A welcome look at how journalists shine a light on the world.
How does the news get told?
This comprehensive yet concise overview covers the evolution of journalism from pictographs on cave walls and town criers to print, broadcast, and internet news, including social media. Delisle examines myriad issues including accuracy, bias, the violence and harassment many journalists, especially women, face, the importance of a diverse newsroom, and ways in which the internet has forced media outlets to rethink their business models. Several capsule portraits of journalists, including Nellie Bly, who covered vital but often overlooked topics such as the mistreatment of mentally ill people or missing or murdered Indigenous women, demonstrate that curiosity and commitment are essential to good journalism. Delisle looks at ways that the industry has progressed, including the growth of solutions journalism. She touches on the use of artificial intelligence in reporting and data-gathering and examines new ideas for business models, such as nonprofit and collectively owned news organizations. The colorful, dynamic layout includes diverse representation in photos and illustrations. References to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Canadian publications in addition to U.S. ones reflect a Canadian voice. Solid advice to aspiring reporters, a glossary, and strong resource recommendations complete the picture.
A welcome look at how journalists shine a light on the world. (author’s note) (Nonfiction. 9-14)Pub Date: May 16, 2023
ISBN: 9781459826564
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
Ultimately adds little to conversations about race.
A popular YouTube series on race, “Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man,” turns how-to manual and history lesson for young readers.
Acho is a former NFL player and second-generation Nigerian American who cites his upbringing in predominantly White spaces as well as his tenure on largely Black football teams as qualifications for facilitating the titular conversations about anti-Black racism. The broad range of subjects covered here includes implicit bias, cultural appropriation, and systemic racism. Each chapter features brief overviews of American history, personal anecdotes of Acho’s struggles with his own anti-Black biases, and sections titled “Let’s Get Uncomfortable.” The book’s centering of Whiteness and White readers seems to show up, to the detriment of its subject matter, both in Acho’s accounts of his upbringing and his thought processes regarding race. The overall tone unfortunately conveys a sense of expecting little from a younger generation who may have a greater awareness than he did at the same age and who, therefore, may already be uncomfortable with racial injustice itself. The attempt at an avuncular tone disappointingly reads as condescending, revealing that, despite his online success with adults, the author is ill-equipped to be writing for middle-grade readers. Chapters dedicated to explaining to White readers why they shouldn’t use the N-word and how valuable White allyship is may make readers of color (and many White readers) bristle with indignation and discomfort despite Acho’s positive intentions.
Ultimately adds little to conversations about race. (glossary, FAQ, recommended reading, references) (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-80106-7
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2021
It’s an eye-opening case study in how history and folklore can intertwine.
With assistance from Aronson, a veteran author/editor and nabob of nonfiction, Nelson recasts his adult title Steel Drivin’ Man: The Untold Story of an American Legend (2006) into a briefer account that not only suspensefully retraces his search for the man behind the ballad, but also serves as a useful introduction to historical-research methods.
Supported by a generous array of late-19th- and early-20th-century photos—mostly of chain-gang “trackliners” and other rail workers—the narrative pieces together clues from song lyrics, an old postcard, scattered business records and other sources, arriving finally at both a photo that just might be the man himself, and strong evidence of the drilling contest’s actual location. The author then goes on to make speculative but intriguing links between the trackliners’ work and the origins of the blues and rock-’n’-roll, and Aronson himself closes with an analytical appendix.
It’s an eye-opening case study in how history and folklore can intertwine. (maps, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10-13)Pub Date: Dec. 11, 2007
ISBN: 978-1-4263-0000-4
Page Count: 64
Publisher: National Geographic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2007
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