Monday, July 28, 2008

Frank Rich.
The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth From 9/11 to Katrina.
New York: The Penguin Press, 2006.

Book information: publisher, Google Book Search, Amazon.com.

Frank Rich:

Book Reviews:
  • Ian Buruma, Theater of War, The New York Times, 17 September 2006.

  • Christopher Hitchens, Theater of War, Claremont Review of Books, Vol. VII, No. 1, Winter 2006.

  • Michael Tomasky, How Democrats Should Talk, The New York Review of Books, Volume 54, Number 9, May 31, 2007.

Video Describing the Bush/Cheney Propaganda Campaigns:
Note: Most or all of these videos are available for viewing for free on the web either at the link below or at Google Video.
  • Orwell Rolls in His Grave (2003).

  • Why We Fight (2005).

  • Buying the War, Bill Moyers' Journal, PBS, 25 April 2007.
    (video link at bottom of webpage)

  • Bush's War, Frontline, PBS, 2008.

  • Last but not least: Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media (1992).
    Although this film preceeded Bush/Cheney by about a decade, the ideas and practices discussed in the film accurately describe how Bush/Cheney and the media have behaved with respect to Iraq, and in hindsight one can see this is how the U.S. government and its media tools have acted throughout much of the 20th century and continue to do so today. In my view the actions of Bush/Cheney and their various enablers (media and both political parties) during the current decade have demonstrated that Chomsky's analysis is largely correct. (Warning: This is a relatively long and dry film that should be seen in 2 or 3 sittings. Less attentive viewers should probably watch Orwell Rolls in His Grave instead.)

Other Books:
There is a large literature on propaganda as a general topic and, in particular, propaganda in U.S. politics and society, where propaganda is pervasive but the people are usually unaware of it. I think this post would be incomplete without some recognition of these facts and thus must contain pointers to surveys and introductions on the topic. On the other hand, I have no expertise in this area and I expect anyone sentient enough to read this blog can figure out by themselves what to read next. So I'll just mention a few names (with a link to one book, usually one of many by the author(s)) that I've noticed are often associated with this topic.
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