Book Description
Most journalists work behind the scenes and want to keep it that way. They don't ever want to be the story; they only want to tell it. More important, there are plenty of big and little dirty secrets journalism's "powers-that-be" don't want publicized, particularly by those who work for them and know those secrets. Reporters who tattle risk losing their jobs and being blacklisted in the business.
That should tell you something about the news you're getting. It's been written countless times that the press is our nation's last line of defense for keeping our leaders honest and our government democratic. If you believe this to be true and are concerned, you should read this book very, very carefully.
Customer Reviews:
First Published in 1980, Need Another Whole New Book.......2007-02-19
There are many excellent reviews of this book, many with real substance that need not be repeated.
I searched in vain across all 44 reviews and could not find anyone pointing out that this book was first published in 1980, a quarter-century ago.
It's a worthy book, but completely out of date--the practices it describes are not out of date, but we all need a major update.
I recommend "Fog Facts" and "Lost History" as two current updates.
From the larger literature within which I appreciate this book, I see four fully interwoven reasons why America is no longer a republic:
1) Excessive concentration of wealth at the top, CEOs earning 400 times more a year than their lowest paid employee.
2) Wealth corrupting politicians, while corporate personality avoids justice. The Federal Reserve in particular needs to be closed down.
3) A house-broken media unwilling to challenge "the establishment," and
4) An inert public, not realizing that it is being treated--in human terms--just as inhumanely as cattle force fed to death in fourteen months.
"Live Free or Die." Now there's a theme. There are 27 secessionist movements in America, among which Vermont's is the most viable. The time may well have come to dissolve the existing federal government if we cannot achieve electoral reform and the restoration of constitutional integrity.
Press = Maximize Protit$/No Responsibility/No Accountability.......2006-03-02
Fait Accompli? "Hey, don't blame us, the government told us its true!" I suppose we should unprivitize the press as middlemen and get it direct from the source. Of course a complication arises: is it a government or corporate source. No questioning either souce unless the intrepid reporter wants to challenge the establishment and go INTO THE BUZZSAW!
Welcome the few, the proud, the need a job. Your unemployable if your speaking truths about the POWER ELITES. Don't you do doublespeak? Don't you know Newspeak? Don't you know that the Orwellian world is our reality? Still if you insist on being a real reporter for the people, its the BUZZSAW for you. And of course you'll never get those MILLION DOLLAR GOLDEN HANDCUFFS of our star anchor T.V. persons!
Without a doubt these are a few of the repoter's HOT TRAILBLAZERS, that NEVER make the mainstream press.
The reliance on official sources give those in political office (and to a lesser extent those in big business) considerable power to set the news agenda by what THEY speak about. It gives the news a very establishment and MAINSTREM feel.
Check INTO THE BUZZSAW and get out of the Hotel California of mainstream information.
Learn about Govt./Fox News, Oil/ Terror Big Buck$, CIA= The World Mafia In Drug Dealers, Viet Nam POWs left BEHIND, Flight 800 shot down by a Navy missile, and much more.
They believe the PUBLIC CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH.
The truth is once the public knows the truth THEY WON'T BE IN OFFICE.
The truth is the GOVERNMENT/PRESS can't handle the truth. They despise it. THEY hide it from us!
Read INTO THE BUZZSAW and blow to smithereens out of their Hotel California lies.
Into the Buzzsaw: Leading Journalists Expose the Myth of a Free Press.......2006-01-24
This is not the first book or program to decry the disappearance of classical American investigative journalism. The anthology assembled from seasoned and often award winning journalists tells us that in many subtle but also heavy handed ways, the information which we the public are permitted to get through the mainstream news media has been heavily managed by corporate and government forces. Having been properly selected and groomed, the mainstream talking J-heads such as Dan Rather know what they may present as news and what they may not discuss.
As bad as corporate news management had been presented in the Russel Crowe movie THE INSIDER, it is much worse than that, tell us the oft times ousted reporters and TV producers in INTO THE BUZZSAW who wouldn't or couldn't toe the line. Some years ago, a similar group of American journalists mourned in front of a television camera for the discouraging journalism scene in America. The documentary, produced for PBS at the public televison station in San Jose is called FEAR AND FAVOR IN THE NEWSROOM in which Pulitzer Prize winning former New York Times, Washington Post and also network TV journalists tell stories similar to those in INTO THE BUZZAW. But that TV program was produced some ten years ago, and I had hoped that truth in the newsroom would undergo a renaissance. Wrong!
As INTO THE BUZZSAW tells us, the situation has become much worse year by year, and decade by decade. The message in this book is a sad one: poor American journalism, poor democracy. The hope is that those who value both classical American democracy and also the pursuit of high quality, incisive journalism that is required to nourish it will keep on digging out the news that is needed to maintain a free society.
How Our Mass Media is Censored, Distorted, and Silenced........2005-04-21
'Into the Buzzsaw: Leading Journalists Expose the Myth of a Free Press' edited by Kristina Borjesson is a "must read" book for every concerned citizen.The authors show how our media and book publishing industries are strongly controlled by corporate interests. Borjesson does a particularly good job, for example, of showing how the investigation of TWA flight 800 was so intensely influenced by the government that the real story never came to light. This is an important book and it is shocking to find out how much pressure is put on free-thinking, professional journalists to present news according to the interests and agendas of big institutions. The updated paperback version now contains a contribution from news reporter Dan Rather. This book is especially valuable for readers wanting to understand why the U.S. media censors controversial topics such as UFOs, even this subject receives wide attention in other countries like Russia and China.
(Dr. Simeon Hein is the author of Opening Minds: A Journey of Extraordinary Encounters, Crop Circles, and Resonance (Mount Baldy Press, 2002)).
Censorship in action.......2005-03-20
The worst censorship is the one you don't see, or even suspect, and this volume of exposes covers the terrain with admirable panache-and facts. The deadening mechanics of media manipulation leaves us scratching at newsprint or staring into the tube at monopoly in action. That the owners and operators of all this have no standard of truth that isn't hypocritically violated at a moment's notice is by now obvious on one level, yet requires the case made in detail by journalists struggling with the actual cases in newsrooms. We should hardly scapegoat struggling news orgs or exempt government bodies, and the account by Palast of the stolen election in Florida is a case in point, the brazen tactics of the various politicians, and the total inability of the media nexus to report the story.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Columbia Journalism Review, published by Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism on March 1, 2002. The length of the article is 1620 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Into the Buzzsaw: Leading Journalists Expose the Myth of a Free Press.
Author: Bruce Porter
Publication:
Columbia Journalism Review (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 2002
Publisher: Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism
Volume: 40
Issue: 6
Page: 74(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from American Journalism Review, published by University of Maryland on June 1, 2002. The length of the article is 980 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Praising and Preserving the Muckraking Spirit. (Books).
Author: Carl Sessions Stepp
Publication:
American Journalism Review (Refereed)
Date: June 1, 2002
Publisher: University of Maryland
Volume: 24
Issue: 5
Page: 61(1)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
Birding is the fastest growing wildlife-related activity in the U.S., and even conservative estimates put the current number of U.S. birders at 50 million. According to the New York Times, some authorities predict that by 2050 there will be more than 100 million—and the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America will be the essential reference for field identification and the cornerstone of any birder's library. This is the ultimate, indispensable bird field guide—comprehensive, authoritative, portable, sturdy, and easier than ever to use.
Among the the new edition's key elements and practical improvements: Every North American species—more than 960, including a new section on accidental birds—classified according to the latest official American Ornithologists' Union checklist 4,000 full-color illustrations by the foremost bird artists at work todayand newly updated range maps that draw on the latest data New durable cover for added protection against adverse weather, plus informative quick-reference flaps that double as placemarkers New reader-friendly features like thumbtabs that make locating key sections faster and easier, and a quick-find index to direct users straight to the information they need.
Customer Reviews:
A Fabulous Field Guide - Sibley's now has competition.......2007-10-15
I've been using Sibley's Field Guide for the last three years, and my Western Sibley's is very well worn. But now, the field guide I refer to is the National Geographic. The new fifth edition is great. Rather than just list field marks, it offers tips on distinguishing similar species. The art is all new, and IMHO, very close to actual (compared to previous editions which were...schematic...[that's putting it kindly]).
Additionally, the submerged tabs are very handy, and they've picked up on putting the map in the back, like Sibleys.
My only complaints are that it's not a harder cover, and that I'd like it more narrow and tall, rather than wide and short. Nits. It's a fabulous field guide.
Nat Geo Bird Guide.......2007-10-03
I think this is a good field guide. I find the organization easy to use. The infomation is good and includes the regions where each bird can be found. The pictures and drawings of the birds were very thorough, ie the birds may be sitting or flying, male vs female, juveniles vs. adults, and extensive markings are identified.
I'm rather new to bird watching, so I only gave it 4 stars. I thought the more experienced watchers may have a different perspective.
Great Guide for Birding.......2007-09-07
As a novice birder, I find this book to be invaluable. Not only does it provide great photos, it also gives information that entices the reader to learn more and more. This is the text our birding instructor insists we all have in our libraries, and I certainly know why. The guide is a must for anyone interested in learning more about birds.
Still the best in its field.......2007-08-31
I've owned a previous edition of this field guide (it fell into a pond), and I think this continues as the clearest, most practical North American field guide I've found.
The text is simple and to the point. The illustrations are not always as beautiful or lifelike as the drawings or photographs in other guides, but are often much clearer, with useful distinguishing details always picked out well, and a range of plumages/postures shown when necessary. It's not posket sized, but it's not too large or heavy for a backpack or fannypack. As a practical field guide, this is my choice.
I haven't found any changes from the fourth edition that make much of a difference for me, so I wouldn't suggest buying this just as an upgrade.
Hawkeye Review.......2007-06-26
Excellent Field Guide for North American birds----I have owned numerous field guides and this one is by far the best. The bird pictures are excellent and easy to compare with the living specimens. Field notes and range maps are also excellent. A great birding guide that will not dissappoint. National Geographic continues to put out top quality publications.
Book Description
Now in its fourth edition, the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America is the ultimate birder's field guide. Sturdy, portable, and easy-to-use, it features the most complete information available on every bird species known to North America. This revised edition features 250 completely updated range maps, new plumage and species classification information, specially commissioned full-color illustrations, and a superb new index that allows birders in the field to quickly identify a species.
The National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Fourth Edition will continue to be a bestseller among the fastest-growing sector in the U.S. travel market—the nearly 25 million people who travel each year specifically to observe wild birds.
Customer Reviews:
a great book for bird lovers.......2007-08-10
For anyone who wants to learn more about the birds of N. America.
Written in clear concise detail even laymen can understand.
Definitely highly recommended.
Makes a graeat gift for friends who want to learn more
about these amazing feathered friends.
I give four of five stars.
Low quality compared to 3rd edition.......2007-05-30
I have been using field guides for over 30 years and for the last 20 have carried the 2nd and then 3rd edition of the Ntl. Geographic guide faithfully on travel and into the field. I have the Sibley's, Kaufman, Peterson's, Golden and plenty of others but have continued to use the Ntl Geographic when I only want to pack one book. I finally purchased the 4th edition when the price dropped to under $10. I am really disappointed in the quality compared to the 3rd edition.
The colors are not as rich and in most cases are much duller than the 1st, 2nd and 3rd editions. Nearly every bird depicted in the 4th edition will appear to be lighter than it was depicted in the 3rd. What does this mean in terms of your use of the 4th to identify a bird? For complex birds seen at a distance with many similar looking possibilities, (shorebirds and gulls, for instance) you may misjudge what you have seen because you are looking at a bird much darker than it is depicted in the 4th edition of the Ntl Geographic guide.
There are other problems related to quality in the 4th edition. Throughout the book there are numerous instances of black and white bleeding on wingbars and bills producing a blue where there should be none. The shrike page is the most obvious example, but it also occurs on the flycatchers and woodpecker pages.
Thinking that perhaps I had just ended up with a bad copy or misprint, I verified this problem by checking the 4th edition at several stores in different part of the country. The dullness is universal and the blue bleeding seems to be a widespread problem but it manifests itself in different parts of the book depending on the copy. Up until the 3rd edition a birder had to purchase the Ntl Geographic guide at a specialty store or directly from National Geographic. Not sure if this is the reason for the change but, starting with the 4th edition, this guide is available at chain book stores and wholesale warehouses. Perhaps National Geographic has lowered its quality control standards for new markets.
Finally, there are some technical problems with some of the new pages. Only a few pages are updated from the 3rd to 4th editions but surprisingly there are problems with three of them. The first one is excusable since the bird is so scarce in North American waters. The streaked shearwater undertail coverts have extended a good 1-2 inches from the 3rd to the 4th editions of the guide. The effect is that the brown tail will appear shorter than on a real streaked shearwater. The next one is comical, but again not a bird anyone is likely to see. The Cory's dark morph of the least bittern is illustrated in the 4th edition in front of a cattail sponge that would set a world record if it were an accurate depiction. It appears to be about a half size larger than it should in comparison to the bittern, which in turn might make you think a least bittern is even smaller than it is in real life. Last, the illustrations of mourning, MacGilvray's and Connecticut warblers on the new oporornis page all look like cutouts with no depth compared to the better illustrations of these birds in the 3rd edition.
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America 4th Edition.......2007-03-12
I found the guide to be very helpful.
Bird Book for Enjoyment.......2007-03-10
I purchased this for my wife & I as amatuer bird watchers. It is so inclusive of breeds, locality, features and details. In addition it is compact and handy wherever you go in our country. We both recommend for the amateur & experienced bird watcher.
One of the standards.......2007-02-07
This title has been around for what seems like forever. It is not quite as large or definitive as Sibley's, but unlike Sibley's it is much easier to fit in the pocket of the jacket I usually wear when photographing birds. Normally I keep the Sibley's in the car and carry this one with me in the field. I highly recomend both.
Book Description
Essential, comprehensive, and easy to use, National Geographic Complete Book of Birds is an astonishing resource that covers every bird species in North America, as well as all the migrants that fly through. The entries are organized by family groups-an incredible 82 are included-according to the American Ornithological Union guidelines. Within a family, each separate bird entry has dozens of tips and illustrations on species' genders, age groups, behavior, habitats, nesting and feeding habits, and migration routes. Readers will also find unique features, such as:A quick-find index for the most common bird groups and a full glossaryStraightforward, accessible text by numerous birding experts, including National Geographic's resident birding consultant Jonathan AlderferHundreds of range and migration maps from renowned ornithologist Paul Lehman with National Geographic cartographersState-of-the-art, updated bird illustrations by expert artists, including Jonathan AlderferNew and original photographs from well-known bird photographers Kevin Karlson and Brian Small
Perfect for novice or experienced birders alike, National Geographic Complete Book of Birds is a definitive, must-have resource. Quite simply, there is no other volume like it.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent content, unacceptale binding........2007-07-01
This book has excellent content, but the first printing had the stiff binding that wouldn't allow the book to open fully, making it very difficult to read. The second printing has a more flexible spine where the pages are just stuck to it. After four months of very casual use, the pages began falling out. This is the poorest bound book that I have ever seen.
Alex's bird review.......2007-07-01
Birdwatchers,hello! I am an 8-year old birder. If you love birds and need some good information 'Nat Geo's Complete Birds of North America' has great info on behavior, identification and other important bird stuff! It is the first book I look at if my family or a friend describes a bird they saw today.
I reccomend this highly, and you can buy it at almost every bookstore or library.
Great Content, Terrible Presentation.......2006-06-10
The single most noticeable thing about this book is how poorly it was manufactured. The spine seems to be made from steel making it impossible to ever fully open the book and an exercise in frustration to read. This problem is greatly exacerbated by the fact that the text runs way down into the deep dark recesses of the crevasse created by the horrible binding. The actaully printing however is very good. The pictures are clear with good color and the paper is of high quality. This makes it even more of a shame that the binding is so bad.
The actual content of the book is quite good. Most of the illustrations were taken from the National Geographic Field Guide as were the maps. The maps have been increased in size which is a definite help. Every species accepted by the ABA is covered with its own write-up. Not surprisingly, some of the rarer species receive much less of a write-up then the regular ones.
In the end I believe that the poor production qualities fatally flaw the book and can only recommend to the bird book obsessed like myself.
Terrific information.......2006-03-07
Well written, good information, well organized. Not a field guide but one of the best reference books I've seen.
Best Bird Book Available.......2006-03-02
In typical National Geographic fashion, this book is excellent. It is extremely comprehensive with outstanding artwork. This is a must have for anyone who enjoys birding. You should also buy the National Geographic Field Guide to Birds of North America as an easy to carry companion.
Amazon.com
The field reference of choice for serious birders since its inception, the third edition has been updated to reflect new bird ranges in North America as well as the always controversial reclassifications of species and subspecies. The expanded text includes even more notes on identification, behavior, habitat, and song, while the illustrations--now revised and sharpened--depict individual species in varying plumage, often with habitat cues in the background. Like the first two editions, the guide combines accurate illustrations with useful maps and text in a portable format. Beginners and experts alike will flock to this handy field guide.
Book Description
Field Guide to the Birds of North America
Completely revised and updated, this most up-to-date bird guide on the market features more than 800 North American birds, including 80 new species. The edition is lavishly illustrated with specially commissioned, full-color illustrations, plus range maps and detailed descriptions.
Customer Reviews:
Waste of your money!!!!!!!.......2006-11-06
The fifth edition is going to come out on Nov. 7, 2006 but I already have it!!!! It's much more updated and is much better since it has 7 thumbtabs (Hawks, Sandpipers, Gulls, Flycatchers, Warblers, Sparrows, and Finches) and the quick-find index is now on the side and there's even a map on the back!!!!! The taxonomy is not up-to-date. Canada Goose had been separated as well as the Blue Grouse and many others. I do NOT recommend you to buy this guide. Either wait for the Fifth Edition or go look for other good guides such as Kaufman (this one is a tiny bit outdated(Blue Grouse not split yet) but is easier to use because it has color tabs instead of thumbtabs) or the Sibley Guides (even more outdated). This Edition is a waste of your money so do NOT buy!!!!!!!!!
Still a fine work.......2002-12-05
My natural history interests are mainly in botany and mycology, but I also have an interest in birding, and I own dozens of bird identification books, and this is one of my favorites. Although there may be better books for the field or for home reference now, such as the newer Sibley, Kaufmann, or Smithsonian books, this is still a good work for general identification purposes, and it's served me well for that. Since this one was written there has even been a large, Reader's Digest volume about 10 years ago that was actually pretty well done, I thought, so everybody seems to be getting into the act.
As another reviewer here perceptively pointed out, the paintings in this book are more modeled and 3-dimensional looking, compared to the classic Peterson book, which look flatter and less solid. Also, the colors are more muted, and therefore more realistic to me. Both the Peterson and NG books have good field notes and tips on behavior which are useful. The 3-volume Smithsonian guides have great pictures, of course, but they're better for home use since carrying three books in the field usually isn't practical.
There are other specific differences between this and the Peterson book, but others have already pointed these out here, so I'll just conclude by saying if I had to have just one guide, this would definitely be in my top 3 for the honor.
No longer required.......2002-08-26
5 years ago this field guide was required for all serious birders but with the new field guides this one isn't need any longer. It's a bit too big to easily carry around the field and Sibley's is a better guide for the home. Kaufman's Birds of NA is a better book to carry around.
If you like to have bird guides this is one of the best but it's no longer the best.
A bird book for the car.............2002-06-06
For years, I've used the Peterson field guides to identify birds. Most of my bird watching has taken place in the Eastern U.S. mountains and north and south of the coastal area where I live, as well as WI (summer) and LA (winter). The Petersen guide book for the Eastern region meets most of my needs, but I also own several other books (Smithsonian and Audubon). I became interested in the National Geographic book BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA because I admire the NG magazine.
The NG is a heavier book than the Eastern Peterson, perhaps because it shows birds from both the Eastern and Western areas of the country, but the Peterson maps show the full range of "Eastern" birds--even if a range extends to the West. Both books show ranges that extend into Canada. The NG book is nifty because the little maps that appear in the back of the Petersen books are on the same page as the bird illustrations.
The birds illustrated in both books are clustered by category. For example, Petersen shows male and female Downey, Hairy, Northern Three-toed, and Black-backed woodpeckers together, as does the NG. The Petersen guide has little arrows that point to distinguishing marks, but NG does not. I find these indicator arrows very helpful when I am trying to tell two closely marked birds apart. The NG does show a tiny row of variants across the bottom of the page (For example, the woodpecker page = fasciatus, dosalis, orius, etc.)
The bird colors are less differentiated in the Peterson than the NG illustrations. For example, stripes on the Peterson Three-toed woodpecker's belly are less articulated than those shown on the NG bird. I don't think this matters as one seldom gets close enough to see the mottling. The Peterson birds are hand drawn and relatively flat, while the NG birds are more rounded, i.e. modeled. The Petersen birds look like the Audubon paintings. The NG illustrations remind me of digital photos of taxidermist stuffed birds (probably why the colors are so differentiated).
Both books provide measurements and Latin names. The Peterson book provides text that describes birds that might prove confusing with your bird of interest. The NG book provides text that describes the attributes of regional variants. This latter feature won't help you in the field since you almost never see regional variants in the same location.
If you are a serious bird watcher you will probably want both books and the Audubon and Smithsonian books as well. If you can only afford one book, I recommend the Peterson book. I have used my Peterson book for so long it just falls open when I hold it in one hand, so I am probably prejudiced.
Great Field Guide.......2002-03-01
I've been birding for about 5 years, and this is the book I always have with me on birding expeditions - it's small enough to portable (though not small enough for a pocket,) and the illustrations are excellent in quality. Has very nice comparison pages, showing several similar-looking species, such as ducks, hawks, gulls, and warblers. The descriptions are generally very good, and contain useful distinguishing information.
Generally, I prefer drawings/paintings to actual photographs when using birding books - I've found that often times, the photographs in birding books are less than good examples of several species, especially when there are one or more variations. Also, with illustrations, the artist controls the lighting, the angle, et cetera. Since this book uses illustrations, so perhaps I'm biased toward it in that way.
I have about a dozen birding field guides, and the only one I like better than this one is the Sibley; however, the extremely large size of that book prevents me from taking it on any but short trips. The NGS book here is more than sufficient for most birders, I would imagine. Another plus is that it's all the birds of the continent, period; no need to buy an Eastern/Western edition when you travel to other areas of the country.
An excellent book, all around.
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- On Liberty and Other Essays (Oxford World's Classics)
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