It's Not News, It's Fark: How Mass Media Tries to Pass Off Crap As News

I picked up this book not really expecting to read all it - it seemed like a fun book to skim for an hour or so. However, this book was so amusing and true that I kept reading it until the end - every word of it! I even took to carrying it around with me. Once I left it somewhere and felt some measure of devastation that I didn't have it to read me to sleep that night. The point I am making is that if you are a consumer of mass media, which I admit I am to a great extent, you find much to amuse you in this book. Curtis gives a sarcastic and insightful critique of the media. After discussing each story that appeared on his website, fark.com, he includes snarky comments that were posted on the site. It is actually a very amusing and clever addition to the book - it makes the reader feel as if she were reading along with a group of witty friends. My favorite story from the book is the terror drill held in Kentucky by over 80 local and national agencies. It involved the hypothetical situation of a terrorist infecting a goat with a biological disease and then infecting millions when it was petted during a "goat show." This drill was necessary because Kentucky is one of the top five goat-producing states. This kept me laughing until 3 in the morning. Home of the brave? Not anymore!

This book is a rare, and wonderful, combination of hilariously funny and thought-provoking. Curtis' media analysis is dead-on (personal favorites: "Equal Time for Nutjobs" and "Proximity to NY/LA/Atlanta.") Anyone who pays even the slightest bit of attention to the news should read this book -- you will see things differently afterward. Among other things, you'll realize that a lot of the people quoted in articles on scientific studies as "opposing viewpoints" actually have no idea what the hell they're talking about. Plus you'll laugh out loud a lot. Don't think you have to be familiar with the website to like the book -- I'd never been to fark.com before I discovered the book in the Nashville airport. And I disagree with the PW review: The fark.com comments do add to the book, adding another layer of analysis and a lot of humor. If you're looking for a fun read that opens your eyes to news you read every day, this one's for you.

I read the book a couple of weekends ago while at the cottage and laughed out loud several times. The author does a nice job of revealing patterns he has seen in the media and conveying them with humour and a down-to-earth perspective. He definitely stands on the side of the road and says, "That Emperor? He's naked." Thanks Drew for pointing out the obvious...which is so easily overlooked.

Long gone are the days of journalistic integrity. Today the media is more concerned with ratings than reporting accurate news. This book describes all of the techniques reporters use to make stories sound more important than they actually are.

This is an interesting, humorous and somewhat sad look at the media and the sheeple that follow along. I highly recommend it. The writers site, Fark.com is worth hitting daily for a wide variety of "Not News".