How to Watch TV News Audiobook By Neil Postman, Steve Powers cover art

How to Watch TV News

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

How to Watch TV News

By: Neil Postman, Steve Powers
Narrated by: Jeff Riggenbach
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $8.37

Buy for $8.37

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel
America is suffering from an information glut. Most Americans are no longer clear about what news is worth remembering or how any of it connects to anything else. Thus, Americans are rapidly becoming the least knowledgeable people in the industrial world.

In How to Watch TV News, author and academic Neil Postman and television journalist Steve Powers tell you how to become a discerning viewer. They make clear the difference between entertainment fodder and genuine news, pointing to the symbiotic relationship between TV news and advertising. They explain why TV news has become a "cash cow" and stress that anyone who relies exclusively on TV for his or her knowledge of the world is making a serious mistake.

©1992 Neil Postman and Steve Powers (P)1996 Blackstone Audio Inc. Entertainment & Performing Arts Film & TV Media Studies Social Sciences Words, Language & Grammar Writing & Publishing

Critic reviews

"Jeff Riggenbach's reading is ideal: very clear, comfortably paced, and objective in tone. This reviewer urges this book on every adult in America." (AudioFile)
Timeless Relevance • Brilliant Analysis • Informative Content • Concise Presentation • Important Insights
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
narrator is a little less than interesting but material is solid with exception of be a little dated. excellent glimpse at a turning point in media a prior to the invent of smart phones

solid book and excellent time capsule listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
in this book, Postman and Powers explain the tactics used by news anchors, reporters, producers, and network bosses to keep the public entertained. They explain the changes that have taken place since anchors began to replace reporters as those who dominate screentime. Their most alarming prediction is that we would begin falling into tribes based specifically on politics, and this was written in the early 1990s. Thankfully, they also offer quite a few helpful solutions. This is a book that I rate 5 stars all around but I am blind and can't figure out how. #Media #1990sAmerica #Creepy #Prophetic #whitty #TagsGiving #SweepStakes

A Prophetic warning

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
It was interesting to listen to a book about the tv news problems of 1992. All those issues and worries of the early 90s have only been compounded in the age of social media. There are some good nuggets mixed in with dated info. Overall, I don’t feel like I wasted my time, but I would only recommend to people with a strong interest in the topic.

Good, but dated

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
dude i swear that if neil postman saw twitter his brain would explode scanners style

dude

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Even now…in 2023, the content in this book is relevant in the age of web series, social media based advertising and more.

Even though the content feels obvious from the book summary, it’s not. There’s lots of points and breakdowns that I feel really hammer home about thinking critically about every news media, the format it’s in, the content that is not shown and more.

It helps to make you a more prepared citizen.

Required reading for every citizen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Despite its age, this book is still a good guide to navigating the problems inherent in TV news. The ideas herein also apply to other media, especially digital content

Fair warning for TV watchers

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I liked how it wasn't absurdly long like some books on theory or philosophy. The message is clear and is well supported.

still applicable today

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book is brilliant, relevant and timeless. It is well thought, well told, well read and well worth your time and money. I do not normally post but I think this book is important enough to warrant a recommendation.

Brilliant and Relevant

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A brilliant and informative book, well worth the time of anyone with ears. Furthermore it is brilliantly read.

Brilliant!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
...Americans, especially parents. It was flat out good foundational information that everyone living in this culture/country should know. Especially if you have a hand in teaching, raising kids, caregiving, and/or dealing with or around people who have a problem of how to managing fast-paced information shoveled down your throat. Which is everybody everywhere at this point. Even though you may think your good this is a great book to double check with.

Must Read For All!...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews