The Smear audiobook

** spoiler alert ** This nonfiction book is for readers interested in politics and media. Emmy award-winning Sharyl Attkisson gives solid, horrifying details of how the modern smear machine works against individuals, journalists, and politicians who step away from the policies espoused by, for example, the backers of David Brock at Media Matters and his other numerous organizations. (Look for the octopus-like diagram.)Although Brock is one focus, Attkisson provides chilling background on how creators of insidious, untrue stories are able to make them take root, appear omnipresent, and continue unrelentingly until their target is silenced.She also exposes how journalists have crossed the line of honest reporting for the get, the scoop, and the clicks.While The Smear is not pleasant, it is well worth reading to understand the media agendas and approaches of many of today's policy groups, and how the media and the policy groups feed off of one another.

Behind most major political stories there is an agenda – to destroy an idea or the people advancing it. Sharyl Attkisson does a great job explaining how sophisticated operatives on both sides of the aisle work behind the scenes to establish narratives, manipulate journalists, and shape the images you see every day. Nothing is by accident, and you’ll never again watch the evening news in the same old, comfortable way. No matter what you already suspected, this one’s an eye-opener.

WOW!!!!! What you don't know can and probably does hurt you. I knew that Washington and New York were corrupt but to this degree? Seriously!!! Just about everything you see on TV, read in the papers or see on the Internet may have and probably was the result of false reporting or reporting based on some facts but definitely not all of the facts. More importantly people behind the scenes are being paid large amounts of money to insure WE see and hear ONLY what THEY want you to see and hear. Then we like sheep repost, or retweet that which we have seen and/or heard. We have become part of their extremely deceptive network at almost not cost to them. This is a must read but I warn you ahead of time, you will read about things you maybe don't want to hear about and instead continue to live your life as if you are NOT being manipulated. Everyone should read this book!

If you think a journalist's job is to tell you what you already believe with hyperbolic exaggeration, you won't want to read this book. If you believe facts matter and scrutiny should be identical regardless of partisan, racial, gender or other labels, you'll find effective reporting and concisely shared insights on every page. "The Smear" explains the cognitive dissonance between what makes sense to fair-minded observers and what we hear from politicians and the news media. It's also a wake-up call for those who blindly trust any institution.

Sharyl Attkisson is one of the few reliable journalists left and provides a clear picture of the world of fake news. "What you need to ask yourself isn't so much Is it true, but Who wants me to believe it - and why?"

Not as good as her first book, Stonewalled, especially the first half, in which she tends to talk in broad terms rather than citing specific support for her assertions, but it picks up nicely in the last few chapters.

Great readI read it in two days...a real page turner. I felt years ago that mainstream news resembled The National Enquired. I'm sorry to insult that newspaper. Mainstream is worse. Thank you Sharyl for this good read.

Another startling, enlightening book by Sharyl Attkisson. Sadly reinforces our suspicions that the purpose of the media is no longer to disseminate truth to the public, but to serve as propaganda machines for their political chums, who in turn serve as puppets for powerful factions, most of which are not particularly interested in the welfare of the average American. Not only a fascinating read, but also sharpens our abilities to identify potential clues regarding the veracity of the massive amount of "news" available to us. The most succinct and valuable principle that I've walked away with is to examine the sources of information and ask oneself not only WHAT we are being told, but WHY are we being told.Just today someone shared a Trump smear on facebook (what else is new?) and I looked up the source ... Alternet... and found it to be a progressive organization with a clear agenda. This does not mean the information was wrong ... but certainly means there's a good chance it's slanted. There are many news sources firmly aligned with one faction or another; most disconcertingly, Ms. Attkisson gives concrete evidence that mainstream news sources are far from unbiased.

"...[A]n effort to manipulate opinion by promulgating an overblown, scandalous, and damaging narrative. The goal is often to destroy ideas by ruining the people who are most effective at communicating them...Paid forces devise clever, covert ways to shape the total information landscape in ways you can't imagine." p. 3

I have never written a book review before. But for this one I feel the need to write what I think. This corruption and distortion of information from most sources is used to control and extend the power of these power brokers and their causes in order to maintain their power and to push their agendas. While people like George Soros fund media projects focused on changing how journalists report news with directed and learned talking points he is not the only one. The corruption of facts and information ranges from our news sources, our political parties, special interest groups, our scientific community, our think tanks, and our government. Many of these agendas are truly radical and are aimed at destroying our Country and freedom of thought and speech.Sharyl Attkisson is one of the few reliable journalists (in my opinion incredibly brave) and one of the few left that provides a clear and dire picture of the world of news (some call it fake news but is seems prevalent across all platforms to me). Other questions to ask, "What you need to ask yourself isn't so much Is it true, but Who wants me to believe it - and why?" I will be purchasing this book for a number of my friends and relatives. We all need to be aware of what is happening not just in our Country but in our world.