Kelly Juntunen
Blur by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel
February 16, 2014
JOUR 5050
Book Report #2: Blur by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel
If a journalist is ever in need of a how-to book on journalistic integrity, they could
find everything they needed within Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel’s Blur: How to
Know What’s True in the Age of Information Overload (Keats, 2010). But with Blur’s
title, it might not attract the kind of readers it really needs to touch. I picked the
book because it appeared to be a stepping stone into media literacy, but it’s really a
book on how to be a better journalist.
Kovach and Rosenstiel are well-known for their journalistic backgrounds and also
for their previous book The Elements of Journalism, which may end up in my
summer reading pile if it’s anything like Blur. What makes this book distinctively
different from Elements is that it delves into the biggest change in 21st century
journalism: the blurring of lines between media formats and the blurring of truth
that comes from this new frantic pace (Pardue, 2011).
The book begins with a fast-paced history lesson on the evolution of journalism, but
quickly gets practical with anecdotes and scenarios from journalists who are able to
paint a picture of what happens when complacency or even negligence occurs on
both sides of the news (from journalists and those who consume journalism). Levels
of quality within journalism have always existed, but acknowledging them to the
public is new (Pardue, 2011).
In the current fast-paced news environment, the authors say that consumers must
first decipher what kind of journalism they are consuming. They break new down
into four distinct categories, which I think is simple enough for high school students
to do. The four categories are journalism of verification, journalism of assertion,
journalism of affirmation and interest-group journalism (Kovich and Rosenstiel,
2010).
When you stop to think about it, it’s easy to put the various outpourings of
“journalism” into these categories. The journalism of verification is the classic “if
you’re mother says she loves you, check it out.” Journalism of assertion is passing
along information without analyzing it – simply becoming a conduit. Journalism of
affirmation is where opinion journalism lives and the likes of Rachel Maddow and
Rush Limbaugh get to hang out. Interest-group journalism is a combination of
citizen journalism and also journalism that is conducted by special interest groups
that only focus on their topics of specialization (Kovich and Rosenstiel, 2010).
Another particularly helpful item in the book is an actual checklist for analyzing
media. The list is six questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What kind of content am I encountering?
Is the information complete; and if not, what is missing?
Who or what are the sources, and why should I believe them?
What evidence is presented, and how was it tested or vested?
What might be an alternative explanation or understanding?
Am I learning what I need to? (Kovich and Rosenstiel, 2010)
Not only is the list practical, but it’s easily translated into a high school journalism
assignment: Give students various examples of journalism (a blog, a radio program,
a story from the New York Times) and have them follow the guide to examining the
media they are consuming (Solberg, 2010).
Most reviews raved about Blur ‘s matter-of-fact approach, but Kirkus Reviews
claimed it was too dry and “might have offered a little more chocolate, a little less
bran” (Blur, 2010). I found the book to be chock full of examples, which to me are
plenty delicious for a journalist’s sweet tooth.
With journalism continuously evolving, the value from Blur is that it encourages a
serious introspection of any who want to do journalism and any who want to
appreciate journalism (Pardue 2011). The days of blindly believing are behind us
and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I would recommend this book to any person
who wants to be a better journalist or consumer of journalism. It’s a civics lesson at
its core (Bush, 2010).
Citations – APA format
BLUR: How to Know What's True in the Age of Information Overload. (2010). Kirkus
Reviews, 78(18), 906.
Kovich, Bill and Tom Rosenstiel (2010). BLUR: How to Know What's True in the Age
of Information Overload. New York, Bloomsbury.
Bush, V. (2010). Blur: How to Know What's True in the Age of Information Overload.
Booklist, 107(5), 6.
Keats, J. (2010). Blog standard. New Scientist, 208(2787), 03.
Kovich, Bill and Tom Rosenstiel (2010). BLUR: How to Know What's True in the Age
of Information Overload. New York, Bloomsbury.
Pardue, M. (2011). How to Know What's True in the Age of Information Overload.
Newspaper Research Journal, 32(3), 135-137.
Solberg, J. (2010). Blur: How To Know What's True in the Age of Information
Overload. Library Journal, 135(16), 81.