Static: Government Liars, Media Cheerleaders and The People Who Fight Back, is the second book from investigative journalists Amy and David Goodman. Amy hosts the popular radio news show Democracy Now!, based in the United States. David is an investigative journalist whose articles have been published in The Washington Post and The Nation.
With these experiences under their journalistic belts, the Goodmans tackle controversial topics in their writing such as torture, corrupt corporate media, kidnapping, fake journalists and government propaganda. They also provide a voice to the people who have felt the effects of these problems. The book is written in a third-person narrative with a detached voice.
Investigative Journalists Cover Difficult Topics
The author’s fundamental argument in Static is that conventional media have failed miserably in their primary duty—to inform the public while serving as a watchdog against government deception. The problem is that important stories are being missed because the media has, more often than not, become a mouthpiece for the government. Along with this dilemma, many stories are underreported or merely ignored.
There are two major sections in this book. The first speaks about the lies and destructive policies of the government, the embedded media and the loss of truth telling. The second segment tells the stories of those who are standing up against their government. The Goodmans label these people as the "voices of hope and resistance.”
After the introduction, the central theme of the book is vividly reiterated. The authors argue instead of people being informed by the media about the actual happenings in the world, they are, in fact, fed a heavy dose of static. They describe static as distorted truth, lies, omissions and half-truths, all of which mess up reality for an individual.
Book Divided Into Two Main Sections
The Goodmans provide the antidote to the disease of government static. People need a new media, one that will defend their liberties. The people need a media that will tell the real story, not a government-approved story.
They say the good news is we don’t have to wait for this media; it’s already here and is happening in the forms of blogs, grassroots media and independent filmmakers. The rest of the mainstream media must become independent and removes themselves from all the lies and the bureaucratic cow manure.
Democracy, now, is more important than ever and journalists are responsible for leading this movement, the authors argue. However, if grassroots journalists continue to be snuffed out by corporate media and the government, it could be a difficult movement to even start.
The research the Goodmans have put in to this book is phenomenal. The information culled to form this book is tremendous. Nearly every quote and passage is footnoted with actual research, which establishes the author’s credibility.
Background Research Makes Book Credible
The most positive aspect of the book in regards to journalism is the power of investigative journalism and what it can do. The book serves as a reminder too that there are people in the world who care about telling the truth and preserving it.
The only conceivable problem in this book was how the story was told. The narrative flow was lacking, which is a fundamental tool of journalism. Good story telling is important. The book reads more like an analysis of events, with facts listed in point form; this formula disrupts the story.
This book is a literal blow to the face. It was as if the Goodmans had wound their fist so tight and held it back for so long, all they could do was release it. And the blow is devastatingly painful.
In conclusion, the authors have provided an intriguing, powerful glance into the real character of an American government shrouded in a mist of static, otherwise known as corporate media. But the answers they have provided to these atrocities are helpful and worth fighting for.
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