Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Book and long overdue
Review: Mr. Goldberg tells us what many already knew - CBS along with ABC, CNN, NBC, the Washington Post and the NY Times has a serious liberal bias. CBS is one of the worst offenders and Dan Rather is a shill for the left.
Rating:
Summary: Bernard Goldberg tells the truth about the media
Review: It's going to be hard (actually, impossible) to answer Bernard Goldberg's basic argument that the Left, with its worldview, practices bias in its reportage. Emmy award-winning reporter and producer at CBS, with many years of first-hand experience, Goldberg is himself a liberal in the old-fashioned sense. Yet he is an honest liberal with the highest journalististic standards. His evidence of bias, for years dismissed by CBS, is devastating to Dan Rather, Peter Jennings, and Tom Brokhaw, to say nothing of their network bosses. Goldberg also cites the Washington Post and the New York Times for their one-sided reportage. He doesn't just make these claims; he proves them. To be sure, many Americans already knew that big media coverage was tilted toward the Left. They knew that conservatives were ignored or dismissed because, after all, in the eyes of liberals, conservatives don't know how to get out get out of the rain. As Goldberg points out, several notable conservatives might have written such a book, but not of course this book. It took a man with Goldberg's credentials, unique background, and rich expereince (working at the highest levels) to make the bias charges stick. The book, which I read in one setting, is a masterpiece of documentation and fluid writing. Get it.
Rating: 
Summary: An Angry Man
Review: "An Angry Man" should be the title of this book. The guy really is obsessed and jealous of Dan Rather or as he states over and over "the Dan." If you want to waste your money on an angry man trying to get even with his ex-employer so be it. He repeats himself endlessly. It is in book form because of all the repeating and the double space typing. I found it to be a yawn. As far as bias is concerned, you only need to turn on Fox News, NBC, MSNBC (Chris Matthews especially) to see the other end of the spectrum.
Rating: 
Summary: Bitter? If so, why not?
Review: I wonder why the author is frequently characterized as "bitter." My impression was that his tone was one of incredulity - he couldn't believe how warped some of his colleagues were, and he conveyed this by repetition and exclamation.And if you read this book, you won't be able to believe the blatant bias and contempt for conservative America harbored by the media elite, who live in their own dream world where no contrarian viewpoint is to be heard. More troubling are the accounts of how the news is regularly skewed to fit the media's view of how things *ought* to be - rather than how they really are. For example, how they "handled" pictures of a politically incorrect chain gang (too many Arfican Americans) ... how vital information is left out ... how labels are slapped on conservatives to portray them as fringe radicals. Bitter? Well, why not? If you were constantly being targeted simply for exposing a bigotry run rampant, and trying to change it for the better, why not? Has it escaped anyone's notice that "The Dan" is quite a bitter person as well, allegedly nursing grudges for ever? Finally the fatally flawed and damaging reporting on such vital issues as AIDS and discrimination are given a wider exposure. So many sheep get their news from the liberal media, it's no wonder so much hysteria is generated, so much time and money wasted (see virusmyth.org), so much hatred and anger towards conservatives. For all its flaws - I wish the book were longer - this book is a wake-up call.
Rating:
Summary: No substance whatsoever, don't waste your time!
Review: Mr. Goldberg has some personal issues with CBS, including losing his job. Hardly an objective look at the topic of this book. Don't waste your time reading this one, obviously written because Mr. Goldberg has bills to pay.
Rating:
Summary: Mind Control
Review: This is a brilliant device for reinforcing the mind control system that dominates our so called "democracy". The media may have the appearance of being adversarial to the government and powerful special interests groups, but any careful analysis by anyone with half a brain will uncover the true nature of our system. The media may indeed be liberal but only within the confines of those issues that are allowed to be discussed. They never seem to pursue the truly important questions because they are themselves giant corporations trying to make a profit. They earn that profit through advertising and so hence the need to patronize those in power. If the media acted independently we would hear more about terrorism inflicted by the United States all over the world. We would hear more about the 750,000 children that have died in Iraq due to our sancions. These questions and many like it never arise because those in control wouldn't allow it to happen. Americans are totally brainwashed and have very limited access to relevant information regarding the state of the world. The truth is a disturbing thing to uncover, for our government and corporations are responsible for death and destruction the world over. To anyone really interested in the workings of the media I strongly recommend Noam Chomskys' Manufacturing Consent. He does a much better job of explaining the working of the media than I can or anyone else for that matter. I would love to see Chomsky and Goldberg in a televised debate, but that will never happen. Goldberg knows better.
Rating:
Summary: The Truth Hurts
Review: Goldberg's credentials and years of anecdotes make this book inescabably damaging to the folks who shovel out the "even handed" news to millions of Americans. His examples, peppered with his own admittedly personal angle, cannot be brushed aside as a vendetta, because they would be just as damning if they were written from a neutral perspective. As some have commented, his (at times) caustic vitriol might distract some from the case he makes, but anyone who wants to use that as a defense against the basic tenets of the argument is truly grabbing at straws. Personally, I wouldn't expect to see a book like this, which describes a whistleblower's career being destroyed by a gang of delusional liars, without a certain amount of anger being expressed by the author. Luckily, the facts speak for themselves, and the duplicitous targets of his attack can only hope that no one reads this book. His conclusion seems to be that other sources of news will overtake the standard fare if they don't get some help with their denial problem. But since the problem is invisible to the media, and since they are still making millions selling advertising, it's not likely to change anytime soon. I recommend sending a link to this book to all the advertisers, and tell them this is why you don't watch Dan Rather and his ilk. The advertisers haven't been cloistered in the media circus, and they might be interested to hear from the folks who buy their products. Kudos to Mr Goldberg, and to anyone who has the courage to do as he has done. He damaged his career, but his reward is to be seen as a legitimate newsman. Even though I do not agree with his opinions on some fronts, and would not have chosen some of the words that he did, I found his work highly valuable.
Rating:
Summary: What you already know.
Review: Most people who would buy and read this book will learn little more then what they already know, yet it remains a great read. Why? Because most intelligent people are aware of the established medias bias, but rarely hear of any credible source expose it. It's as if Dan, Tom, and Peter live in one world and we live in another. Now you can read the truth from an insider and learn what makes these people tick. Five stars!
Rating:
Summary: Tell us what you really think...
Review: Bernard Goldberg spends an inordinate amount of time defending himself against character attacks from former CBS news co-workers, (Dan Rather, various producers, news execs, etc.) -- so much so that it is almost off-putting. ALMOST. When you get past that, you realize just how disturbing it is that such character attacks happened in the first place - the backstory is that when Goldberg approached CBS news suits about his concerns of bias in the network, he was shut down. After writing an Op-Ed piece in the Wall Street Journal, he says he was tarred and feathered by his co-workers, one of whom claimed to be a life-long friend. Honest, objective, and yes, constructive criticism is what the media is supposed to be about, so it's alarming when they can't take what they THINK they dish. According to Goldberg, the media in general (and CBS in particular, but he doesn't spare the others) are guilty of not a vast conspiracy of bias, but the kind of thinking-I'm-harmlessly-helping-the-little-guy kind of liberalism that has no place in journalism. Like Goldberg, I consider myself moderate to liberal, and like Goldberg, I think it's important to state that in order to help the reader understand the inherent bias I have - that we all have. This is an interesting read that makes you stop to critically consider some of the garbage we're fed on a daily basis - it's too bad that the networks don't start every newscast with "Good evening, I'm Dan Rather/Peter Jennings/Tom Brokaw/Brian Williams/Paula Zahn/Diane Sawyer/Jane Pauley and I am a liberal." At least then we'd know for sure through what filter our information is passing.
Rating:
Summary: Wish I Had Purchased This Book On Sale!
Review: First, one would have to live in a closet not to know the bias in the news today. Second, Mr. Goldberg has an ax to grind and I am sorry that he feels the need to write a book on his anger toward Dan Rather. He repeats sentences over and over again to take up space on the page. In all fairness there are a few interesting points he makes but not enough for me to recommend this book. I wish I could write a book about my anger and have people pay to read it!
|
