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The Habits of Highly Deceptive Media: Decoding Spin and Lies in Mainstream News
Discusses forms of media distortion and deception from the use of subtle shadings of words, the use of favorable modifiers, and the instruments of denigration
- GenresPoliticsNonfiction
280 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1999
About the author
Norman Solomon
63 books46 followersNorman Solomon is an American journalist, media critic, antiwar activist, and former candidate in 2012 for the United States House of Representatives.
Solomon is a longtime associate of the media watch group Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR).
In 1997 he founded the Institute for Public Accuracy, which works to provide alternative sources for journalists, and served as its executive director until 2010.
Solomon's weekly column, "Media Beat", was in national syndication from 1992 to 2009.
Solomon is a longtime associate of the media watch group Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR).
In 1997 he founded the Institute for Public Accuracy, which works to provide alternative sources for journalists, and served as its executive director until 2010.
Solomon's weekly column, "Media Beat", was in national syndication from 1992 to 2009.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 2, 2026
Norman Solomon spends the whole of The Habits of Highly Deceptive Media arguing that most of what we call common sense is just habit in a nice outfit, and I mostly bought it. A couple of examples feel cherry-picked, but the core point stuck with me for days. Good for anyone who likes having their assumptions poked, bad for people who want the other side given equal time.
October 30, 2026
The way Norman Solomon lays out the incentives in The Habits of Highly Deceptive Media: Decoding Spin and Lies in Mainstream News proves that most systemic corruption isn't a glitch, it's a deliberate feature.
October 26, 2014
This is a collection of short essays first published in 1997 and 1998, on themes of media consolidation, and how news subjects are chosen and framed (or ignored) in collusion with power. There are also some well-aimed left-hooks at the Clinton administration.
However, although Solomon's commentary is breezy and engaging, the collection is of necessity somewhat superficial, and in places the analysis becomes repetitive. Indeed, when compared with Nick Davies' devastating investigation of the UK newspaper industry published ten years later, Solomon's observations are actually somewhat pedestrian.
There are, though, some useful references to other sources, and there is an element of reportage when Solomon writes about his interactions with figures in the media (one of the more interesting articles includes a personal reminiscence of George Seldes).
Two pieces are lengthier and more substantial than the others: an acidic appraisal of Katharine Graham's memoir, and a survey of how think-tanks work with media. The latter was prompted by Rupert Murdoch’s association with the Cato Institute, although Murdoch has less of a presence in the book overall than Barry Diller.
However, although Solomon's commentary is breezy and engaging, the collection is of necessity somewhat superficial, and in places the analysis becomes repetitive. Indeed, when compared with Nick Davies' devastating investigation of the UK newspaper industry published ten years later, Solomon's observations are actually somewhat pedestrian.
There are, though, some useful references to other sources, and there is an element of reportage when Solomon writes about his interactions with figures in the media (one of the more interesting articles includes a personal reminiscence of George Seldes).
Two pieces are lengthier and more substantial than the others: an acidic appraisal of Katharine Graham's memoir, and a survey of how think-tanks work with media. The latter was prompted by Rupert Murdoch’s association with the Cato Institute, although Murdoch has less of a presence in the book overall than Barry Diller.
November 3, 2008
No surprise that all media is tainted, no matter the political leaning. Journalistic integrity is MIA in this country.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews