Jackson, the head of factcheck.org. It explains how factcheck.org confirms or disputes "factual" claims and is a how to book for thinking people. Rather than accepting what the political, news or advertising folks want you to think, this book will give you the tools to question the "facts" and inform yourself on any issue. Several websites factcheck.org considers reliable are listed and I've bookmarked a few of them for easy reference. The book itself is setting next to my monitor. It's an easy read with lots of great tips, great advice and examples of spin to illustrate the tactics used. It will open your eyes and save you money.
EVERY American should own this book!.......2007-06-15
Though it is mostly common sense, most people need to be reminded of their biases and the way they take in information as "fact". This gives excellent examples of bias, misleading info, and info that is "spun" into whatever a person wants. For example, the area on evidence based from research. Even though it may come from a reliable source, was the research peer reviewed? Did it have a reasonable sample? Who financed the research? Now reading through some many of these news articles (like one reviewer stated, the authors claimed that AP was fairly unbiased), I can pick apart the articles in a matter of minutes (using the internet) and go straight to many of the sources (as they instruct you how to do within the book).
Overall, this book is a staple on anyone's desk. It should be required reading for high school and college students.
Book Description
Thirty years ago, Henry Gadsden, the head of Merck, one of the world's largest drug companies, told Fortune magazine that he wanted Merck to be more like chewing gum maker Wrigley's. It had long been his dream to make drugs for healthy people so that Merck could "sell to everyone." Gadsden's dream now drives the marketing machinery of the most profitable industry on earth.
Drug companies are systematically working to widen the very boundaries that define illness, and the markets for medication grow ever larger. Mild problems are redefined as serious illness and common complaints are labeled as medical conditions requiring drug treatments. Runny noses are now allergic rhinitis, PMS has become a psychiatric disorder, and hyperactive children have ADD. When it comes to conditions like high cholesterol or low bone density, being "at risk" is sold as a disease.
Selling Sickness reveals how widening the boundaries of illness and lowering the threshold for treatments is creating millions of new patients and billions in new profits, in turn threatening to bankrupt health-care systems all over the world. As more and more of ordinary life becomes medicalized, the industry moves ever closer to Gadsden's dream: "selling to everyone."
Customer Reviews:
ver compelling.......2007-06-12
This book was a real eye-opener. The authors write very clearly, and it is well referenced. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants an introduction to just how crooked the relationship can be between 'Big pharma' and the medical profession.
Buying into SICKNESS.......2007-04-20
Ray Moynihan is a legend, and more importantly he appears to have some integrity and intelligence. While other so-called journalists unquestioningly accept what is spoon-fed to them from big Pharma, Moynihan bothers to look beneath the veneer created by PR and spin-doctoring. The book has been written so that non-medical people can understand it, but is referenced in order that health professionals can check the veracity of his claims - and he really doesn't claim anything he can't back up by referenced literature. I applaud Dr Pelton for reading the book at all, but feel a little sad that he doesn't go a little further and discover for himself that most modern theory of disease is based on little more than wishful thinking, huge profits and massive disinformation campaigns.
Think for Yourself.......2007-03-13
This book does an excellent job exposing where some companies have done wrong. I can write the same book about almost any industry in the country. Now how many of them have developed a life-changing drug like Enbrel? As others have pointed out, this book (and most others like it) do a miserable job of providing context. Our life expectancies are lower than other industrialized nations because we are the fatest people on the planet, I can only imagine what it would be like if we didn't take the drugs that keep us alive. Can people exercise and take care of themselves and avoid a lot of these issues? Sure they can-but they don't and then they go to the doctor expecting a miracle cure. Can they not feed their little kids pounds of high frucotse corn syrup and avoid turming them into 20 year old diabetics, sure they can-but they don't. Every doctor I've ever been to or talked to says they tell every patient to exercise and watch their diet first (before ever prescribing anything). When the patient fails to comply then the doctor does what they think is the best thing to keep their patient alive. Pharmas certainly do wrong things, like any other business, and they need to be policed, but they should not be the scapegoat for sensationalist journalists (who are, guess what, selling the news/books) and short-sighted politicians are are unwilling or unable to deal with the larger healthcare issues our nation now faces.
Read this book, but please read others as well (that ought to make Amazon happy!)-try some that don't agree with what the media has programmed you to think about big pharma-if you can find any.
Disappointed.......2007-03-08
The book presents ten examples of unethical conduct by pharmaceutical compnies in order to promote their products. The tactics include misrepresenting statistical facts, overstating health risks, influencing medical authorities, creating new medical conditions in order to sell drugs for them and so on.
All the facts in the book are true. But the impression the book creates is skewed. Modern medicine cannot exist without pharmaceutical industry, and the relationship between it and medical professionals is more complex than portrayed in this text. I also believe that most doctors deserve more credit when it comes to choosing treatments for their patients.
But opinions aside, the book actually is getting boring as it progresses, probably because it is clear how each chapter will end soon after the beginning. I also expected less political and more medical information. I also think the authors should have touched on other reasons of proliferation of drug culture in modern society.
Overall I was disappointed.
Should be required reading for ALL women and girls!!!.......2007-02-23
As a single woman writer with a very modest income, I have struggled and struggled for years to pay ever increasing health insurance premiums. Health costs are going through the ROOF and much of this is explained in "Selling Sickness."
And the coup de grace is Governor Perry's recent mandate that all 11 and 12-year-old girls be vaccinated against cervical cancer. In February 2007, USA Today reported that Perry *bypassed* the state legislature to force this law on the books. Three shots of this nice, new chemical will cost $360 and prevent only 70% of cervical cancers. Yet Perty is comparing this to the Polio vaccine?
"Selling Sickness" pulls back the curtain on the politically-charged (and financially inspired) machinations of the pharmaceutical industry and explains the mass manipulation. It's a very disturbing book, but also well documented, well researched and utterly fascinating.
Read it and weep - for America's health care system.
Book Description
Marketing in the early 21st century is dominated by two approaches, neither of which is visible to the naked eye: the use of data to define and shape human affairs into machine-readable form and the effort to create and sustain ongoing two-way relationships with customers. The former is one way human life is being subjugated to the regime of the machine; the latter is one way the individual may one day emerge from within the datascape. A post-modern perspective is used to reveal both the "kaleidoroscope" of data and the "raw immaterials" of relationships in two companion essays.
Customer Reviews:
Rebecca Nailed It.......2007-03-18
Rebecca's review is spot-on. I could read this book several times and get something new out of it each time. Ellis succinctly captures the changes in consumer-marketer interaction and the new 21st century value exchange and does a great job of putting it in historical and philosophical context.
Big Thoughts on Marketing .......2007-03-09
Most books on business (particularly those by self-proclaimed "gurus") seize on a single idea. With terrier-like tenacity they explain it, illustrate it, present case studies of it, then explain it yet again, until a readers feels she's entered some sort of textual version of "Groundhog's Day."
"Marketing in the In-Between," takes the opposite approach. It packs so many clusters of thought, ideas, revelations and connections on every page, the reader will need to repeatedly dip in to glean all the thoughts. It challenges readers to truly ponder and to question the basic precepts and practices upon which marketing is based.
Book Description
This text introduces readers to the tools necessary for making moral and ethical decisions regarding the use of mass media. The focus is on the three mass media industries most pervasive in today's society: the news media (journalism), advertising, and public relations. In his exploration of ethical issues and media, author Thomas Bivins guides students to understand not what the "right" answers are, but to identify those answers that are most appropriate within the given context. Identifying those to whom the answers are the most appropriate is a major concern of this book. Readers will come away with a greater appreciation for the complexities of making a moral decision and will develop a personal "yardstick" by which to measure their decisions.
The chapters in this text offer insights on:
*similarities and differences among the ethical dilemmas faced by the mass media;
*common ground on which to evaluate media behavior;
*media obligations;
*professional ethics;
*ethical theory and its application to the modern media; and
*considerations of truth and harm.
This text has been developed for courses covering ethics in public relations, advertising, and journalism. Offering valuable lessons applicable to all forms of communication, Mixed Media serves as a critical starting point for understanding and developing answers to ethical questions. These lessons serve not only to better students' ability to make ethical decisions, but also to better the media professions as they become practitioners in the mass media industry.
Book Description
The world of event planning can be alluring and dangerous at once-exotic locales, wining and dining, and people traveling without their spouses. In such situations the line between business and pleasure blurs and the nature of relationships gets cloudy. With a thoughtless act or a less-than-tactful word, long-lasting business relationships can be ruined forever.
Beyond that, budgets are on the chopping block and competition for business is tight. In that environment, people often cut not just financial corners, but the ethical ones, too. There's a fine line between innocent perks and inappropriate gifts or kickbacks. Event planners today must navigate a minefield of potentially sticky situations that can easily blow up in their face. Without a professional code, lines of acceptable behavior are easily crossed. And what you do personally can hurt you professionally.
Event Planning Ethics and Etiquette provides event planners with the companion they need to stay out of trouble, keep professional relationships healthy and profitable, avoid the riskier temptations of the lifestyle, and win business in a highly competitive market using ethical business practices.
- Explains how to establish policies and codes of behavior, in the office and onsite at events.
- Offers guidelines on when it is acceptable to accept a gift, what is acceptable, and what is inappropriate.
- Shows how to prepare yourself, as well as your staff, for what to expect, and how to handle the unexpected with business finesse.
- Covers business etiquette in event planning crisis management situations.
- Helps you to avoid putting yourself and your company at personal and professional risk.
- Features real-life examples and situations, and advice on how to handle them with poise and professionalism.
- Includes a list of "Event Planning Do's and Don'ts."
Event Planning Ethics and Etiquette will be of value to the professional event planner; to event planning suppliers and clients working with industry professionals; as well as to those in related fields, such as public relations, administrative professionals, communications; and anyone in the hospitality, culinary, and travel industry.
Customer Reviews:
The whole series shows great promise.......2005-08-03
Judy Allen's book series on event planning is well written and well organized! Her insight into the event planning business is helpful and a great source of information. Highly recommended.
Really it's only for American practitioners.......2005-07-18
This book offers interesting information, however is really only focused on consultancy, suppliers and America.
As an Australian I found it to be a little removed from what is happening locally, plus, the examples were sometimes weak.
For Americans, this would offer a good basis for Ethics / Etiquette however I would not rec this book to other international practitioners.
Amazon.com
Fearless investigative journalists Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber (Toxic Sludge Is Good for You! and Mad Cow U.S.A.) are back with a gripping exposé of the public relations industry and the scientists who back their business-funded, anti-consumer-safety agendas. There are two kinds of "experts" in question--the PR spin doctors behind the scenes and the "independent" experts paraded before the public, scientists who have been hand-selected, cultivated, and paid handsomely to promote the views of corporations involved in controversial actions. Lively writing on controversial topics such as dioxin, bovine growth hormone, and genetically modified food makes this a real page-turner, shocking in its portrayal of the real and potential dangers in each of these technological innovations and of the "media pseudo-environment" created to obfuscate the risks. By financing and publicizing views that support the goals of corporate sponsors, PR campaigns have, over the course of the century, managed to suppress the dangers of lead poisoning for decades, silence the scientist who discovered that rats fed on genetically modified corn had significant organ abnormalities, squelch television and newspaper stories about the risks of bovine growth hormone, and place enough confusion and doubt in the public's mind about global warming to suppress any mobilization for action.
Rampton and Stauber introduce the movers and shakers of the PR industry, from the "risk communicators" (whose job is to downplay all risks) and "outrage managers" (with their four strategies--deflect, defer, dismiss, or defeat) to those who specialize in "public policy intelligence" (spying on opponents). Evidently, these elaborate PR campaigns are created for our own good. According to public relations philosophers, the public reacts emotionally to topics related to health and safety and is incapable of holding rational discourse. Needless to say, Rampton and Stauber find these views rather antidemocratic and intend to pull back the curtain to reveal the real wizard in Oz. This is one wake-up call that's hard to resist. --Lesley Reed
Book Description
The authors of Toxic Sludge Is Good for You! unmask the sneaky and widespread methods industry uses to influence opinion through bogus experts, doctored data, and manufactured facts.
Over the past decade, corporations and public-relations firms have seized upon a remarkable new way of influencing opinion called the "third-party technique." The method is simple-just put your words into the mouth of someone who appears impartial, such as a doctor, professor, watchdog group, or an "expert" of some kind. Written with biting humor and penetrating insight, Trust Us, We're Experts! exposes the current and very effective methods of opinion manipulation practiced by the corporate powers that be.
Customer Reviews:
The Death of Capitalism.......2007-09-04
Capitalism - market economy - free enterprise - these are the jewels in the crown of civilization which, since the renaissance, have brought unprecedented wealth, prosperity and freedom to large parts of the world. Capitalism has struggled and eventually triumphed over its historical adversaries; in earlier times, popes and kings and in our time socialism and communism. In the 21st century, since the collapse of the Berlin Wall, international corporate capitalism is bursting, like fireworks, in triumph; merging, globalizing and buying governments. What puny opposition remains is easily dispatched with a broad range of powerful weapons which have been developed over the years. Today the only real threat to capitalism is capitalism!
Socialists may practice socialism and Christians may practice Christianity but if by capitalism we mean a competitive market driven economic system, then capitalists do not practice capitalism. Theorists notwithstanding, capitalism is not an ideology, it is merely a description. Capitalists are not trying to implement some philosophy, they are only trying to make a buck any way they can. To a capitalist the biggest enemy is not socialism or labor unions or liberals or environmentalists, or even big government, the biggest enemy is risk. Risk of not making money. Risk of losing money.
Making money and avoiding risk in doing so is what capitalism is all about. But it is precisely in the risk taking that society draws its benefits from capitalism. That is the dilemma. Risk promotes wise investment resulting in efficiency, innovation and the creation of wealth, not just for the capitalist but for society as a whole. But a lot of capitalists fall by the wayside in the process. It is in the capitalist's interest to eliminate risk and society's interest to prevent them from doing so. The way to avoid risk is to control the market and to do that they must also control the government. This struggle has been going on for hundreds of years: capitalists forming monopolies, oligarchies and trusts and society breaking them up.
So long as society can keep pace with all the tricks and turns that capitalists take to avoid risk, the world would continue to reap the blessings of capitalism. But for the capitalists to succeed in eliminating risk, they would have to eliminate competition resulting in a monopoly of corporations with as much efficiency and innovation as any government bureaucracy. The ultimate risk-free climax would be monopoly and oligarchy and the corporate-run government necessary to keep it that way -- functionally indistinguishable from a Mafia run state or a Stalinist one. Capitalism, instead of an engine which pumps wealth to society and makes some capitalist wealthy in the process, would become an engine which sucks the wealth out of society, making a handful wealthy by impoverishing the rest.
We see this process going on in third world countries today and we are seeing the beginnings of it at home, in America. All three branches of government are increasingly under the control of corporations. Both political parties are addicted to corporate financing. Mergers, acquisitions and globalization, all techniques for eliminating risk, are rampant. The media is being merged and taken over by corporations and increasingly being used as public relations outlets for the corporations.
Right now society is not keeping pace. The tricks and turns that corporate capitalists use to avoid risk have gotten trickier and twistier. Just as a mosquito injects an anesthetic so that you will not feel it is sucking your blood, corporations are coopting the very processes by which people recognize what is going on so that more and more we are living in a virtual reality without realizing it. Sort of like a Potemkin village or like the movie The Truman Story where a boy is born and raised on a television set without knowing it. And as corporations merge and grow larger, they have even bigger budgets to build even more elaborate and convincing "sets". But this is not science fiction. The "sets" are being built around us as you read this.
Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber of the Center for Media & Democracy have been documenting this process for years. Their publications include a quarterly newsletter, PR Watch, and several books including: Toxic Sludge Is Good For You: Lies, Damn Lies and the Public Relations Industry, Mad Cow USA: Could the Nightmare Happen Here?, and now Trust Us, We're Experts. While flippant and amusing, these books and articles tell a very chilling story of corporate public relations manipulation and spin control growing exponentially in size, audacity and sophistication.
The "father of public relations", Rampton and Stauber point out in Trust Us, is Edward L. Bernays, son in law and disciple of Sigmund Freud. By following Bernays' philosophy one can see the road map to the future. Here are some of his ideas [pp 42 - 44]:
** scientific manipulation of public opinion is necessary to overcome chaos and conflict in society
** In almost every act of our lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons ... who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind.
** while most people respond to their world instinctively, without thought, there exist an intelligent few who have been charged with the responsibility of contemplating and influencing the tide of history
** public relations is an applied science, like engineering, through which society's leaders could bring order out of chaos
** being herd like also made people remarkably susceptible to leadership.
Of course that "leadership" can only be exercised by those who can afford the price of the Hill & Knowltons and APCOs of this world.
Here are some cases of virtual reality cited in their latest book. Big contributions, free junkets and the promise of future jobs are the more obvious ways of corrupting legislators but less obvious and more subtle is the use of public relations to actually manipulate the "facts". A typical example of how this works is illustrated on page 14.
"In the Fall of 1997, Georgetown University's Credit Research Center issued a study which concluded that many debtors are using bankruptcy as an excuse to wriggle out of their obligations to creditors. Lobbyists for bank and credit card companies seized on the study as they lobbied Congress for changes in federal law that would make it harder for consumers to file for bankruptcy relief. Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen cited the study in a Washington Times opinion column, offering Georgetown's academic imprimatur as evidence of the need for `bankruptcy reform'. What Bentsen failed to mention was that the Credit Research Center is funded in its entirety by credit card companies, banks, retailers, and others in the credit industry. The study itself was produced with a $100,000 grant from Visa USA and MasterCard International Inc. Bentsen also failed to mention that he himself had been hired to work as a credit-industry lobbyist."
Coopting and distorting the very sources of knowledge and information which informed people, legislators, scientists, government officials, the press, etc. rely on as being objective and scientific is one of the most clever and the most egregious techniques for creating virtual reality. As an EPA employee I have seen many examples of self-serving corporate sponsored "scientific" studies being foisted off on EPA and used to justify weak ineffective regulations or no regulations at all. The fraud, if discovered at all, is rarely discovered by EPA. In the absence of high level support there is very little incentive for science bureaucrats to look closely at studies with powerful backers.
From p. 199: If you want to know just how craven some scientists can be, the archives of the tobacco industry offer a treasure trove of examples. Thanks to whistle-blowers and lawsuits, millions of pages of once-secret industry documents have become public and are freely available over the Internet. In 1998, for example, documents came to light regarding an industry- sponsored campaign in the early 1990s to plant sympathetic letters and articles in influential medical journals. Tobacco companies had secretly paid 13 scientists a total of $156,000 simply to write a few letters to influential medical journals. One biostatistician, Nathan Mantel of American University in Washington, received $10,000 for writing a single, eight-paragraph letter that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Cancer researcher Gio Batta Cori received $20,137 for writing four letters and an opinion piece to the Lancet, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, and the Wall Street Journal - nice work if you can get it, especially since the scientists didn't even have to write the letters themselves. Two tobacco-industry law firms were available to do the actual drafting and editing. All the scientists really had to do was sign their names at the bottom."
If the virtual reality created by public relation firms were only limited to selling toothpaste and deodorant we might not get too concerned about it. Falsifying medical research to defend harmful and dangerous products is a troublesome escalation. But there appears to be no limits to the uses of PR and no concern by the users of its ultimate impact. The issue of global warming, which could possibly plunge humanity into a new dark age, is being surrounded by the fog of virtual reality by the practitioners of PR as if the stakes were no more important than the selling of mouthwash.
Rampton and Stauber point out in pp 267-288 of Trust Us that PR firms hired by the major industrial emitters of greenhouse gasses have created dozens of influential sounding front organization such as "The Advancement of Sound Science Coalition", "The Global Climate Information Project", "The Information Council for the Environment" and "The Greening Earth Society" which have saturated the media, Congress and the public with industry spin so as to make their case by sheer volume and noise. Since the facts and the scientific community are so overwhelming against them, the object of the public relations onslaught has been to slow down, confuse and defuse public clamor for resolute action. Friends of the Earth International calls this "lobbying for lethargy".
There is legitimate scientific debate about the source and rate of global warming and a lot of the spin addresses that, but a lot doesn't. Some of the dirtier tricks played are:
** An attempt to stimulate anti Kyoto Treaty email to President Clinton by promising to enter writers' names in a $1000 sweepstakes drawing.
** Appealing to anti-abortion activists with the claim that "Al Gore has said abortion should be used to reduce global warming."
** Touting phoney petitions of scientists discrediting the theory of global warming.
** Circulating phoney "scientific" papers made up to look like they had appeared in reputable peer reviewed scientific journals.
** Some industry flacks claim the Earth is actually cooling while other claim that global warming is a good thing.
The scary thing is that lobbying for lethargy is working.
The book is very idealistic/ unrealistic.......2007-04-13
One thing that the authors don't think about is that: Most people are not only not educated enough to understand the specialist jargon that goes with many industrial products, but that if they did try to interpret it *based on their limited information/ understanding* disaster would result.
The authors also don't get into what happens when a well meaning government agency overregulates an industry SO MUCH that it ends up being of benefit to no one. Examples abound-- that were not dealt with in the book.
1. The FDA has such tight regulations on drugs that they end up costing 2-3 times more to produce/ sell to the American public than what they should. And much of this cost is legal fees, excessive testing, and clinical trials.
2. The trucking industry is also something that is heavily regulated. There is a chronic shortage of truck drivers in the industry because there are so many regulations that many people who would be perfectly competent truck drivers can't get a chance at working. (For reference, automobiles kill 40,000+ Americans per year, and trucks kill about 900. An average truck driver might drive 55 hours per week compared to the single digit hours that are driven by a passenger car.)
3. Everyone is whining about the price of gas, but no one knows whether the high cost is because of refineries operating at peak capacity or because of insufficient existing oil supplies. No one will ever be able to test this, since a single refinery has not been built in the last 30 years in the United States.
If people were able to regulate industries by the political process (say, by referenda or voting for candidates that would pass strict legislation), whatever came along after what currently exists would be FAR WORSE.
These authors need to pick up some books on Economics-- specifically ones that deal with information asymmetry (as in, how corporations have a better idea of what they are doing than third party observers).
Other than that, the book is very well written with lots of good examples. It's worth picking up-- in spite of my low rating thereof.
If Everybody Believes Something, It's Probably Wrong.......2006-12-29
If everybody believes something, it's probably wrong! We call that Conventional Wisdom. "Trust Us We're Experts" is one of the few books that I recommend to all of my patients that enter my office. The information in this book has the power to potentially save your life, since it provides the reader with the tools to spot propaganda that's regularly disseminated to the masses.
Americans are the most conditioned, programmed beings on the planet. Not only are our thoughts and attitudes continually being shaped and molded; our very awareness of the whole design seems like it is being subtly and inexorably erased! It is an exhausting and endless task to keep explaining to people how most issues of conventional wisdom are scientifically implanted in the public consciousness by a thousand media clips per day. I feel that Stauber and Rampton do an excellent job at guiding the reader through the PR industry and expert deception that is propagated daily. My recommendation is to buy this book today then kill your TV!
Dr. Matthew J. Loop
- Author of "Cracking the Cancer Code"
Take critical thinking one step further..........2005-11-19
...and use the techniques in this book on the book itself. Sadly, a book with so much promise falls victim to its own PR machine all too often. Face it, if you're going to use critical thinking, use it consistently. If you use it against what you don't like, but cast a blind eye on things you are passionate about, how critical is that, really?
Beware of "Experts" -- Follow the Money! .......2005-07-02
John Stauber tells it like it is, and I wish this book were a bestseller. Readers who can accept these truths may also want to read a highly detailed yet fascinating expose of a huge and profitable industry that has been manipulating science and gambling with your health -- "The Whole Soy Story:The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food" by Kaayla Daniel, The fact that you are probably thinking, "No, we all know that soy is healthy for us" is proof of how thoroughly you've been conned. I was too, but no longer. "Fluoride Deception" by Christopher Bryson is another good one. Thanks to John Stauber, I'm wary of experts and now know enough to follow the money.
Book Description
"In Defense of Advertising is a theoretical defense based on the philosophy of Ayn Rand and the economics of Ludwig von Mises. It argues that the proper foundations of advertising are reason, ethical egoism, and laissez-faire capitalism. Its theme is that the social and economic criticisms of advertising are false because they are based on a false philosophic and economic world view. Only an alternative world view can refute the charges and put forth a positive moral evaluation of advertising¿s role in human life. The author defends advertising because it appeals to the rational self-interest of consumers for the rationally selfish, profit-making gain of the capitalists."
Customer Reviews:
A Case For The Virtue of Advertising.......2007-04-21
In this book, business professor Jerry Kirkpatrick argues that advertising is an effective and necessary method of salesmanship, and that the principles of salesmanship should define the standards and principles of effective advertising. For this reason, advertising is a valid and beneficial tool of entrepreneurs that must be informative and persuasive to be effective. Advertising communications is an important mechanism through which consumers gain information about ways to satisfy and achieve the values they seek, and therefore serves a positive and beneficial role in society.
Kirkpatrick's arguments are not directed towards those who dislike any particular ad for its low-brow qualities, but rather aimed high to refute those who stand against advertising per se, on principle.
The book addresses important key questions such as:
- What is the nature of advertising?
- Is persuasive advertising wasteful or harmful?
- Does advertising benefit consumer interests or is it anti-consumer?
- Should some people determine which products are beneficial to advertise and which are not?
- Does advertising create unnecessary market instability and unwarranted competitive pressures, or are these attributes inherent benefits of market competition?
- Does advertising unnecessarily increase prices thereby `exploiting' workers and consumers, or does it ultimately lower prices by increasing sales and reducing per unit costs, thereby benefiting workers and consumers?
The arguments presented by Kirkpatrick form a basic and fundamental philosophic and economic defense of advertising aimed at refuting those who argue that advertising per se is wasteful, coercive, and generally pernicious. This book is not directed towards practitioners who seek advice on how to improve their advertising. It doesn't provide advice on how to create more effective marketing communications beyond defining the purpose of advertising.
It is unfortunate that it may be difficult for many practitioners of advertising and marketing to understand Kirkpatrick's devastating critique of the various arguments put forth by advertising's enemies. That's because the refutation of such criticisms requires the application of higher level philosophic and economic concepts that are outside of most people's general context of knowledge. Kirkpatrick does a great job explaining the essence of these concepts, but by their nature, they are not easy for the uninitiated to understand, especially when brevity of presentation is maintained.
Perhaps the most prominent criticism of advertising as a medium is that it is inherently coercive and must be addressed by an opposing coercive intervention of government. As such, the critics of advertising qua salesmanship tend to be critics of free-markets, free-speech, and personal freedom in general. Advertising is an outcome of freedom, and Kirpatrick argues that an attack on one is really an attack on the other.
Another major criticism of advertising is that it promotes individual values as against conformity to so-called `higher' values. At base, this critique of advertising rests upon the dispute in ethics between the virtue of self-interest versus social-interest, or egoism versus altruism. Economically and politically, this translates to issues of free-markets versus command economies, or capitalism versus socialism.
Kirkpatrick succeeds in addressing the philosophic attacks against advertising at all levels of the philosophic hierarchy: metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and politics. He does so by taking a scientific individualistic approach, appealing primarily to philosopher Ayn Rand and economist Ludwig von Mises as his guideposts, hence the subtitle of the book: Arguments from Reason, Ethical Egoism, and Laissez-Faire Capitalism.
The arguments in this book pose a major challenge to those who attack the benefits of advertising and take a liking to business-bashing in general. Those who are serious about understanding the deeper meaning of these attacks and the fallacies they are based on as a means to defend the nobility of the principle of freedom of trade, i.e., capitalism, should find a lot of ammunition in this important book.
Philosophy, ethics and economics explained.......2007-04-18
Reviewed by Stephanie Rollins for Reader Views (3/07)
"In Defense of Advertising" by Jerry Kirkpatrick is not a book for the general public. I do not believe that the general public realizes that advertising needs to be defended. I also believe that in order to fully grasp the concepts in "In Defense of Advertising," the reader needs to have a few semesters of economics under their belt.
For those who are interested in economics and advertising, Kirkpatrick does a brilliant job of combining philosophy, ethics, and economics to defend the need for advertising. As Kirkpatrick explained, "The critics who denigrate advertising attack not only advertising but also--by logic necessity--capitalism, ethical egoism, and reason."
Critics of advertising argue that it damages the economy. Critics claim that advertising create monopolies. It creates a barrier to the market and it increases price. Critics claim that it decreases price elasticity. "The brand loyalty, in turn, makes it difficult for competitors to enter the market and, at the same time, enables the advertiser to increase prices." In an era where all business owners want a "brand," critics argue that branding contributes to this monopoly that destroys free enterprise. "Brand loyalty of consumers, then, is the actual barrier that prevents other firms from entering the market."
Kirkpatrick explains the doctrine of determinism. This belief is based upon the idea that man does not have free will. If you follow this belief, people are controlled by forces outside themselves. Kirkpatrick explains that the doctrine of determinism is founded on the assumption that our bodies are always at war with our minds. Picture the cliché devil on one shoulder and angel on the other shoulder.
Kirkpatrick describes the connections between Marxism, Socialism, and advertising. "Again, I must emphasize that not everyone who criticizes advertising on `social' or economic grounds is a Marxist--at least, not explicitly." Outside of academic circles, we would call them Marxists.
A social criticism of advertising is that it "offends the consumer's sense of good taste by insulting and degrading his intelligence." Kirkpatrick points out that "taste" is subjective. Who is elitist enough to appoint them the "good taste" police? Why do critics of advertising think that everyone but them is too uneducated to determine what "good taste" is? "In effect, these critics charge that consumers have no free will and, consequently, helpless pawns of the advertisers."
The Austrian School of Economics does find that advertising is a "legitimate function of business entrepreneurship." I take great offense in the critics' argument that the public, including myself, is not intelligent enough to make informed decisions.
Jerry Kirkpatrick's "In Defense of Advertising" should be required reading for economics and advertising students as it shows the real-world implications of advertising. "In Defense of Advertising" has an index, so it would be a great book to use as a reference for term papers. This is a must read for people studying or working in advertising.
Should Be Required Reading For Advertising Professionals.......2007-02-27
Mr Kirkpatrick states the case for the role of advertising in a logical, reasonable and intellegent manner. This book should be required reading in every advertising classroom in the country. When I picked up this book I never expected to discover a professional that so passionately defends the importance of the postive role of advertising in a free-market system. Well written and an easy read.
A Comprehensive and Fundamental Defense of Advertising.......2007-01-23
This book constitutes a thoroughgoing philosophic analysis and defense of virtually all aspects of advertising. It traces the criticisms made of advertising to false philosophic and economic doctrines, such as determinism and the theory of pure and perfect competition. It defends advertising against such accusations as that it is coercive and monopolistic, creates artificial needs, and erects barriers to entry. The intellectual foundations of these and practically all other accusations against advertising are laid bare and Prof. Kirkpatrick carefully develops the foundations and substance of the replies to them. In the process, he sets forth the very important positive role of advertising and demonstrates its actual benevolence. This is an essential book for anyone seriously interested in understanding and defending the role of advertising in a free market. It should be of exceptional interest to Objectivists, inasmuch as it is largely inspired by the ideas of Ayn Rand.
Book Description
Leading experts present cutting-edge ideas and current research on product placement!
The Handbook of Product Placement in the Mass Media: New Strategies in Marketing Theory, Practice, Trends, and Ethics is the first serious book in English to examine the wider contexts and varied texts of product placement, related media marketing strategies, and audience impacts. The contributors are national experts in a variety of mass media specialties-history, law, and ethics (both media ethics and medical ethics); cultural and critical analysis; content analysis and effects; visuality; marketing, advertising, public relations, and promotion; and digital technology and futures.
This first-of-its-kind book features interviews with leading critics and proponents of product placement (including the Pulitzer Prize-winning media critic of the LA Times and the Director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington, DC). You'll also find a lively roundtable of many of the major contributors (in Q&A format), a review of a recent video on product placement, and a helpful resource guide to publications and Web sites that further enhance the value of the book.
From the editor:
The influence of product placement is perceived as so great that its detractors have sought federal regulation of the practice. This book examines the wider contexts and varied texts of product placement and related mass media marketing strategies. The contributors represent a rich variety of methodological approaches and viewpoints, which should stimulate readers to think about this complex issue in an appropriately multifaceted fashion and to triangulate their own study.
The Handbook of Product Placement in the Mass Media: New Strategies in Marketing Theory, Practice, Trends, and Ethics presents careful research, expert opinion, and insiders' perspectives on:
product placement's historical context—from its origins in early radio and television programming to the evolution of the practice and the advent of "advertainment" and brand promotion via online computer games
the evolution of product placement in Hollywood—with a trend analysis of the 15 top-grossing motion pictures of 1977, 1987, and 1997
the use of product placement to generate additional production revenue for motion pictures
brand synergy and building brand identity
legal aspects of product placement—how it relates to the First Amendment and to the Supreme Court's commercial speech doctrine
ethical issues related to product placement, product integration, and video insertion
. . . plus fascinating case studies focusing on important aspects of product placement:
its use in movie and television programs in general, and in the 2000 movie Cast Away in particular
its use as a marketing technique for medical products
the impact upon brand recognition of adding an audible reference to a visually prominent brand placement
the inclusion of brand names in book storylines
the impact upon viewers of the use of fake (generic, fictitious) products in "realistic" films
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Flicking Your Creative Switch: Developing Brighter Ideas For Business
Wayne Lotherington
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
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ASIN: 0470821035 |
Book Description
Today we need to have a more new, fresh, competitive, superior, big, standard-setting, world-class, or as Wayne writes “brighter ideas for business” than ever, in order to keep our industry (advertising) relevant and alive. Wayne’s world of thoughts for finding those high caliber ideas are inspiring. We’ve put some of them into practice, with great success. Wayne’s book cures the fear of the blank page; I wish it came in pocket size. –
Michael Conrad, Vice Chairman, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett Worldwide Inc. (1997-2002)
This is a book for everybody who wants to be more creative but doesn’t know where to start. It’s also for creative people who like the rest of us mortals need to jump-start their engines once in a while. Wayne Lotherington has a special gift for helping people generate big ideas and realize their creative potential. In Flicking Your Creative Switch, he shares some of his proven methods, based on 20 years in leading creative organizations, in simple language, with easy-to-use tools. —
Peter Wilken, Partner, The Brand Company, Hong Kong
At last, a powerful look at the ‘how to’ ; of creativity in a way that’s inspiring, witty, and most importantly, actionable. Wayne Lotherington is the new Edward de Bono
—Dr.
Michael Llewellyn-Williams, Founder & President, BrandMechanics Inc., San Francisco
Nowadays successful businesses must be able to come up with new, breakthrough business ideas on-demand, and must be able to implement them at the speed of ‘e’. Wayne Lotherington offers them the best handbook on creative thinking that I’ve read. It is simple, clear, concise, actionable and inspirational. It will help any business generate better ideas than ever. If you need your business to be more creative, you need to ‘flick your creative switch’ right now. —
Chris Jaques, CEO, The Bigthinking Group, UK
A surprising number of people, even in so-called creative industries such as advertising, suffer from the belief that they themselves are not creative. Wayne Lotherington will quickly prove you wrong. This book lays out Wayne’s theory of creative thinking in a simple, easy-to-grasp way. There are numerous exercises to try, and useful tools that you can apply immediately to your daily life. Having attended Wayne’s courses, I can assure any reader that your mind will be bussing with possibilities, and eager to take on new creative challenges. Anyone can be creative. Wayne’s book will give you the courage to try.
—Kate Bristow, Director of Strategic Planning, M & C Saatchi, Singapore
Book Description
"This is an inspiring book, a plea for the new approach -- one that does not just put the heart back into brand planning, but puts the brand back at the heart of the organization... It is fresh thinking, which may help you think differently about brands." --- Marketing
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A "call to arms" for business.......2004-01-21
In recent years, much has been made about the faults of the branding business. Most has spawned from a misunderstanding of the discipline or the misuse of the term. The authors, all of whom are long-time experts in the field and members of the Medinge branding think-tank, realize this; and rather than addressing the definition of the term (that is better done in a more rudimentary text), they have taken a higher ground by showing the possibilities of branding for the good of humanity.
In effect, Beyond Branding brings together knowledge of the world's leading branding authorities - and their most pressing issues - in one volume.
It is a "call to arms" for branding and business in general: the authors argue that the changes can take place immediately in any organization, beginning with the individual. To help their mission, there is a web site at www.beyond-branding.com, which features a regularly updated blog, which serves as both an appendix to the book and a way to interact with readers to effect their changes.
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