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readingresa's review against another edition
Very interesting essay, and I like that there was the 2017 reflection at the end so that we could see if Leigh Sales' views still remained the same. I think I'd like to re-read this essay in a hard copy so that I can annotate it.
tintededges's review against another edition
5.0
Check out my full review at https://tintededges.com/2017/11/25/on-doubt/
_sarahco's review against another edition
4.0
A good little essay about the virtues of doubt (questioning ideas and opinions, remaining open to being wrong, etc) in the current media and political landscape where unswerving certainty is valued, opinion journalism is dominant over objective journalism, and echo chambers are increasingly common. Even more relevant today than when it was first published in 2009.
tricky's review against another edition
4.0
For those who don't know Leigh Sales is an Australian journalist who has fronted news programs such as Lateline and the 7.30 Report on the ABC. The one thing that is universally accepted by all is that there is no pleasure to be had by politician when they are being interviewed by Leigh Sales. She is determined to cut through the carefully rehearsed talking points, uncover the truth and is respected by all.
‘On Doubt’ was originally penned by Sales in 2009, with an additional chapter being included in 2017. For a short essay, Sales manages to cram in a lot of big ideas and themes. From her own beginnings as that rebellious child always asking why to a journalist wondering about the future of the profession.
A short, highly insightful read and it you are budding journalist you need to read this.
‘On Doubt’ was originally penned by Sales in 2009, with an additional chapter being included in 2017. For a short essay, Sales manages to cram in a lot of big ideas and themes. From her own beginnings as that rebellious child always asking why to a journalist wondering about the future of the profession.
A short, highly insightful read and it you are budding journalist you need to read this.
stefhyena's review against another edition
3.0
This sort of disappointed me, there was a centrist/conservative vein running through the book which seemed insufficiently reflexive to me, for all that Sales talked a lot about herself and much of the book was more memoir than essay. The very interesting thing was an (unacknowledged) shift in the 2017 post-script where Sales categorically says that false notions of "balance" are not in the public interest (she implies in the earlier draft that all conflict is necessarily a good and productive thing), and that climate change is an established fact (in the earlier draft she is still calling for the sort of debates that have held back real progress). She does not mention how interests are implicated in some fringe opinions, but the examples she gives are good ones.
I have to say I also respect Sales' refusal as a journalist to give her own opinion. I am not sure how disingenuous this is, given her relatively privileged position but I can believe that her intention is laudable. I find it interesting that when she criticises both the left and the right of politics, she can come up with many specific and detailed examples of right-wing people who admit no doubt but as for her assertion that the left is the same, it is left more as an assumption and not a proven or illustrated point. I would say she is probably correct and there are SOME left-wing people who are too sure of themselves on one issue or another but I would also venture to suggest that crippling self-doubt (and also healthy self-questioning) are much more a feature of the left than the centre OR right.
Anyway niggles with the essay and writing aside, I have to agree with Sales that there is a healthy level of questioning that is needed, that closing off people's right to question others or safety in questioning themselves will make society a very dangerous and unhealthy place to be. There is a genuine contribution here to public debate, for all that I would have wished for even more from it.
I have to say I also respect Sales' refusal as a journalist to give her own opinion. I am not sure how disingenuous this is, given her relatively privileged position but I can believe that her intention is laudable. I find it interesting that when she criticises both the left and the right of politics, she can come up with many specific and detailed examples of right-wing people who admit no doubt but as for her assertion that the left is the same, it is left more as an assumption and not a proven or illustrated point. I would say she is probably correct and there are SOME left-wing people who are too sure of themselves on one issue or another but I would also venture to suggest that crippling self-doubt (and also healthy self-questioning) are much more a feature of the left than the centre OR right.
Anyway niggles with the essay and writing aside, I have to agree with Sales that there is a healthy level of questioning that is needed, that closing off people's right to question others or safety in questioning themselves will make society a very dangerous and unhealthy place to be. There is a genuine contribution here to public debate, for all that I would have wished for even more from it.
hannahmayreads's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
2.0
"... good writing is good writing and occasionally carries the day."
This is certainly true, and a point the world has largely forgotten (among other things). Unfortunately, Sales' own efforts fall short - light on and lacklustre, I really wanted more. Something that is certainly possible even in such a short space. Sales hasn't quite done the essay form justice, which is a real shame. I fear she's a victim of having too much to say. I think I was also disappointed this was a more personal essay on doubt, rather than the musings on modern media and communication that it is.
For me, the best bits were those considering the strictures of ideology and the preposterous surety of our own "rightness". A closer, more direct study of this would have made for a more interesting essay.
What Sales has tried to achieve here is honourable and valuable, but there are better options out there. Like this article about how the loss of local news outlets impacts all this and this one that goes even deeper on the issue. This article on the future of journalism by Jill Lepore is well worth the read. Breaking News: The Remaking of Journalism and Why It Matters Now by Alan Rusbridger has been one of the most engaging books I've read this year, and from the other side of the pond Merchants of Truth: Inside the News Revolution by former New York Times editor Jill Abramson is next on my TBR. I've been reading more about the concept of slow news and the idea that we need to re-engage people with news. Aside from this, I'm looking for more information on media in non-Western countries in light of the recent Tienanmen Square anniversary and issues of press freedom in countries like India. Reporters Without Borders is an excellent starting point for that discussion.
I'm not sure this essay was framed correctly (On Doubt doesn't seem to fit an essay so focused on the media landscape and politics), and I'm not sure the scope was refined enough. A good taster perhaps, but that's about all.
This is certainly true, and a point the world has largely forgotten (among other things). Unfortunately, Sales' own efforts fall short - light on and lacklustre, I really wanted more. Something that is certainly possible even in such a short space. Sales hasn't quite done the essay form justice, which is a real shame. I fear she's a victim of having too much to say. I think I was also disappointed this was a more personal essay on doubt, rather than the musings on modern media and communication that it is.
For me, the best bits were those considering the strictures of ideology and the preposterous surety of our own "rightness". A closer, more direct study of this would have made for a more interesting essay.
What Sales has tried to achieve here is honourable and valuable, but there are better options out there. Like this article about how the loss of local news outlets impacts all this and this one that goes even deeper on the issue. This article on the future of journalism by Jill Lepore is well worth the read. Breaking News: The Remaking of Journalism and Why It Matters Now by Alan Rusbridger has been one of the most engaging books I've read this year, and from the other side of the pond Merchants of Truth: Inside the News Revolution by former New York Times editor Jill Abramson is next on my TBR. I've been reading more about the concept of slow news and the idea that we need to re-engage people with news. Aside from this, I'm looking for more information on media in non-Western countries in light of the recent Tienanmen Square anniversary and issues of press freedom in countries like India. Reporters Without Borders is an excellent starting point for that discussion.
I'm not sure this essay was framed correctly (On Doubt doesn't seem to fit an essay so focused on the media landscape and politics), and I'm not sure the scope was refined enough. A good taster perhaps, but that's about all.
areader_reading's review
4.0
It’s kind of hard to believe that Sales wrote this 10 years ago because it feels so incredibly relevant in our current media/political climate. It’s a short and brilliant read that has given me a lot to think about. Highly recommended!
brona's review
3.0
Leigh Sales is an ABC journalist and current affairs presenter who has been curious and sceptical all her life. She was the quintessential, questioning, ever-doubting teenager that grew up to do the same thing throughout her career.
She aims to challenge blind faith and over-confidence, but living life with a doubtful mind has it's own pitfalls including anxiety and a lack of an all-consuming passion to name two.
The essay is dotted with fascinating little stories about her childhood, George Bush, Sarah Palin, old style journalists and public disputes between journalists & historians.
There's even a 12th century philosopher, Pierre Abelard...
Full review here - http://bronasbooks.blogspot.com.au/2017/11/on-doubt-by-leigh-sales.html
She aims to challenge blind faith and over-confidence, but living life with a doubtful mind has it's own pitfalls including anxiety and a lack of an all-consuming passion to name two.
The essay is dotted with fascinating little stories about her childhood, George Bush, Sarah Palin, old style journalists and public disputes between journalists & historians.
There's even a 12th century philosopher, Pierre Abelard...
Full review here - http://bronasbooks.blogspot.com.au/2017/11/on-doubt-by-leigh-sales.html