Overload

Finding the Truth in Today's Deluge of News

By (author) Bob Schieffer With H. Andrew Schwartz

Publication date:

01 December 2017

Length of book:

216 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781538107218

From the explosion of fake news to the challenges of the 24 hour news cycle, legendary journalist Bob Schieffer examines political journalism today and those who practice it. Based on interviews with over 40 media leaders, Schieffer provides an inside look at the changing role of media and asks whether today’s citizens are more informed or just overwhelmed.

Foreword

PART I: HOW WE GOT FROM THERE TO HERE
Chapter 1: Are We Getting the Right Stuff
Chapter 2: How Do You Solve a Problem Like the Donald?
Chapter 3: The Numbers Guys: What the Pollsters Missed
Chapter 4: And That’s the Way it Is, er, Was
Chapter 5: Here’s the Way We Are: The New Neighbors
Chapter 6: Fake News: A Clear and Present Danger

PART II: THE FUTURE HAS ARRIVED
Chapter 7: Walt Mosberg: Bridging the Gap
Chapter 8: The Washington Post: New Way, New Culture
Chapter 9: The New York Times: Doing What They Do Best (Faster)
Chapter 10: The Wall Street Journal: Dividing Church and State
Chapter 11: The Texas Tribune: Filling a Texas Size Void
Chapter 12: Island in the Stream: CBS News Goes Digital
Chapter 13: Andy Lack: Around the World and Back
Chapter 14: The Cable Guy(s)
Chapter 15: NPR Goes Back To Basics
Chapter 16: The Root: Straight Talk and a Little Shade
Chapter 17: The Podcasts: The New Cool
Chapter 18: Newsletters: Suddenly Old Is New
Chapter 19: Colbert and the Case of the Stolen Gig
Chapter 20: Flying Solo Sooner: Training Tomorrow’s Journalists

PART III: FINAL THOUGHTS
Chapter 21: 2016 Reflections on the Year that Was

Afterword
Acknowledgments
About the Authors and Contributors

In this 2016 election post-mortem, veteran reporter Schieffer (This Just In: What I Couldn’t Tell You on TV) interviews journalists at media organizations of all types, including NBC, the New York Times Company, Politico, and NPR, to find out how Americans are receiving and interpreting the overwhelming deluge of news—both real and fake. Schieffer shows how powerful events such as J.F.K.’s assassination, which was one of the first major news stories reported in real time on television, and the September 11 attacks, which saw the proliferation of misinformation on the internet, altered how news was presented and consumed for better or worse and set the stage for Donald Trump’s tumultuous 2016 campaign. The 24-hour news cycle and web-enabled communication technology enabled fake news sites to flourish (and profit) while traditional outlets often struggled to keep up. Schieffer maintains a optimistic outlook as he shows the rapid changes in news media. He notes how organizations are adopting new formats, such as podcasts, and revitalizing old-school ones, such as newsletters. Schieffer also highlights successes of smaller and equally vital outlets like the Texas Tribune, which successfully shifted to a fully free-access model, and the Root, an online magazine focusing on African-American culture that helped bring national attention to stories such as the killings of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown. This vital, impressive study adroitly sums up the current and ever-evolving state of news coverage and the vital need for journalism and educated readers alike.