I honestly believe that this book should be mandatory reading for everyone who has ever picked up a newspaper, or regurgitated an argument which they have read in a headline or heard on Sky.

Davies sets out to expose the corner-cutting, biases, falsehoods, lies and deceit which underpins much of today’s media. He explains why the ‘news lite’ we receive each day is selective, repetitive, sensational and often very poorly researched. He demonstrates that true investigative journalism has almost been completely wiped out, and that truth and exposure are the least of the considerations in many of the news organisations. And his thesis puts most of it down to the fact that news is now a corporate profit making exercise, and like all capitalistic institutions, money and profit is paramount, political advantage (leading to profit) is secondary, and no longer on the radar is informing the public, and exposing the truth.

That may seem like a pretty dire assessment to make, but his arguments made perfect sense and were backed up with a lot of evidence and case studies. I was told on Twitter that he didn’t actually carry out most of the research – be that as it may, he published it and in my opinion, an expose like this needs to be made public irrespective of who does it, so I am grateful that he went out on a limb to do so.

The problem with this book was that it ended with very little hope, but then, perhaps that is reality. Our society is so driven by profit that the chances of philanthropic newspaper owners, journalists willing to go out on a limb to get to the truth and impartial reporting ever returning are slim. That is not to say you can’t find that somewhere, but it isn’t in the instant, 24hour news. One could argue that the BBC shouldn’t be a corporation battling with the likes of NewsCorp, but because the bar has been set, the BBC simply has to keep up. As a result, their journalists (or ‘churnalists’ as the author calls them) are under as much pressure, with as few resources and as little leeway as their corporate, profit driven counterparts. And the only real result is that the ignorant public remains ignorant.

I finished the book wondering how on earth one was supposed to discover what the truth was in the world when we are numbed daily by the flat earth news cycle? Do blogs and the internet help? Partially, but it takes some time and effort to weed out the good writing on the internet from the dross. How about quality, independent publications? Yes, but sadly they are only read by a cultural ‘elite’ of sorts who have the time, education and motivation to seek them out and read them. Your average person going home on the train, who has spent the past 10 hours of their day working desperately hard so that they can pay their mortgage and meet the next payment on the new car as well as the kids school fees, is not likely to sit down with anything more taxing than the Metro. And therein lies the problem.

I do lament how driven our world is by money, profit, greed and competition. In fact, since reading this book, I have read another about Zimbabwe (which I will review shortly) which just reconfirmed this. This is human nature, and the way of the world. But that shouldn’t stop every thinking person from asking questions, challenging the loudest voices and making the decision to make up their own mind.

You can read more at Nick Davies website, Flat Earth News

Rating: 10/10
ISBN: 0099512688
Publisher: Vintage
Year: 2009
Date Finished: 15 October 2009
Pages: 320

I wonder, if the crowds with such enthusiasm for buying books had been in Borders a few months ago, perhaps such a scene might not have occurred? Of course, I like a bargain as much as the next person, but my 11 books for just over £8.00 left me more with a sense of sadness than triumph. My bagging a bargain has happened at the expense of one less place to browse for books, one less shop to disappear into and not come out of for hours, and one less place that I can escape the world and indulge my passion.

Of course, I hold my hand up – I do most of my book shopping either at second hand places or on Amazon. The cost of living in London is pretty expensive and so I need to watch my pennies where I can and books aren’t exactly cheap. But with the world moving online, coupled with a pretty dire recession, it is little wonder that a place like Borders couldn’t survive. I wonder what this says for the future of high street retailers? What with price cuts from the massive supermarket chains, internet retailers and a general reduction of how far money goes, it will be interesting to see.

I, for one, am still hunting for a local independent bookstore, although they are becoming rarer and rarer by the day. I am happy to give my loyalty to a small bookshop over and above Amazon or Tescos, but the reality is, if a large chain like Borders UK can’t survive, what hope has an independent got? Does anyone else pine for the experience of walking into a bookshop and being greeted by the owner or shop assistant who says they have just finished a book they know you will love? Perhaps that is what social media is supposed to replace? I don’t know – it just doesn’t quite feel the same.

This is going to sound sentimental, but I lovingly removed those 11 books from the Borders bags when I got home and carefully took off the SALE stickers which they were festooned with. I then placed them in alphabetical order on my library bookshelves, ensuring each one was snug and visible for when I next wander in to find what I am going to read. I see it as my tiny rescue mission for 11 books which had been left on the sinking ship.

To me, The London Review of Books is the pinnacle of literary review writing. The research, thought and work that goes into each essay is spectacular. It is of no consequence that the reviews are not instantaneous with the publishing of the book. The books I have read which have an LRB review are made all the better because of the different perspective and additional depth provided by the review. I can but dream of being able to review with the skill that the contributors to the LRB have. What a wonderful job – to read, to research and then to put together an essay which will sit beside the book as a permanent compliment.

I think the reason this milestone that makes me so happy is that the LRB provides a bastion of intellect in this instant-gratification, multi-media, multi-tasking, short-attention-span world we find ourselves in. I love making the transition from my dual monitors with 5 open windows, continual digital noise and never-ending distractions to the relative peace offered by the words on the page. This goes as much for books as for the magazines I subscribe to, but my love of the English language is always satisfied by a quiet session with the latest LRB. I can forget that conversation has turned into LOL and ROLF and BRB and l8r and settle into a world of complex thought, beautifully chosen language, and evidence of time taken over the essay in order to perfect it.

Call me old-fashioned, but I would hate to see the demise of this kind of writing. I hope to see it celebrate another 30 years. And I hope that I remain a subscriber for the duration.