NEWS IS A WEAPON

by Matthew Gordon ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 9, 1942

As a volume in the excellent Knopf wartime series, this book has its niche. It is no Shirer nor Howard K. Smith, but it should find a satisfactory audience, with newspaper men, editorial news offices, radio stations and the news services as naturals. The market is definitely more men than women. Anyone who has followed a range of papers and of radio news bulletins and commentators, will find Mr. Gordon's analysis of news stories keenly interesting and illuminating. The Axis powers have been just as unscrupulous and clever in handling news as they have been in other lines. They have waged their news weapons against every American, and here is an opportunity for everyone to learn and understand this phase of total war and rate it for what it is worth. By example after example, the author shows how news is faked, how the Axis powers have lied and misled the readers. They have trotted trick after trick out of a big bag. One trick was that of reading a list of prisoners of war; they got their message over first, then read two names. Another is varying the short broadcast to the world and the news to their own people. A third is claiming that their commentators express personal views and not those of Berlin. Intellectual warfare is shown as a powerful weapon, to be met by intelligent weapons.

Pub Date: Nov. 9, 1942

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1942

Categories: NONFICTION