Best media books of 2008
MacArthur Foundation’s John Bracken has been asking people for their media books of the year. You can see the selections so far here.
Here’s my reply to John for the books that ‘most influenced’ me:
“I seemed to spend all of 2008 at conferences arguing with Nick Davies about his book Flat Earth News. I passionately disagree with Nick’s assumptions, but it proved that people still care about the quality of journalism in the UK. 
Adrian Monck wrote the most honest book about journalism, Can You Trust The Media (no you can’t and you never could is his answer).
Clay Shirkey’s Here Comes Everybody was more convincing than Charlie Leadbeater’s We Think, but both helped advance the forward march of networked media.
Freshest book for me was Subject to Change by the team Adaptive Path. Despite (or because) of its Design/Marketing approach it seemed to have something to say about the future of media business models.
Also honourable mentions to books by journalists about US politics. James Harding’s Alpha Dogs and Barton Gellman’s Angler reminded us of the close and dangerous relationship between media and politics.”
These have all been reviewed elsewhere on this blog – so use the search facility if you want to know more. You can see John Lloyd’s Financial Times review of my book Supermedia here.
Look out for new books by Manuel Castells and Susan Moeller that I have seen in transcripts that are out next year.
More title suggestions please!
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December 25th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
[...] Nick Davies’ Flat Earth News: An Award-winning Reporter Exposes Falsehood, Distortion and Propaganda in the Global Media received several citations, particularly from across the pond. Charlie Beckett, who posted his full list at his blog, “passionately disagree[d] with Nick’s assumptions,” but thought the book “proved that people still care about the quality of journalism in the UK.” Moore wrote that Flat Earth News “created enough heated debate this side of the Atlantic to last through to the launch of the paperback next year.” Beckett also liked Adrian Monck’s Can You Trust the Media, calling it” the most honest book about journalism, (‘no you can’t and you never could,’ is his answer)” and Adaptive Path’s Subject to Change. Beckett’s own book, SuperMedia was included on several lists, as was Charlie Leadbeaters’ We Think, which, according to Moore, “helped advance the forward march of networked media.” (I like its first line: “If you are not perplexed, you should be.”) [...]
December 25th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
[...] Nick Davies’ Flat Earth News: An Award-winning Reporter Exposes Falsehood, Distortion and Propaganda in the Global Media received several citations, particularly from across the pond. Charlie Beckett, who posted his full list at his blog, “passionately disagree[d] with Nick’s assumptions,” but thought the book “proved that people still care about the quality of journalism in the UK.” Moore wrote that Flat Earth News “created enough heated debate this side of the Atlantic to last through to the launch of the paperback next year.” Beckett also liked Adrian Monck’s Can You Trust the Media, calling it” the most honest book about journalism, (‘no you can’t and you never could,’ is his answer)” and Adaptive Path’s Subject to Change. Beckett’s own book, SuperMedia was included on several lists, as was Charlie Leadbeaters’ We Think, which, according to Moore, “helped advance the forward march of networked media.” (I like its first line: “If you are not perplexed, you should be.”) [...]