Blur: How to Know What’s True in the Age of Information Overload, Book Review Example

In the last chapters of Blur: How to Know What’s True In the Age of Information Overload by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel the authors basically call the readers to duty. Essentially, the authors are saying that since there are no set ground rules that journalists play by, each individual must become an editor. They must use those tools mentioned earlier in the book to discern if what is being presented is true or not. They go on to convey that since the world of journalism has changed, so must the viewer. Accordingly, the authors conveyed that our new journalistic system creates responsibilities for both the journalist and the average citizen. The authors also warn citizens to be aware of the use of statistics. They believe that the average citizen may be intimidated by statistical data and be more apt to take the information as true because it seems to have been researched. They suggest that these are tactics used by savvy journalist to divert attention from the real issue.

Initially, I felt this book was geared towards journalism students; however, as I continued to read I began to see how the average citizen could use the information presented. The authors did a good job with the use of general language; the average person could pick this book up and read it with ease. Essentially, I felt the authors were trying to convey that journalism has changed because the world has changed. They discussed the apprehensiveness of people when the telegraph was invented. In some ways, the Internet is the modern day version of the telegraph because people are leery of it, but it is a good tool when used appropriately. This was a good book that gave some helpful tips to aid in sifting through the various media outlets.

Works Cited

Kovach, Bill. and Tom Rosenstiel. Blur: How to Know What’s True in the Age of Information Overload. New York: Bloomsbury, 2010.