No Time to Think: The Menace of Media Speed and the 24-Hour News Cycle

Pulitzer Prize winner Rosenberg teams with veteran journalist Feldman to argue that the 24-hour news cycle has degraded the news media and failed consumers in this indignant, often reactionary examination. The authors' premise, that a demand for a constant flow of information via the Internet and cable news networks has led to inaccuracies in reporting, is a popular refrain and one with merit. The many quotes the authors have collected from media giants such as Jim Lehrer and Arianna Huffington present the challenges facing news outlets as changing technologies, most notably the Internet, interact with traditional media. However, the book's heavy-handed editorializing and unfocused gaze muddle the argument, and the many regressions into finger pointing and personal attacks seem out of place amongst such serious considerations. While the authors' ultimate conclusion-that consumer literacy is the best defense against biased and untrustworthy news-is well-taken, flippant dismissals of bloggers (referred to as ""nimble-fingered Crackerjacks""), multi-media reporting and alternative news sources undermine this larger point and don't provide any new answers.