News Is a Verb: Journalism at the End of the Twentieth Century

by Pete Hamill

LIBRARY OF CONTEMPORARY THOUGHT"When screaming headlines turn out to be based on stories that don't support them, the tale of the boy who cried wolf gets new life. When the newspaper is filled with stupid features about celebrities at the expense of hard news, the reader feels patronized. In the process, the critical relationship of reader to newspaper is slowly undermined."--from NEWS IS A VERBNEWS IS A VERBJournalism at the End of the Twentieth Century"With the usual honorable exceptions, newspapers are getting dumber. They are increasingly filled with sensation, rumor, press-agent flackery, and bloated trivialities at the expense of significant facts. The Lewinsky affair was just a magnified version of what has been going on for some time. Newspapers emphasize drama and conflict at the expense of analysis. They cover celebrities as if reporters were a bunch of waifs with their noses pressed enviously to the windows of the rich and famous. They are parochial, square, enslaved to the conventional pieties. The worst are becoming brainless printed junk food. All across the country, in large cities and small, even the better newspapers are predictable and boring. I once heard a movie director say of a certain 'He aspired to mediocrity, and he succeeded.' Many newspapers are succeeding in the same way."                        

Genres: Nonfiction, Journalism, Politics

114 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 1998

About the author

Pete Hamill was a novelist, essayist and journalist whose career has endured for more than forty years. He was born in Brooklyn, N. Y. in 1935, the oldest of seven children of immigrants from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He attended Catholic schools as a child. He left school at 16 to work in the Brooklyn Navy Yard as a sheetmetal worker, and then went on to the United States Navy. While serving in the Navy, he completed his high school education. Then, using the educational benefits of the G.I. Bill of Rights, he attended Mexico City College in 1956-1957, studying painting and writing, and later went to Pratt Institute. For several years, he worked as a graphic designer. Then in 1960, he went to work as a reporter for the New York Post. A long career in journalism followed. He has been a columnist for the New York Post, the New York Daily News, and New York Newsday, the Village Voice, New York magazine and Esquire. He has served as editor-in-chief of both the Post and the Daily News. As a journalist, he covered wars in Vietnam, Nicaragua, Lebanon and Northern Ireland, and has lived for extended periods in Mexico City, Dublin, Barcelona, San Juan and Rome. From his base in New York he also covered murders, fires, World Series, championship fights and the great domestic disturbances of the 1960s, and wrote extensively on art, jazz, immigration and politics. He witnessed the events of September 11, 2001 and its aftermath and wrote about them for the Daily News.

At the same time, Hamill wrote much fiction, including movie and TV scripts. He published nine novels and two collections of short stories. His 1997 novel, Snow in August, was on the New York Times bestseller list for four months. His memoir, A Drinking Life, was on the same New York Times list for 13 weeks. He has published two collections of his journalism (Irrational Ravings and Piecework), an extended essay on journalism called News Is a Verb, a book about the relationship of tools to art, a biographical essay called Why Sinatra Matters, dealing with the music of the late singer and the social forces that made his work unique. In 1999, Harry N. Abrams published his acclaimed book on the Mexican painter Diego Rivera. His novel, Forever, was published by Little, Brown in January 2003 and became a New York Times bestseller. His most recently published novel was North River (2007).

In 2004, he published Downtown: My Manhattan, a non-fiction account of his love affair with New York, and received much critical acclaim. Hamill was the father of two daughters, and has a grandson. He was married to the Japanese journalist, Fukiko Aoki, and they divided their time between New York City and Cuernavaca, Mexico. He was a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University.

Author photo by David Shankbone (September 2007) - permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation.

Reviews

[Moonkiszt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pete Hamill is a great favorite of mine, so I decided to find as much of his work product as I could find without mortgaging my house . . . .and this was one of the "books" that showed up in Ebay (so, what? I'm a cheapy! Whasit to ya?).

Interesting stuff - published in 1998, and assuming is was written close around that time, he opens with a dedication ". . .in memory of the following men and women, journalists all, who were killed doing their jobs in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. . ." following by a list of 65 persons. This is a man with a memory, and wants you to have one, too.

He covers all the reasons newspapers need to change so they will stick around and help the tribe of humanity hiding in the cave know what is out there lurking in the dark -

1. The Business and the Craft - here he discusses the business of newspapering - all that it takes to run the business from the tree pulping to the payroll of street reporters to the best reporter hired; then he discusses the ethics and practice of those who are journalists and the craft of writing held to a higher standard of integrity than other types of writing - truth is the banner and waved, and he believes is guaranteed by the "news" paper.

2. Wecome to the Zocalo - "In the cities and towns of Mexico, the main plaza is usually called the zocalo." He discusses how it is here in this plaza that the visitors get to know each other, and observe all kinds of behavior, good and bad, happy and sad and weirdness. In this central place they see who has power and who doesn't, they learn how weather affects their economic circumstances, and how all of what they learn comes home to their house. This is the role of newspaper - to be the campfire, the plaza, that must welcome, and educate all.

3. What Do Women Want? Huzzah, a whole chapter on the changing roles of women and how if newspapers don't pay attention they will lose this critical demographic. Those who write, who print, who edit and choose what is printed must note that women have become decision-makers and if they don't start writing more relevant content, they will be dismissed. . . .

4. Tell it to Abdul (or Kim, or Ivan, or Rosa. . . .) Here is another demographic Hamill points out as being pandered to in an outdated way - immigrants. We are a country of immigrants and he proves it as he walks through marketing campaigns that had to be explained they are so out of context - and yet decades away they are still struggling to update which set of immigrants are on board now and what are the truths that will best help them.

5. News is a Verb. This last is the most disturbing and spooky of all. This was written in 1998, and he nails our day - with this full chapter on the danger of celebrity journalism, of focusing on the antics and prancing about of celebrities, rather than focusing on truth:

"Newspaper reporters and editors know that most of these people aren't worth six minutes of anybody's time. Privately, they sneer at them or shrug them off. But they and their publishers are convinced that the mass audience is demanding these stories, so they keep churning them out. They defend their choices by insisting they are only giving the people what they want. If they are right, the country is in terrible trouble. I think they' re wrong."

Here's where I started to tremble a little at how spot on he is. The next pages are about the "jowly megalomania of New York real estate operator Donald Trump. . . his motto seems to be "I'm written about, therefore I exist." And it goes on, and talks about others who become a "genre" of celebrity journalism. Hamill says he's not against celebrity journalism, it just must be JOURNALISM - a search for some kind of truth-telling about or involving the celebrity. Each story needs to go through the same scrutiny as other stories do. Just a sighting of the celebrity (their name as a noun in his example) in the world is not news. They have to do something (hence the verb). Otherwise newspapers feed the myth-making process and he warns us, like a prophet in the desert:

"I know that there is a vast gap between a wonderful fiction and the practice of a difficult craft, but if we don't recognize the myths that drive us, we get in trouble. That recognition should make us all pause. Kenneth Starr, in his obsessive pursuit of Bill Clinton, should have wondered if he was becoming Inspector Javert of Le Miserables."

Holy Moly. There's the third shoe dropping. . . .(google "where is Kenneth Starr now?")

This short, short book, an essay really, is worth reading. I will grant you it is out-dated (BUT is it?????), and I'm sad for him because I have the sense that newspapers have suffered a great reduction in power, presence and influence since this was written and published. I grew up with newspaper readers at tables during meals, and listening to uncles chide aunts for daring to open the morning delivery first. But I, myself, have never in my life purchased or subscribed to one. I use them in genealogical searches and bless those chatty cathies in past centuries, but nope - I'm on my phone for news, or checking out whatever channels we've got lately. You know, the news I want to hear.

This really, really, has got me thinking. About news. Mr. Hamill is right on this point. News isn't random marketing or promotional reports to spread focus-butter on a particular brand or person by name dropping. "News" needs to involve a verb, and be truth - truth that can be verified by anyone and who will come up with the same truth. Because it is truth: that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality.

We are in trouble, people, when we are OK with letting our grip on truth loosen, or give it away to others for "safe-keeping" because "they have our best interests at heart". . . .mmm-hm. Like hell they do.

5 stars for PHamill for shaking up the grey cells.

[Manik Sukoco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Telling. Compelling. Insightful.
This book reminds me why I want to be a journalist. I have read and re-read News Is a Verb and each time it never fails to excite and inspire me. Mr. Hamill's notions of the purpose of a newspaper and ideas about how to effectively cover a city are inspirational. In addition, News Is a Verb has greatly improved my impression of tabloid papers - a genre which I previously scorned, and was sometimes wrong to do so. My only criticism of Mr. Hamill is that he does occasionally appear bitter over the several misfortunes of his career, despite his disclaimer to the contrary. In particular, his personal attack on Donald Trump, though perhaps understandable, is a little over - exuberant. He loses a little credibility here, I think. His distrust of newspaper publishers is probably well-founded. That one caveat aside, this is a fabulous book and deserves attention from anyone interested in the field of journalism.

[Tupelodan · Rating 5 out of 5]

We old school newspaper guys will understand and appreciate this. As an editor many years ago I had my staffers read it. Many "new media" people would do well to read it -- and practice it.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hamill, Pete. News Is a Verb. Ballantine, 1998.
If you believe that journalism, when it is done right, is a noble profession, then Pete Hamill, who died a few days ago, should be one of your heroes. He was amazingly prolific and eclectic. He covered Vietnam from the battlefield and was one of those who disarmed Sirhan Sirhan when he assassinated Robert Kennedy. He wrote novels and art criticism, earning an honorary Ph.D. from Pratt. For most of his career, though, Hamill worked the city desks at New York City tabloids. He covered everything and even edited for a time. News Is a Verb expresses his enduring love for newspapers, even, as he says, when they break your heart. A good newspaper, he says, is a spouse, not just a short-time lover. A good newspaper, he says, requires a delicate balance between business interests and craft, and in the late 1990s, he thought that balance was being lost. Newspapers were run be men who did not understand them. Too many editors did not know the cities they covered. Newspapers were not doing a good job of speaking to the women in their audience, who bought the products of their advertisers. Nor were they doing a good job of talking to the middle- and working-class audiences that had been their mainstays. No matter the political position of the editorial page, Hamill thought that the news stories had to be balanced and aim for the truth. He was worried that papers, strapped for cash, were not covering the news as they should. Nothing Hamill says about newspapers has ceased to be true. But we should not desert them.

[Books I'm Not Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit idealized version of newspapers and primarily focused on major metropolitan papers, but it was interesting to read. It was published in 1998 and in this very small book, Pete Hamill goes off about Donald Trump and how he would call papers with story ideas and then the reporter would write that the information came from "a source close to Trump." The title is really about the shift in celebrity news and how news stories can write about them, but they need to be DOING something - their must be an action.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit idealized version of newspapers and primarily focused on major metropolitan papers, but it was interesting to read. It was published in 1998 and in this very small book, Pete Hamill goes off about Donald Trump and how he would call papers with story ideas and then the reporter would write that the information came from "a source close to Trump." The title is really about the shift in celebrity news and how news stories can write about them, but they need to be DOING something - their must be an action.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A long time journalist writes an essay about the state of newspapers at the end of the 20th Century, in which he describes the problems facing the newspaper industry. He foresees almost none of the actual challenges newspapers were to face in the following decade. This brief book is at its best when it sticks not to what challenges will face newspapers, but rather how to do good reporting, something the last part of the book focuses on.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fairly interesting, looking from the point of discussion at the time it was written as opposed to how things are now for the industry. Loved chapter 5! It was spot on.

[Christine B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have liked it if there was more history of journalism and less talking about how women and immigrants are interested in news too. I understand that he was trying to make an argument about widening news coverage, and I appreciate it. But it felt like it never occurred to him that anyone but a white dude would be reading this book, which I found weird and alienating.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This slim volume was written at the end of the 20th century by one of the best journalists in the US. It is a treatise on the state of newspapers at that time, and a fascinating harbinger of things to come. He doesn't have it all right, but he certainly sounds the warning bell.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This audiobook and the newspapers about which it is written have more in common than the author, would like to believe - outmoded means of communication. I listened to this on cassettes a second and last time before giving it away. Technology has moved on; it is getting harder to find a cassette player, and even harder to find someone who wants audio books on cassettes.

Published in 1998, Pete Hamill worries in this book about the state of newspapers and competition from television. He also mentions a new possible threat to newspapers, a newcomer to the field of journalism - the internet. He had no idea how big that threat would be.

The internet is changing not only the method of delivery,but the essence of news. No longer is news something that is gathered and dispensed by experts. It is now a participatory experience, with readers not only reading and viewing, but joining in on the reporting via twitter, facebook and other developing methods. Hamill's message about slipping standards is worth remembering, even more so now, with fewer controls on what is put out there as news.

This is a lament, a pangyric, a self-help guide for newspapers. I hope it does not turn out to be their eulogy.

A lot has changed in the 15 years since it was written. Will newspapers still be around in 15 more years? If so, it will be in new forms. Maybe that is necessary to keep pace with a changing society. Hamill stresses that publishers, editors and reporters need to stay in touch with their readers and not shut themselves away in ivory towers to be valid. The evolution of newspapers will be an interesting story to follow.

[Carolyn (in SC) C234D · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this quite a few years ago and it really hit home for me. I am a newspaper reader. I have to read through the paper before it can go in the recycling pile. Papers have piled pretty high at times, but I can't help myself. Pete Hamill has been a favorite of mine for many years, both his writing and listening to him on radio talk shows years ago. So his essay on the dumbing-down of newspapers is spot-on. I wish the people who could do something about it would read his book, but I have my doubts.

[Doug Page]

When the newspaper is filled with stupid features about celebrities at the expense of hard news, the reader feels patronized. In the process, the critical relationship of reader to newspaper is slowly undermined.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

An essay on the purpose, state and natural audience of journalism at the end of the twentieth century. Makes me wonder who reads newspapers these days and why. How and where do individuals get the ind of information they need to hand one another along?

[Danielle]

have a final on this tonight...so i am still reading it and such...but it's actually quite interesting!...it's a good look at newspapers today...and even if i'm leaning towards not going into this exact form of journalism...it's stilla good book for all journalist majors to read.

[Vanbamba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fluid and well written. This book introduced me to the concept of a (trustworthy) Newspaper and it's essential role in American culture. I now see why we need such companies as we move forward as a people, nationally and globally.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should be read by anyone who reads or works at or values the newspaper. It is amazing.

[Scott Butki · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book

[Alias Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

rate 3 plus stars