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The Republican Noise Machine: Right-Wing Media and How It Corrupts Democracy
In The Republican Noise Machine , David Brock skillfully documents perhaps the most important but least understood political development of the last thirty how the Republican Right has won political power and hijacked public discourse in the United States.
Brock, a former right-wing insider and the author of the New York Times bestseller Blinded by the Right , uses his keen understanding of the strategies, tactics, financing, and personalities of the American right wing to demonstrate how the once-fringe phenomenon of right-wing media has all but subsumed the regular media conversation, shaped the national consciousness, and turned American politics sharply to the right.
Brock documents how in the last several decades the GOP built a powerful media machine--newspapers and magazines, think tanks, talk radio networks, op-ed columnists, the FOX News Channel, Christian Right broadcasting, book publishers, and high-traffic internet sites--to sell conservatism to the public and discredit its opponents. This unabashedly biased multibillion-dollar communications empire disregards journalistic ethics and universal standards of fairness and accuracy, manufacturing "news" that is often bought and paid for by a tight network of corporate-backed foundations and old family fortunes. By dissecting the appeal, techniques, and reach of the booming right-wing media market, Brock demonstrates that it is largely based on bigotry, ignorance, and emotional manipulation closely tied to America’s longstanding cultural divisions and the buying power of anti-intellectual traditionalists.
From the disputed 2000 presidential election to the war with Iraq to the political battles of 2004, Brock's penetrating analysis of right-wing media theories and methodology reveals that the Republican Right views the media as an extension of a broader struggle for political power. By tracing the political impact of right-wing media, Brock shows how disproportionate conservative influence in the media is integrally linked to the Republican Right’s current domination of all three branches of government, to the propping up of the Bush administration, and to the inability of Democrats to voice their opposition to this political sea change or to compete on an even playing field.
As only an ex-conservative intimately familiar with the imperatives of the American right wing could, David Brock suggests ways in which concerned Americans can begin to redress the conservative ascendancy and cut through the propagandistic fog. Writing with verve and deep insight, he reaches far beyond typical bromides about media bias to produce an invaluable account of the rise of right-wing media and its political consequences. Promising to be the political book of the year, The Republican Noise Machine will transform the raging yet heretofore unsatisfying debate over the politics of the media for years to come.
Brock, a former right-wing insider and the author of the New York Times bestseller Blinded by the Right , uses his keen understanding of the strategies, tactics, financing, and personalities of the American right wing to demonstrate how the once-fringe phenomenon of right-wing media has all but subsumed the regular media conversation, shaped the national consciousness, and turned American politics sharply to the right.
Brock documents how in the last several decades the GOP built a powerful media machine--newspapers and magazines, think tanks, talk radio networks, op-ed columnists, the FOX News Channel, Christian Right broadcasting, book publishers, and high-traffic internet sites--to sell conservatism to the public and discredit its opponents. This unabashedly biased multibillion-dollar communications empire disregards journalistic ethics and universal standards of fairness and accuracy, manufacturing "news" that is often bought and paid for by a tight network of corporate-backed foundations and old family fortunes. By dissecting the appeal, techniques, and reach of the booming right-wing media market, Brock demonstrates that it is largely based on bigotry, ignorance, and emotional manipulation closely tied to America’s longstanding cultural divisions and the buying power of anti-intellectual traditionalists.
From the disputed 2000 presidential election to the war with Iraq to the political battles of 2004, Brock's penetrating analysis of right-wing media theories and methodology reveals that the Republican Right views the media as an extension of a broader struggle for political power. By tracing the political impact of right-wing media, Brock shows how disproportionate conservative influence in the media is integrally linked to the Republican Right’s current domination of all three branches of government, to the propping up of the Bush administration, and to the inability of Democrats to voice their opposition to this political sea change or to compete on an even playing field.
As only an ex-conservative intimately familiar with the imperatives of the American right wing could, David Brock suggests ways in which concerned Americans can begin to redress the conservative ascendancy and cut through the propagandistic fog. Writing with verve and deep insight, he reaches far beyond typical bromides about media bias to produce an invaluable account of the rise of right-wing media and its political consequences. Promising to be the political book of the year, The Republican Noise Machine will transform the raging yet heretofore unsatisfying debate over the politics of the media for years to come.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
21 people are currently reading
652 people want to read
About the author
David Brock
123 books32 followersDavid^Brock.
There is more than one author by this name in the database.
David Brock is a journalist currently living in Washington, DC. He started out in professional journalism with a piece in "The Wall Street Journal", that caught the attention of John Podhoretz, who was assigned with starting a magazine for the conservative daily newspaper, "The Washington Times".
He worked as a news reporter for a while at "Insight" (the Washington Times' magazine) until eventually moving up to work for the paper, itself. His prominence in the conservative movement as a journalist got him a job at the American Spectator. During his time at the Spectator, Brock became very well known for filing "hatchet jobs" against then-President Bill Clinton (William Jefferson Clinton) and the first lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
He wrote the hugely popular book, "The Real Anita Hill", which attempted to paint Anita Hill (who accused Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment while he was being confirmed to the Court) as being a liar who could not be trusted (Brock labeled her "a bit nutty and a bit slutty").
He eventually "broke" with the conservatives and went on to try to make amends for his character assassination and fabrication of the truth while he was in the movement.
He detailed these fabrications and denounced much of his own earlier work in his 2002 book, "Blinded By The Right".
He is now the CEO and founder of "Media Matters for America", a progressive media watchdog group thats mission is to find and correct conservative misinformation in the mainstream press.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Regis
There is more than one author by this name in the database.
David Brock is a journalist currently living in Washington, DC. He started out in professional journalism with a piece in "The Wall Street Journal", that caught the attention of John Podhoretz, who was assigned with starting a magazine for the conservative daily newspaper, "The Washington Times".
He worked as a news reporter for a while at "Insight" (the Washington Times' magazine) until eventually moving up to work for the paper, itself. His prominence in the conservative movement as a journalist got him a job at the American Spectator. During his time at the Spectator, Brock became very well known for filing "hatchet jobs" against then-President Bill Clinton (William Jefferson Clinton) and the first lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
He wrote the hugely popular book, "The Real Anita Hill", which attempted to paint Anita Hill (who accused Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment while he was being confirmed to the Court) as being a liar who could not be trusted (Brock labeled her "a bit nutty and a bit slutty").
He eventually "broke" with the conservatives and went on to try to make amends for his character assassination and fabrication of the truth while he was in the movement.
He detailed these fabrications and denounced much of his own earlier work in his 2002 book, "Blinded By The Right".
He is now the CEO and founder of "Media Matters for America", a progressive media watchdog group thats mission is to find and correct conservative misinformation in the mainstream press.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Regis
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
February 6, 2025
Donald Trump’s attempt to denigrate and minimize the mainstream media did not come from nowhere. It is only the latest in an ongoing project to destroy reality as we know it. David Brock, in this 2004 book, offered a very detailed analysis of how the republican noise machine works. The primary thesis is that it is the neocons’ (and now the Trump-allied white supremacists') goal to destroy journalism as we know it, any attempt at an accurate depiction of events and their meanings, and substitute bias-only “reporting.” Brock presents historical information in considerable detail concerning the roots of this movement, describing its many spreading branches.
David Brock - from The Daily Beast
I wish I had all that information on-line so I could search for unfamiliar names. There are many, many quotes from his sources. It is a very worthwhile read, but the sheer number of names and organizations can be dizzying. It is a welcome companion to his earlier book, Blinded by the Right, which details how he came to change from a GOP perspective to a more Democratic one. This is an excellent source material book, entertaining to read, informative, and very, very scary, even more so given the current blitzkrieg being waged against real news.
Brock, today, is a controversial figure. Some view him as being more interested in promoting David Brock than in promoting progressive causes. He was an attack dog in supporting Hillary Clinton’s candidacy. Bernie Sanders, the object of many of those attacks, referred to Brock as “Scum of the earth.” Many in Democratic circles decry Brock’s electoral efforts as having been politically ineffective. Whatever the case, his analysis is very well done in this book, and it is definitely worth a look.
(This seemed worth a re-post at the beginning of the second Trump reich. Same stuff in 2025, only mores.)
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s Twitter and FB pages
Brock has started several political entities. One is:
-----Media Matters - which tracks right-wing influence on mainstream media
News articles on Brock
----- Clinton warrior David Brock offers an apology — and his allegiance — to Bernie Sanders - Washington Post – by Callum Borchers – January 10, 2017
----- Dems to David Brock: Stop Helping, You Are Killing Us
- The Daily Beast – by Asawin Suebsaeng – January 26, 2017
David Brock - from The Daily Beast
I wish I had all that information on-line so I could search for unfamiliar names. There are many, many quotes from his sources. It is a very worthwhile read, but the sheer number of names and organizations can be dizzying. It is a welcome companion to his earlier book, Blinded by the Right, which details how he came to change from a GOP perspective to a more Democratic one. This is an excellent source material book, entertaining to read, informative, and very, very scary, even more so given the current blitzkrieg being waged against real news.
Brock, today, is a controversial figure. Some view him as being more interested in promoting David Brock than in promoting progressive causes. He was an attack dog in supporting Hillary Clinton’s candidacy. Bernie Sanders, the object of many of those attacks, referred to Brock as “Scum of the earth.” Many in Democratic circles decry Brock’s electoral efforts as having been politically ineffective. Whatever the case, his analysis is very well done in this book, and it is definitely worth a look.
(This seemed worth a re-post at the beginning of the second Trump reich. Same stuff in 2025, only mores.)
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s Twitter and FB pages
Brock has started several political entities. One is:
-----Media Matters - which tracks right-wing influence on mainstream media
News articles on Brock
----- Clinton warrior David Brock offers an apology — and his allegiance — to Bernie Sanders - Washington Post – by Callum Borchers – January 10, 2017
----- Dems to David Brock: Stop Helping, You Are Killing Us
- The Daily Beast – by Asawin Suebsaeng – January 26, 2017
August 30, 2016
A few years ago, I had read Bernard Goldberg's books "Bias", and "Arrogance", both of which were critical of the liberal bias of mainstream media. And Goldberg's books and examples were absolutely convincing.
Today, I just completed David Brock's "The Republican Noise Machine: Right-Wing Media and How it Corrupts Democracy" which takes the opposite view, and is critical of the conservative bias of most talk radio and TV cable shows. He shows how the conservative media, which he had previously been part of, have intimidated members of the mainstream, and in order to not appear biased, have moved the political center much more to the right. His book and examples, like Goldberg's, were also very convincing.
The take from this is, like beauty, bias is in the eyes of the beholder. Brock gives many examples of what was mis-classified as liberal bias in his book. In his examples, it's difficult to see how rational people would consider those examples to have been classified as being biased toward the left. He also presented many cases of how some conservative broadcasters or writers clearly did (or do) present a biased message.
But few people, even political independents, are truly (conceptually) standing on the 50-yard line of the political field, where they can see half the field to their left, and half the field to their right. Many may "believe" they're centered, but in reality, may well be at the 10 or 20-yard line on either end of the playing field, and therefore see only a minority supporting their views, and a large majority seemingly against their views. One thing both the Goldberg books and the Brock book makes clear: if you're looking for bias in a book or broadcast, you'll probably find it.
The down side of Brock's book, to me, was that in trying to drive his point home, he over did it. Give ten good examples, and you start to understand his point. Give ten more and then ten more and then ten more, and you really understand his message. But adding hundreds more examples only becomes mind-numbing. So, to be honest, I fast forwarded through the second half of the book, and don't believe I missed much.
The unfortunate lesson to me, and perhaps to others, will be that you need to take everything you hear on cable news, and see on the internet, with a grain of salt. Much of what is presented may be only part of the story, or a carefully selected group of favorable "facts". If you really want to gain a good understanding of the subject being discussed, critical thinking is a must. Do your homework and review several sources, perhaps even from other perspectives, before you become certain of your position.
Today, I just completed David Brock's "The Republican Noise Machine: Right-Wing Media and How it Corrupts Democracy" which takes the opposite view, and is critical of the conservative bias of most talk radio and TV cable shows. He shows how the conservative media, which he had previously been part of, have intimidated members of the mainstream, and in order to not appear biased, have moved the political center much more to the right. His book and examples, like Goldberg's, were also very convincing.
The take from this is, like beauty, bias is in the eyes of the beholder. Brock gives many examples of what was mis-classified as liberal bias in his book. In his examples, it's difficult to see how rational people would consider those examples to have been classified as being biased toward the left. He also presented many cases of how some conservative broadcasters or writers clearly did (or do) present a biased message.
But few people, even political independents, are truly (conceptually) standing on the 50-yard line of the political field, where they can see half the field to their left, and half the field to their right. Many may "believe" they're centered, but in reality, may well be at the 10 or 20-yard line on either end of the playing field, and therefore see only a minority supporting their views, and a large majority seemingly against their views. One thing both the Goldberg books and the Brock book makes clear: if you're looking for bias in a book or broadcast, you'll probably find it.
The down side of Brock's book, to me, was that in trying to drive his point home, he over did it. Give ten good examples, and you start to understand his point. Give ten more and then ten more and then ten more, and you really understand his message. But adding hundreds more examples only becomes mind-numbing. So, to be honest, I fast forwarded through the second half of the book, and don't believe I missed much.
The unfortunate lesson to me, and perhaps to others, will be that you need to take everything you hear on cable news, and see on the internet, with a grain of salt. Much of what is presented may be only part of the story, or a carefully selected group of favorable "facts". If you really want to gain a good understanding of the subject being discussed, critical thinking is a must. Do your homework and review several sources, perhaps even from other perspectives, before you become certain of your position.
April 25, 2019
It'll be a challenge to bite my tongue here while I'm reading this. I am VERY partisan and very much anti-Republican, especially the "new" conservative, winning is everything philosophy and strategy it espouses. In the old days there wasn't as much difference between the D's and the R's. The Eisenhower-Nixon party was pretty much middle of the road and business oriented but nowadays is much further toward the nasty right wing of the Birch society. I had a Limbaugh("Rush" to him) loving co-worker refer to Obama as "that asshole" the other day. Why?????? I assume it's because he's no longer allowed to use the n-word. The single unifying "issue" of the Tea Party(verified by polling) is personal antipathy to Obama... you know, that foreign-born, secret Muslim terrorist, commie loving, white people hating, smart-alecky, thinks he's better than us guy in the White House...
So far the guy seems to have done his homework but this is not much of a page-turner. So... I'll be reading a bit at a time.
Taking this slowly as the guy is very thorough. A problem: this is so angering, disgustifying and depressing that one might want to consider checking out of this looming fascist 1984-ish society one way or another... suicide... Canada?
I finally got tired of the endless piles of detail and stated to skim. It's all very compelling but the drudgery of slogging through all the names and such gets one down. I pretty much get the big picture anyhow and agree whole-heartedly with his premise. Republicans are not interested in a true democracy at all. They want power and control and wealth and will do whatever they can get away with to achieve and possess these things. It seems likely to me that because of the increasingly and disheartening cluelessness of American voters that the Democrats can only be fighting a losing battle. On the fairly near horizon I see a society and political process increasingly dominated by the haves, who use media control manipulation to increasingly to massage the "truth" and stifle anything like what used to be the back-and-forth of a healthier political system. It's depressing, but I suppose I'll be dead before the worst is upon us. Things don't stay the same forever, folks, if you want a true and fair and progressive political, economic and cultural system you have to fight and work for it!
Finished last night with a bit of skimming though all the documentation(names, dates etc,). All I can say to David Brock and his fellow progressive warriors is keep after 'em - the Becks, Coulters, Savages, O'Reilly's, Ingrahams, Aileses, Humes, Nordquists, Limbaughs and on and on with the poisonous soul-sick enemies of progress and true democracy). In MY humble opinion the battle is ultimately a lost cause but must be fought nevertheless. Our government is too vulnerable to the influence of money now and unfortunately the Right has more than the left(of course). Good luck to all fair-minded and progressive-thinking people in the future. It's gonna be a nasty world to live in. Just my opinion...
4-25-2019 - Update ... Trump!@#$%^&*)(???????
So far the guy seems to have done his homework but this is not much of a page-turner. So... I'll be reading a bit at a time.
Taking this slowly as the guy is very thorough. A problem: this is so angering, disgustifying and depressing that one might want to consider checking out of this looming fascist 1984-ish society one way or another... suicide... Canada?
I finally got tired of the endless piles of detail and stated to skim. It's all very compelling but the drudgery of slogging through all the names and such gets one down. I pretty much get the big picture anyhow and agree whole-heartedly with his premise. Republicans are not interested in a true democracy at all. They want power and control and wealth and will do whatever they can get away with to achieve and possess these things. It seems likely to me that because of the increasingly and disheartening cluelessness of American voters that the Democrats can only be fighting a losing battle. On the fairly near horizon I see a society and political process increasingly dominated by the haves, who use media control manipulation to increasingly to massage the "truth" and stifle anything like what used to be the back-and-forth of a healthier political system. It's depressing, but I suppose I'll be dead before the worst is upon us. Things don't stay the same forever, folks, if you want a true and fair and progressive political, economic and cultural system you have to fight and work for it!
Finished last night with a bit of skimming though all the documentation(names, dates etc,). All I can say to David Brock and his fellow progressive warriors is keep after 'em - the Becks, Coulters, Savages, O'Reilly's, Ingrahams, Aileses, Humes, Nordquists, Limbaughs and on and on with the poisonous soul-sick enemies of progress and true democracy). In MY humble opinion the battle is ultimately a lost cause but must be fought nevertheless. Our government is too vulnerable to the influence of money now and unfortunately the Right has more than the left(of course). Good luck to all fair-minded and progressive-thinking people in the future. It's gonna be a nasty world to live in. Just my opinion...
4-25-2019 - Update ... Trump!@#$%^&*)(???????
December 21, 2007
David Brock was actually one of the guys active in persuing the ridiculous Clinton Whitewater fiasco. He was always part of the Right, but after Whitewater he was so disgusted with himself and his party that he reassessed himself and his values and how he felt about what the right was up to. In this book he does a great job discussing the misleading done to the public by the media.
February 14, 2017
This book, published in 2004, could just as well have been published yesterday for its relevance to the current political predicament in the USA. It lays out the goring of Gore in gory detail, along with all the rest of the utterly baseless fabrication and gratuitous slander that has been substituted for mainstream news in the modern print, radio and TV media. Did you know, for instance, that FOX News CEO Roger Ailes ran Nixon's 1968 presidential campaign? The hideous web of collusion between corporate sponsors and unscrupulous "journalists" to promote the GOP takeover of the government at every level is traced back to and through the very familiar names we find swarming around the White House in 2017..... Conway, Bannon, DeVos, and others. The gradual but DELIBERATE deterioration of journalistic standards -- to the detriment of truth itself, for no other reasons than pure greed and political expediency -- is shown to be exactly the same anti-democratic force that now holds the reins of power in our formerly checked-and-balanced government. It is a difficult read for the sheer ugliness of its subject matter, but it delivers a sense of deep understanding of the immediate causes of our sudden immersion in the swamp of fake news that we are supposedly becoming accustomed to -- along with a fresh, realistic, and empowering sense of immunity to the fog of actual deception upon which it is based. My thanks to courageous author David Brock, who spent a number of his formative years doing "research" for the Heritage Foundation -- until he could no longer reconcile his integrity with the complete lack of factual merit in what he was writing. I am looking forward to reading his first book, published in 2002, which has the very evocative title "Blinded By the Right." By the way, the only reason I ever discovered this book was in the footnotes of another indispensable guide to the untold history of modern America, "Family of Secrets" by Russ Baker.
August 11, 2022
Definitely an illuminating book - though I use the term "illuminating" in the most depressing of ways. At first, I thought I was going to hate this because of the SHEER ... FUCKING ... HYPOCRISY!! when you consider the liberal media in the age of Trump. If I was to keep my angry right-wing hat on, I could have hated this book for just being a perfect, infuriating case of "Well, it's okay when we do it, but how dare Fox News. No, sir, HOW DARE THEY!!". There is a lot of bitching about said news organisation and how effective and successful it is, how savvy the Republicans and their shock-jocks are in transforming the political landscape through the propagandisation of radio and TV, as well as the internet - the destructive power of which this book, written in 2004, can only glimpse at.
Brock himself was a pundit for the right-wing (he even references one of his own, pre-moral crisis books when he complains about the nasty lies and slanderous attacks the Right deals in). But he obviously and understandably grew disillusioned with the distortion of facts, the manipulation of the public, and the often reprehensible words and being spouted by some of conservatism's more colourful personalities.
But nevertheless, I can't help but feel somewhat suspicious that even here, the writer is just giving the same as what he criticises back - even if he won't go so far as celebrating someone's death by cancer because they had some different opinions. I mean, I not not anyway. There are few things more abhorrent in a person than to let the bullshit intended polarisation of the political media to turn them into inhumane assholes who will applaud any kind of transgression so long as it is enacted against the perceived other.
I wouldn't be surprised if much of the more insane things commented on in this book - a large portion of which is basically just academically-written character assassinations - a only hearsay, or unverified or indeed debunked. I have seen how these people can spin a narrative, and make someone - Trump, or Pence, or someone smaller like Karl Rittenhouse - seem like the devil incarnate. It was, in fact, the Trump hatred that was pressed upon me at home and among friends that led me from my initial indifference towards the guy to an outright hope that he would wipe the floor with the whining lunatics. Much as I don't really want him to run again in 2024, I will be there with a bottle of beer and some popcorn to enjoy the fireworks if he does, and he wins the election again. Then I can just be grateful I live in a country that isn't fucking insane and on the verge of imploding. (Aussies should never complain that politics in their country in boring. A "boring" political climate is why people just get on with their lives and don't torch cities when democracy doesn't give them what they want).
But anyway, I apologise for the long digression. Basically I just wanted to say that, while I take this book with a grain of salt - as one should with any politically-motivated book like this - Brock does turn in a very well-researched, well-presented, and well-arranged case for why as much as conservatists like myself enjoy dumping on CNN and MSNBC, Fox News and all the more extreme right-wing media really cannot be much better. They're all assholes. Some are just slightly less annoying to tolerate because you happen to agree with much of what they say, or at least where they're coming from.
No smart person needs to be reminded of this. But still, it doesn't hurt to see your own side dragged through the mud every once in a while anyway, just to make sure you don't ever start mistaking your own echo chamber for the real world.
Brock himself was a pundit for the right-wing (he even references one of his own, pre-moral crisis books when he complains about the nasty lies and slanderous attacks the Right deals in). But he obviously and understandably grew disillusioned with the distortion of facts, the manipulation of the public, and the often reprehensible words and being spouted by some of conservatism's more colourful personalities.
But nevertheless, I can't help but feel somewhat suspicious that even here, the writer is just giving the same as what he criticises back - even if he won't go so far as celebrating someone's death by cancer because they had some different opinions. I mean, I not not anyway. There are few things more abhorrent in a person than to let the bullshit intended polarisation of the political media to turn them into inhumane assholes who will applaud any kind of transgression so long as it is enacted against the perceived other.
I wouldn't be surprised if much of the more insane things commented on in this book - a large portion of which is basically just academically-written character assassinations - a only hearsay, or unverified or indeed debunked. I have seen how these people can spin a narrative, and make someone - Trump, or Pence, or someone smaller like Karl Rittenhouse - seem like the devil incarnate. It was, in fact, the Trump hatred that was pressed upon me at home and among friends that led me from my initial indifference towards the guy to an outright hope that he would wipe the floor with the whining lunatics. Much as I don't really want him to run again in 2024, I will be there with a bottle of beer and some popcorn to enjoy the fireworks if he does, and he wins the election again. Then I can just be grateful I live in a country that isn't fucking insane and on the verge of imploding. (Aussies should never complain that politics in their country in boring. A "boring" political climate is why people just get on with their lives and don't torch cities when democracy doesn't give them what they want).
But anyway, I apologise for the long digression. Basically I just wanted to say that, while I take this book with a grain of salt - as one should with any politically-motivated book like this - Brock does turn in a very well-researched, well-presented, and well-arranged case for why as much as conservatists like myself enjoy dumping on CNN and MSNBC, Fox News and all the more extreme right-wing media really cannot be much better. They're all assholes. Some are just slightly less annoying to tolerate because you happen to agree with much of what they say, or at least where they're coming from.
No smart person needs to be reminded of this. But still, it doesn't hurt to see your own side dragged through the mud every once in a while anyway, just to make sure you don't ever start mistaking your own echo chamber for the real world.
May 8, 2016
This book was published in 2004, prior to the Democratic Convention of that year, so Barack Obama is not on the national radar yet, and never mentioned in this book, but this account shows that we shouldn't have been surprised by his vilification at the hands of those running the right-wing media machine. The author, who became a political conservative in college and later renounced that position, presents evidence that the current manipulation and corruption of the media emerged with the adherents of Barry Goldwater and the GOP's racist "Southern Strategy". He provides interesting and revealing historical information about this movement and its leading characters, most of whom are still prominent on FOX News and other conservative radio & TV outlets. The backstories on these stars makes for particularly fascinating reading.
The author exposes many "tricks-of-the-trade", i.e. FOX claiming "balance" when offering two points of view as equal, even though one interviewee actually represents 99% of the experts in a certain field and the other one represents only 1%, usually on the corporate-bought side of things, or just the down-right cuckoo.
This book is another example of why I enjoy and value reading political analysis that is "outdated" because the tendency to mold arguments to fit current conditions isn't possible. If you believe, as do I, the statement that is the sub-title of this book, "Right-wing media and how it corrupts democracy", this book will reinforce that belief. It's worse than ever and worse than we thought. The fact that life-long conservatives are now disturbed that Donald Trump has taken over the Republican Party? According to the Republican Noise Machine, I'm hearing it's Obama's fault.
The author exposes many "tricks-of-the-trade", i.e. FOX claiming "balance" when offering two points of view as equal, even though one interviewee actually represents 99% of the experts in a certain field and the other one represents only 1%, usually on the corporate-bought side of things, or just the down-right cuckoo.
This book is another example of why I enjoy and value reading political analysis that is "outdated" because the tendency to mold arguments to fit current conditions isn't possible. If you believe, as do I, the statement that is the sub-title of this book, "Right-wing media and how it corrupts democracy", this book will reinforce that belief. It's worse than ever and worse than we thought. The fact that life-long conservatives are now disturbed that Donald Trump has taken over the Republican Party? According to the Republican Noise Machine, I'm hearing it's Obama's fault.
September 6, 2012
Probably the best book I've read about the liberal media myth. While most authors stick with the situation as it was at the time, Brock goes back to the roots of conservative media. The result is that this book has a timeless quality that gives it continuing relevance, even eight years later.
February 17, 2010
Good information, but the writing was rather dry. Logically organized and well argued, it lacks the finesse to really inspire those that could benefit most from it.
July 16, 2024
A FORMER CONSERVATIVE CRITIQUES "RIGHT-WING MEDIA"
David Brock was a literary "hit man" for the political Right (e.g., 'The Real Anita Hill'), was surprised by the conservative backlash he received after writing the somewhat sympathetic 'The Seduction of Hillary Rodham,' and then had a change of political heart and also came "out of the closet" (both detailed in 'Blinded by the Right: The Conscience of an Ex-Conservative').
He wrote in the Introduction to this 2004 book, "I felt it necessary to write a few words about what I am not trying to accomplish in this book... I show by examining the available evidence that right-wing claims of systematic liberal bias in the news have never been substantiated... (but) The existence of a powerful right-wing media is an incontrovertible fact and a subject fit for examination... The issue of my own biases I will address up front. I am an ex-conservative journalist. Having worked closely with them for more than a decade, I hold my former colleagues on the Right in low regard... the organized Right has sabotaged not only journalism but also democracy and truth... the current right-wing media ascendancy must be fully understood, exposed, and reversed."
He notes that after Charles Murray (famous for his Losing Ground: American Social Policy, 1950-1980, 10th Anniversary Edition) co-wrote Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life (A Free Press Paperbacks Book), Murray---"who once burned a cross in high school"---"found his career derailed"; the Manhattan Institute "cut Murray loose... and he retreated to the American Enterprise Institute." (Pg. 47) He observes that the late evangelist Jerry Falwell was "rarely called to account for his role in selling copies of The Clinton Chronicles: An Investigation Into The Alleged Criminal Activities Of Bill Clinton, a lurid videotape suggesting the Clintons were complicit in murder." (Pg. 193)
He suggests that political talk shows since Crossfire were "tailored to right-wing demagoguery... The shows were very fast paced to keep the viewers from flipping to another channel, leaving no time for real argument. In the place of argument were sound bites: drive-by attacks, simplistic sloganeering, and caricature... The goal was not to inform the public but to trample the enemy. Right-wing bullies were at a premium, and liberals suddenly looked like ten-pound weaklings." (Pg. 208)
While discussing Rush Limbaugh, he says that "Much to his consternation, his later efforts to cross over into television failed. Limbaugh was bound not for Broadway but for vaudeville. On radio... Limbaugh would become king." (Pg. 264) He charges that Roger Ailes "did precisely what he accused the established media of doing: He forged the first so-called news channel that was systematically biased... No news broadcast advances liberal politics the way FOX advances right-wing politics." (Pg. 314)
Deeply polemical, Brock's views are made more effective by his "insider's knowledge." This is an important book to read (if not necessarily agree with) for people from all political perspectives.
David Brock was a literary "hit man" for the political Right (e.g., 'The Real Anita Hill'), was surprised by the conservative backlash he received after writing the somewhat sympathetic 'The Seduction of Hillary Rodham,' and then had a change of political heart and also came "out of the closet" (both detailed in 'Blinded by the Right: The Conscience of an Ex-Conservative').
He wrote in the Introduction to this 2004 book, "I felt it necessary to write a few words about what I am not trying to accomplish in this book... I show by examining the available evidence that right-wing claims of systematic liberal bias in the news have never been substantiated... (but) The existence of a powerful right-wing media is an incontrovertible fact and a subject fit for examination... The issue of my own biases I will address up front. I am an ex-conservative journalist. Having worked closely with them for more than a decade, I hold my former colleagues on the Right in low regard... the organized Right has sabotaged not only journalism but also democracy and truth... the current right-wing media ascendancy must be fully understood, exposed, and reversed."
He notes that after Charles Murray (famous for his Losing Ground: American Social Policy, 1950-1980, 10th Anniversary Edition) co-wrote Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life (A Free Press Paperbacks Book), Murray---"who once burned a cross in high school"---"found his career derailed"; the Manhattan Institute "cut Murray loose... and he retreated to the American Enterprise Institute." (Pg. 47) He observes that the late evangelist Jerry Falwell was "rarely called to account for his role in selling copies of The Clinton Chronicles: An Investigation Into The Alleged Criminal Activities Of Bill Clinton, a lurid videotape suggesting the Clintons were complicit in murder." (Pg. 193)
He suggests that political talk shows since Crossfire were "tailored to right-wing demagoguery... The shows were very fast paced to keep the viewers from flipping to another channel, leaving no time for real argument. In the place of argument were sound bites: drive-by attacks, simplistic sloganeering, and caricature... The goal was not to inform the public but to trample the enemy. Right-wing bullies were at a premium, and liberals suddenly looked like ten-pound weaklings." (Pg. 208)
While discussing Rush Limbaugh, he says that "Much to his consternation, his later efforts to cross over into television failed. Limbaugh was bound not for Broadway but for vaudeville. On radio... Limbaugh would become king." (Pg. 264) He charges that Roger Ailes "did precisely what he accused the established media of doing: He forged the first so-called news channel that was systematically biased... No news broadcast advances liberal politics the way FOX advances right-wing politics." (Pg. 314)
Deeply polemical, Brock's views are made more effective by his "insider's knowledge." This is an important book to read (if not necessarily agree with) for people from all political perspectives.
September 23, 2017
The sad thing about this book (written in 2004) is that the actors and the issues are almost identical. Written by a former conservative operative, David Brock does a tell all on how all forms of media (including internet) have been corrupted by the one sided message of the Republican right and their shills. Fair and Balanced is a slogan that is rarely followed on Fox News or talk radio. Mr. Brock explains how the media goal of the 70's of portraying both sides of an issue to be decided became the current tell both sides, even when there is a consensus on an issue.
The only thing that has changed in 13 years is the move to the left by MSNBC. In the book, it was portrayed as a conservative haven. Life would be even more unbearable if it hadn't changed as now we have Rachel Maddow and her compatriots holding the current administration accountable.
The only thing that has changed in 13 years is the move to the left by MSNBC. In the book, it was portrayed as a conservative haven. Life would be even more unbearable if it hadn't changed as now we have Rachel Maddow and her compatriots holding the current administration accountable.
January 25, 2021
This was a real doozy! The gamut of emotions that I felt while reading this range from blind anger to stomach-churning revulsion. Putting it simply, the book is a chronicle of the evolution of just how fucked up this gargantuan apparatus truly is. And the fact of the purpose of this apparatus is to attain power by any means necessary is disgusting.
September 1, 2008
Read both of these in a two week period, so I’ll talk about both. The first, Blinded….is a memoir of a conservative “hitman” as Brock details his rise to neo-conservative “journalist” and subsequent disillusionment. He never gives, in my opinion, a satisfactory answer as to why a former liberal, gay man would devote his career to fronting propaganda for rich, bigoted, power-mad conservatives. His explanation starts at UC Berkeley where he finds himself upset that leftist students are shrill when denouncing Reagan and his administration (yeah, he never thinks, hey, maybe the motherfuckers deserve it), writing a piece about freedom of speech and how lefty students shouldn’t shout down the Reagan administration official who came to talk about Latin America, and how the exposure and acceptance by conservatives on campus propelled him into his career. On this shaky ground he builds a house of cards out of pop-psychology: recognition, career advancement, liberals were just as bad, etc. I don’t want to be mean, but I didn’t ever get a real sense of Brock as a person—as if he was so wrapped up in the story of neo-con renounces himself that he didn’t have time to truly look at who he is and what he could tell us about himself. But, the real hook of the book is the inside scoop on how the conservative media operates in collusion with government and business, so maybe we should stick with that. Blinded…is indispensable in that it dishes the dirt on the right-wing scumbags, their machinations, funding, and general lack of integrity. Which leads us to the Noise Machine….This isn’t a memoir, but an expose as it chronicles the decades long creation and subsequent triumph of right-wing media/culture control and how it forces the United States’ identity to the right. Wondering why George Bush got re-elected? Here’s why. Covers the background money (Mellon-Scaife, Coors, et al.), the pundits (editors, writers and celebrity fuckers like Coulter), and the think tanks. Lays it all out and it is horrifying. Unfortunately, Brock’s middle-of-the-road view that right-wind extremism is equivalent with left-wing extremism, undermines any hopeful conclusion. I mean, just pointing out that, gosh, the right-wing subverts the meaning of the U.S. Constitution and how we need to get back on that track just strikes me as short-sighted. Props for taking on the right-wing “journalists” and quitting being a lackey for them, but if you don’t stand for anything but the U.S. Constitution, you’re more on their side than on the side of people who want liberation. That may not be fair to Brock—and I don’t want to imply that these books aren’t worthwhile to read—, but he suffers the lack of vision so characteristic of people in the “center”: looking to the right and to the left as extremes instead of imagining some way of living that doesn’t rely on ideology or law.
December 1, 2016
The book was enlightening in terms of highlighting conservative think tanks, how they influence the media, and distort truth (i.e., make up lies). Coming from someone that was originally part of revealing and exposing the scandals Bill Clinton had with women made this quite interesting.
The author clearly regrets some of the work he did as a conservative. However since becoming a liberal, it seems the author has too much of an axe to grind with conservatives. Warranted in some cases because he knew of lies that some think tanks or people "leak" into the news as "true" stories. However, he goes to far and seems to paint all conservatives and Republicans as part of this falsehood generation. By that same token he paints all liberals as too naive and good trying to convince them that they need to unite to take action. To unite the think tanks they already have to combat the conservative united front and almost encouraging them to build more liberal think tanks to make up their own falsehoods to combat the lies made by the other side.
So if you keep in mind that the author came from the dark underbelly on one side of the political spectrum before switching to the other it makes it a good to read.
The author clearly regrets some of the work he did as a conservative. However since becoming a liberal, it seems the author has too much of an axe to grind with conservatives. Warranted in some cases because he knew of lies that some think tanks or people "leak" into the news as "true" stories. However, he goes to far and seems to paint all conservatives and Republicans as part of this falsehood generation. By that same token he paints all liberals as too naive and good trying to convince them that they need to unite to take action. To unite the think tanks they already have to combat the conservative united front and almost encouraging them to build more liberal think tanks to make up their own falsehoods to combat the lies made by the other side.
So if you keep in mind that the author came from the dark underbelly on one side of the political spectrum before switching to the other it makes it a good to read.
June 25, 2024
i actually lost this book
November 22, 2020
The author wasn't just an insider in the Republican noise machine he critiques, but he was a major player, one of the chief attackers of Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomas hearings. To make amends, though, he has written a brilliant book that takes the reader back to when Goldwater lost in a landslide and the Republican Party vowed to take over the media and did so by using classic propaganda techniques pioneered by Edward Bernays. One of their first moves was to brand the network news media as "liberal" though without ever having produced a study to support their findings other than a book that made bogus claims. Yet the networks fell for it, as did the public, and it has brought us to where we are now, with degraded news media.
November 29, 2010
I really can't say enough great things about this book. It's well-written, informative, engaging, and *very* relevant even today. IN short, it's a history lesson of the right-wing's 30-year campaign to move the country further and further to the right by manipulating the media to their own advantage (and creating their own where they can). But be warned... you'll never be able to hear some right-wing boob make the "liberal media" claim while keeping a straight face again. Chapter after chapter, the author gives a surfeit of examples demonstrating the media's capitulation to the right after the slightest degree of pressure. Highly recommended!
July 11, 2007
While I appreciated the subject matter of the book and the in depth methods used to unveil Brock's claims, I found the book utterly boring. It was very academic and made me wonder if Brock himself wrote it, or whether he used some academic ghost writer. This is a useful book if you're looking for references ; otherwise it's pure torture for pleasure reading.
August 9, 2017
Great content, but so dense and unentertaining, it took me more than a year to get through. I had to keep putting it aside to read something more enjoyable, but I was committed to eventually finishing it. You'll learn a lot, but there are probably other better books detailing the history of the right from the Powell Memo to Fox News to the war on the Clintons.
perpetually-slogging-through
April 1, 2008I've been trying to get through this one but am feeling off politics right now. Does anyone else feel like they can't get away from this race for even a minute?
Time to reclassify to the "may never completely read" shelf.
Time to reclassify to the "may never completely read" shelf.
January 13, 2010
THIS is the most depressing thing I've read all year. I keep hoping he'll get to the part about how we can fight back effectively, but not yet. I don't think I could have stood it before the election.
July 3, 2007
blood-boiler.
Currently reading
December 11, 2008eye-opening...still in first few chapters
April 15, 2009
The Republican Noise Machine: Right-Wing Media and How It Corrupts Democracy by David Brock (2005)
October 16, 2010
It's a few years old, but worth re-reading. The first book to make me understand the concept of right wing infrastructure.
Read
August 10, 2011Good history of the movement and Fox News' origins, but a bit more information than I needed.
August 14, 2015
Wow. Stunning and well researched. You should read this book.
October 1, 2007
A non-confessional and un-enlightening waste of time.
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