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p_tremuloides's review
3.0
Not much different from the podcast, but their humor still comes through.
djempirical's review
I had rated this 5 stars, but Kilstein has been revealed to be an abuser, so I'm removing it. (Kilkenny is great, though!)
thespacejamber's review
5.0
I'm going to be totally honest here: I'm probably not the target audience Kilstein and Kilkenny had in mind when they committed pens to paper. This is not because I'm a hard and fast conservative, but because I'm already in tune with how mainstream media has failed us on reporting major issues in recent years. As a journalist, I'm already attuned to looking a stories objectively and finding the truth to report, just like the authors. Their target is clearly someone without this knowledge and experience behind them.
And that's totally fine! While reading #newsfail, I quickly picked up on treating this book like a primer for those who are just getting their feet wet in independent media and questioning what's fed to them from the 24-hour news cycle. This is a great introduction to important issues -- reproductive rights, gun control, drug legislation, racism, etc. -- that often get cast to the wayside, or even made fun of, by the major news outlets.
All within the span of less than 200 pages, Kilkenny and Kilstein do a fantastic job of summing up exactly what the issues are while pointing out where reporting has gone wrong. Their casual and witty style makes this book approachable for the newbies who wouldn't appreciate being condescended to when just starting out. It reads like a conversation between friends who are dedicated to helping educate others. They even make sure to cite their sources, just as good journalists should do.
While I probably knew too much for who the authors were trying to reach, I can definitely see this as a worthwhile tool for people like myself to give to friends who are just starting to question everything. Furthermore, I think Kilkenny and Kilstein have just made a new subscriber to their podcast.
And that's totally fine! While reading #newsfail, I quickly picked up on treating this book like a primer for those who are just getting their feet wet in independent media and questioning what's fed to them from the 24-hour news cycle. This is a great introduction to important issues -- reproductive rights, gun control, drug legislation, racism, etc. -- that often get cast to the wayside, or even made fun of, by the major news outlets.
All within the span of less than 200 pages, Kilkenny and Kilstein do a fantastic job of summing up exactly what the issues are while pointing out where reporting has gone wrong. Their casual and witty style makes this book approachable for the newbies who wouldn't appreciate being condescended to when just starting out. It reads like a conversation between friends who are dedicated to helping educate others. They even make sure to cite their sources, just as good journalists should do.
While I probably knew too much for who the authors were trying to reach, I can definitely see this as a worthwhile tool for people like myself to give to friends who are just starting to question everything. Furthermore, I think Kilkenny and Kilstein have just made a new subscriber to their podcast.
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