Last year, around the beginning of the pandemic, I started reading for pleasure. I began with some classic novels, like Frankenstein, The Bell Jar, and the 900-page Anna Karenina which all made me hooked on the world of fiction. But I also read some non-fiction, like Women, Race & Class by Angela Davis and Because Internet by Gretchen McCulloch. Both of these completely changed my view on non-fiction.
Before I really started reading non-fiction, my memories of them consisted of me as a kid reading skinny, non-fiction picture books about animals (weirdly, books about frogs come to mind?) that I very much disliked.
But after giving these hyper-focused, non-fiction books a chance, as an adult, about subjects I’m actually interested in, I now think of non-fiction as having the power to “step into other worlds,” just like I think of fiction having.
Non-fiction books are magical. You can learn literally anything in the world that you’re interested in, and if that happens to be something popular, there is a seemingly infinite supply of books you can read up on.
I’m studying graphic design, but I also love writing, language, and learning about journalism. So I read books on these topics, while I focus my academics on a subject I know I want to pursue a career in. I’m teaching myself about the world of public language, how social media has affected information, and a lot more. You too can teach yourself subjects of your choice and enter the world of magical non-fiction!
But anyway, let’s get into the point of this column, which is a review of the most recent non-fiction book I read, Unfreedom of the Press by Mark Levin. To summarize, Levin argues that “mainstream media” (CBS, CNN, NBC, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post) have directly contributed to the distrust citizens have towards media, rather than Donald Trump’s perpetuation of the press as “the enemy of the people.” He also discussed media coverage of Trump’s presidency, arguing that the “pseudo-event” (fake news) of “Russian collusion” in the 2016 election was the biggest “news scam perpetuated against the American people by the Democratic party-press in modern times.” Continuing to discuss mainstream media, Levin writes an entire chapter on the failure of the New York Times to report on the Holocaust.
But Levin’s book is like a high school essay. It largely consists of quotes from other people, with little analysis or use of such quotes to support an argument – nearly every paragraph begins and ends in quotation marks. I was going to say that his writing toes the line of almost being sympathetic towards Trump, but to be frank, he is.
In his explanation that most media coverage of Trump’s presidency was overwhelmingly negative, Levin fills eight pages with bullet points of quotes from news broadcasts that said something bad about Trump. I skipped all those pages, which seemed to be more of a poor attempt at shock value, like, “look how much of his coverage was negative,” rather than actually making a point.
He argues that media coverage of Trump was unfair, explaining that presidents such as John F. Kennedy were beloved by Americans and media, even though Kennedy wasn’t the best guy behind the scenes. But it reads more like a teenager defending his friend for bullying someone, just because another kid in the class did the same thing.
I did enjoy Levin’s chapter on the New York Times, which he continually discussed and pointed fingers at throughout the entire book. I had no idea about media coverage of the Holocaust, and I do think people/organizations that have a reputation of being “one that can do no wrong” always deserve a second look. But I don’t think the New York Times has that reputation – just last summer Tom Cotton’s “Send In the Troops” Op-Ed ignited a stir, and even just last week, their headline reporting on the Atlanta shootings was called out for tip-toeing around the real issue.
I think Levin’s book needs some editing. It has potential, but it very much reads like he didn’t consider any counterarguments. Public distaste for Trump has little to do with him being Republican. I’m sure some people against Trump dislike him for his political party, but I really don’t believe that’s the overwhelming consensus on anti-Trump attitudes. Still, I’m glad I read Unfreedom of the Press because I do think it’s good to read opinions different from your own. If you’re looking for readings on journalism, I would say skip this one, but if you are intrigued to hear Levin’s writing on the points I summarized, it might be worth it.
The Stute Editorial is an Opinion column written by the current Editor in Chief of The Stute to address and explain editorial decision making, discuss news and media issues, and develop a sense of trust and transparency between readers and members of The Stute.
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