Rating: 
Summary: You cannot afford not to read it ...
Review: After being almost 3 years in the business of dealing professionally with the press, both printed and electronic, I would say that most of the things that you read in this amazing book seem somehow 'obvious'. Yet, it is what's 'obvious' that passes unattended. It is because even the professionals in this business, (actually especially the professionals in this business) operate without questioning the very principals of the trade: 'What's 'news' really? Why choosing this particular form of presenting them on TV? What is it that we are aiming for? What's hidden behind?I think that reading this book makes a better TV viewer, may be a better journalist, possibly a better citizen.
Rating:
Summary: How to watch TV News and be informed at the same time.
Review: An academic and a TV journalist combine forces to take on the most powerful and pervasive force in our daily lives and dissect its influence in a way no one's thought of before. Who'd think that a society so bombarded with information would be the least informed in the world? This book explains how-- and why. And it's quite prescient, having been written a few years ago, in showing how "news' and "entertainment" combine to form something that tastes great but is less filling. It's worth a read for anyone who suspects that "they" are not telling us what we need to know or want to know-- but what "they" decide" we should know. This is the Rosetta Stone of the Infotainment Age.
Rating:
Summary: Very informative--and entertaining!
Review: An informal and informative handbook that's a fun read. Hey, nobody's perfect, but I'd like to think the ones who control the news would try a little bit harder. The authors do a good job of explaining why we shouldn't take TV news at face value.
Rating: 
Summary: This is a good book to skim in a library.
Review: I decided to buy Postman's book after reading a two page revelation that local news shows (the authors emphasize that they are "shows" not to be mistaken as public utilities) are cast to appear as a family. Dad is the main anchor and there is usually a "mom." The "kids" include a light-hearted weather person and a boyish-cute sports person. The show needs the audience to feel a sense of stability from this on-screen family to counter the chaos they describe in terms of news. Fascinating observation. I buy the book. Unfortunately, there are only five or six similar flourishes of insight amidst a sea of cynicism. And I agree with a previous reviewer's assessment of the authors' shallow prescription.
Rating: 
Summary: Shallow
Review: I found _How to Watch TV News_ to be very disappointing and shallow. After reading this book, I was left with the impression that "if that's all that's wrong with television news, then there's nothing to worry about." On the contrary -- television news programs combine the mass, mainstream media with the technology of television -- a very dangerous combination! The book doesn't discuss the inherent problems of the medium of television that make television news programs ineffectual. And the list of suggestions on "how to watch TV news" is obvious and uninspiring, and doesn't offer any profound methods for "defending yourself". Instead of this book, read _Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television_ by Jerry Mander, and _Manufacturing Consent_ by Herman and Chomsky. _Consent_ will open your eyes to the essential reality of how the mainstream media works, and _Four Arguments_ will give you many more than four reasons why you should turn off your television!
Rating:
Summary: Any Way You Look at it, TV is Bad
Review: In his previous books, Neil Postman has made some excellent observations about society. I am particularly a fan of his book "Amusing Ourselves to Death". In this work, Postman evaluates the televised media in "How to Watch TV News". Much like his other works, he raises some important points. News programs are typically filled with a collection of tidbits for a period of time slightly longer than fifteen minutes. The new items are chosen largely on whether they will draw viewers which in turn will draw advertising dollars. The advertising dollars pay the TV news media. So it is not really important what is covered in the news so much as what news will draw ratings. The content of the news is another issue. In reality, we get the the cliff notes version of the news. We only receive part of the picture. We lack a lot of the background information necessary to make judgements. Because we lack a lot of the information, we are vulnerable to the any bias injected by the news reporter or news station. One of the main points of the book is that we need to read newspapers and magazines to stay informed. Without supplemental information or complete picture, we lack the ability to make an informed judgment. Printed news allows us to select the important stories and eliminate the irrelevant stories. This is an option we don't have with television news. Postman goes through further scenarios that TV affects. Particularly the chapter that deals with the effects of news on children is enlightening. Even though the material is somewhat dated, Channel One programming is also addressed as part of this discussion. Overall, Postman makes an informed and intelligent statement with this book.
Rating:
Summary: Any Way You Look at it, TV is Bad
Review: In his previous books, Neil Postman has made some excellent observations about society. I am particularly a fan of his book "Amusing Ourselves to Death". In this work, Postman evaluates the televised media in "How to Watch TV News". Much like his other works, he raises some important points. News programs are typically filled with a collection of tidbits for a period of time slightly longer than fifteen minutes. The new items are chosen largely on whether they will draw viewers which in turn will draw advertising dollars. The advertising dollars pay the TV news media. So it is not really important what is covered in the news so much as what news will draw ratings. The content of the news is another issue. In reality, we get the the cliff notes version of the news. We only receive part of the picture. We lack a lot of the background information necessary to make judgements. Because we lack a lot of the information, we are vulnerable to the any bias injected by the news reporter or news station. One of the main points of the book is that we need to read newspapers and magazines to stay informed. Without supplemental information or complete picture, we lack the ability to make an informed judgment. Printed news allows us to select the important stories and eliminate the irrelevant stories. This is an option we don't have with television news. Postman goes through further scenarios that TV affects. Particularly the chapter that deals with the effects of news on children is enlightening. Even though the material is somewhat dated, Channel One programming is also addressed as part of this discussion. Overall, Postman makes an informed and intelligent statement with this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Well-informed analysis of the TV news industry
Review: More than just a manual on "how to watch TV news", this book explains the commercial and financial basis of the TV industry, and shows why news coverage plays such a central role in TV. At 168 pages it is by no means lengthy, and can easily be read in a day; but there are still parts that you can skip without much loss - for instance, the chapter that tells you exactly who does what in a typical TV news studio. On the other hand, it is all quite interesting, and the authors back up their conclusions with solid facts.
Postman and Powers are by no means against TV as a news medium, but they warn us to use it intelligently and with full awareness of its biases, strengths and weaknesses. For instance, they point out that TV is intrinsically serial: a programme unwinds at a constant pace, and all the viewers see all of it (unless they go off to make a cup of coffee). Newspapers, on the other hand, can offer far more (and more varied) information, because each reader can select what he or she finds interesting. The sheer cost of time makes a difference, too - as of 1992, when this book was published, one hour of news cost $500,000 to produce. With each second being worth well over $100, "dead time" is a no-no, and long explanations (i.e. over about 10 seconds) are undesirable. This leads to a superficial style, heavy on pictures and short on meaningful analysis.
The authors make some trenchant points. "American television is an unsleeping money machine"; "...fires make a good subject for television news"; "Actually to see buildings topple is exciting..." They even argue that TV commercials offer a form of religious communication. Whereas gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins, commercials assure us that we can right on engaging in it: just don't forget to buy the right antacid pills.
Anyway, do we really need to watch as much TV as we do? Postman and Powers note that, by the end of high school, the average American has spent more time watching TV than in school! TV news can be seen as addictive; we don't really need to know most of what it tells us, but once we start getting sucked in, it is hard to stop coming back for further fixes. Just like soap operas, in fact!
Rating:
Summary: A WHOLE NEW VIEW
Review: PHENOMENAL. SIMPLE YET COMPLEX. MUST 4 THE MILLENIAL. READ THIS + WATCH AND SEE. BEST TEXT OF SEM.
Rating:
Summary: Deep.
Review: The last thing I thought I'd ever need was a book telling me how to "watch" TV news. Boy, was I wrong. The meaning, the subtext, the background, and the message were all there in front of me-- it took a little guidance to "get it." Postman and Powers are two righteous TV dudes who know how to peel the onion of telecommunications and expose the inner workings that, until now, sailed clear over my head. I have to thank my J-School professor for being cool enough to make it part of the required reading list. Rather, Brokaw and Jennings-- watch out! We know your secrets now! Five stars.
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