Press
Library Journal
September 15, 2011 (p. 59)
Gladstone,
Brooke (text) & Josh Neufeld (illus.). The Influencing Machine: Brooke
Gladstone on the Media. Norton, 2011. nop. bibliog. ISBN 9780393077797.
$23.95. COMM "In a world of ceaseless
distractions, ideas that grab you by the eyeballs are more likely to stick,"
Gladstone noted in her proposal for this graphic novel (New York Observer,
5/26/09). Indeed, the result is as much a public service announcement for
the power of comics as it is a disquisition on media in general. Like a chatty
but interesting poli-sci professor, Gladstone's lines-on-paper avatar takes
us through media history, source accuracy (or not), journalist impartiality
(or not), bias (seven kinds), dilemmas relating to war reporting, objectivity
(ot not), disclosure, tricks the mind plays on understanding news stories,
and how the media mirror ourselves in all of our human diversity now and into
the future. Neufeld's blackand-white art, enlivened with teal wash, enhances
Gladstone's points effectively, although without the compelling appeal of
his lauded A.D. New Orleans: After the Deluge. Gladstone has been
cohost of NPR's On the Media since 2000. VERDICT
This comprehensive overview of media history and issues — responsibly
referenced in over 200 detailed notes — should be required reading for
nearly everybody over age ten, media students, and plain ole citizens, especially.
Highly recommended. — M.C.