‘Fake Law: The Truth About Justice in an Age of Lies’ is The Secret Barrister’s follow-up to the hugely successful and informative Stories of the Law and How It’s Broken. Inevitably, most people’s understanding of the English legal system is acquired through media consumption. However, whether through deliberate obfuscation or plain ignorance, there are countless examples of inaccurate reporting on all kinds of legal issues, mostly in tabloid newspapers (unsurprisingly, the Daily Mail among many others in this category have yet to review this book). ‘Fake Law’ seeks to reveal the facts and outline the broader context behind the misinformation repeatedly peddled by certain media outlets and politicians.Tag Archives: Media
Fake Law by The Secret Barrister
‘Fake Law: The Truth About Justice in an Age of Lies’ is The Secret Barrister’s follow-up to the hugely successful and informative Stories of the Law and How It’s Broken. Inevitably, most people’s understanding of the English legal system is acquired through media consumption. However, whether through deliberate obfuscation or plain ignorance, there are countless examples of inaccurate reporting on all kinds of legal issues, mostly in tabloid newspapers (unsurprisingly, the Daily Mail among many others in this category have yet to review this book). ‘Fake Law’ seeks to reveal the facts and outline the broader context behind the misinformation repeatedly peddled by certain media outlets and politicians.Filed under Books
Nothing is True and Everything is Possible by Peter Pomerantsev
“Fake news” had yet to become a common term when ‘Nothing is True and Everything is Possible: Adventures in Modern Russia’ was published in the UK in 2015, but the concept is very much present in Peter Pomerantsev’s anecdotal depiction of post-Soviet Russia. Raised in London, he moved to Russia as an adult and his work as a reality television producer allowed him access to all sorts of people and places at the peak of the television industry boom years in the 2000s. However, Pomerantsev quickly discovered that the media remained heavily state-influenced and he was not always free to produce the content he had planned. It is no surprise that his account of his time there shows how the boundaries between truth and reality were constantly blurred. Continue reading
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Do Book Blog Reviews Have Real Influence?
The book blogger versus traditional literary critic debate has been rumbling on for a while now, especially as it is noticeable that endorsements from bloggers are increasingly used alongside reviews by established journalists. However, I was recently surprised to find a quote from my review of Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien inside the UK paperback edition published by Granta. I hadn’t known my review was going to be used for this purpose (but I don’t object to it) and I also didn’t receive a free copy from the publisher in exchange for my comments. Continue reading
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Bad Science by Ben Goldacre
‘Bad Science’ by Ben Goldacre exposes the manipulated statistics, flawed analysis and general misuse and/or bad practice of science by journalists, the pharmaceutical industry and other quacks. From medical trials which fail to include a control group to misleading cosmetic and health food marketing, the book examines the people and the data behind some of the weakest areas of scientific and health research. Continue reading
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