Nathaniel Fried
We asked some of our favorite journalists, scholars, and academics to suggest the books that they think every journalist should read. Here are the 8 that they suggested…
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#1 Guerrilla Marketing to Heal the World
In an age when the US government has backed away from any interest in solving crises like hunger, poverty, war, and catastrophic climate change (indeed, seems to be doing the maximum possible to worsen these crises), a book that looks at the business world to solve these problems is Guerrilla Marketing to Heal the World. Endorsed by futurist Seth Godin and Chicken Soup for the Soul co-creator Jack Canfield, this award-winning book shows how businesses as small as solopreneurs and as large as the Fortune 50 can make a difference AND a profit.
Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the links below:
Contributors: Shel Horowitz from Going Beyond Sustainability
#2 Black Hawk Down
This Amazing piece of journalism exemplifies the importance of being a journalist. In his Book Bowden catalogs the Battle of the Black Sea as a watershed moment in geopolitics. His reporting is, impartial, exhaustive, and quite adept. His Amazing Grasp on geopolitics comes in the afterward, where he describes the change as he sees it in detail.
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Contributors: Nate Masterson from Maple Holistics
#3 News For All The People
Covering the history of race in American news media from the colonial era to the present, Gonzalez and Torres explore the relationship between structural racism, news media, and the politics of representation. Among other “takeaways” this book makes clear that the white nationalism of our current moment has been with us from the start and that news production and distribution are central to its ebb and flow, its acceptance and resistance.
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Contributors: Kevin Howley from Constituent Notes
#4 Politics and the English Language
This isn't exactly a book, but every journalist should read George Orwell's essay, Politics, and the English Language. Yes, his book Animal Farm is good to read as well, but Orwell's essay is unmatched in examining propaganda - the kind the Trump White House is spewing right now.
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Contributors: Candace Talmadge from Talmadge Writing Services
#5 The Autobiography of Malcolm X
This epic cataloging of one man’s life is a masterpiece in its own right. The work was started during Malcolm X’s time spent in the Muslim Brotherhood, and the views he expresses are uncut, which is part of what makes this book the masterpiece it is. The autobiography tells the story of an intelligent man attempting to reconcile his beliefs as his worldview is shattered multiple times.
Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the links below:
Contributors: Nate Masterson from Maple Holistics
#6 The Problem of the Media
A primer on the political economy of US media, McChesney identifies and analyzes the critical role policy plays in shaping any given media system. Rather than see the current corporate/commercial media system as inevitable, McChesney demonstrates how the media can (and should) be structured to serve the public interest. In light of recent policy decisions, including the FCC’s repeal of Net Neutrality and a federal court’s approval of the Time Warner-ATT merger, this book should be required reading for aspiring and veteran news workers alike.
Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the links below:
Contributors: Kevin Howley from Constituent Notes
#7 Trust Me I’m Lying
This book is a must-read because it chronicles the way the media system broke down and became for sale and based on clicks rather than ethics in many organizations. We pride ourselves on being a white hat only marketing firm, but it's important to know the reality of how the system works if you're to properly navigate it for your clients.
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Contributors: Jason Myers from The Content Factory
#8 Shocking the Conscious
This book is an autobiography, as the title suggests, to shock. It is also a telling of how a society can see the light in a short period of time. It also tells a story of the ugliness of human nature, to hate the other, and we can’t be good without first understanding how bad we can be. The book shows a little bias but is nonetheless a harrowing telling of unbelievable events.
Want to read more reviews of this book or buy it? Check out the links below:
Contributors: Nate Masterson from Maple Holistics
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