Eric Deggans

Gone is the era of Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite, when news programs fought to gain the trust and respect of a wide spectrum of American viewers. Today, the fastest-growing news programs and media platforms are fighting hard for increasingly narrow segments of the public and playing on old prejudices and deep-rooted fears, coloring the conversation in the blogosphere and the cable news chatter to distract from the true issues at stake. Using the same tactics once used to mobilize political parties and committed voters, they send their fans coded messages and demonize opposing groups, in the process securing valuable audience share and website traffic. Race-baiter is a term born out of this tumultuous climate, coined by the conservative media to describe a person who uses racial tensions to arouse the passion and ire of a particular demographic. Even as the election of the first black president forces us all to reevaluate how we think about race, gender, culture, and class lines, some areas of modern media are working hard to push the same old buttons of conflict and division for new purposes. In Race-baiter, veteran journalist and media critic Eric Deggans dissects the powerful ways modern media feeds fears, prejudices, and hate, while also tracing the history of the word and its consequences, intended or otherwise.Come early and enjoy the discussion.

Location: Street: 4327 Degnan Blvd (Leimert Park Business Center) Additional: t- @esowonbookstore or www.esowonbookstore2@gmail.com City: Los Angeles, Province: California Postal Code: 90008 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Gone is the era of Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite, when news programs fought to gain the trust and respect of a wide spectrum of American viewers. Today, the fastest-growing news programs and media platforms are fighting hard for increasingly narrow segments of the public and playing on old prejudices and deep-rooted fears, coloring the conversation in the blogosphere and the cable news chatter to distract from the true issues at stake. Using the same tactics once used to mobilize political parties and committed voters, they send their fans coded messages and demonize opposing groups, in the process securing valuable audience share and website traffic. Race-baiter is a term born out of this tumultuous climate, coined by the conservative media to describe a person who uses racial tensions to arouse the passion and ire of a particular demographic. Even as the election of the first black president forces us all to reevaluate how we think about race, gender, culture, and class lines, some areas of modern media are working hard to push the same old buttons of conflict and division for new purposes. In Race-baiter, veteran journalist and media critic Eric Deggans dissects the powerful ways modern media feeds fears, prejudices, and hate, while also tracing the history of the word and its consequences, intended or otherwise.

Location: Street: 265 Aragon Ave City: Coral Gables, Province: Florida Postal Code: 33134-5008 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Eric Deggans, TV and Media Critic for the Tampa Bay Times, will read from and discuss his provocative book, Race-baiter: HOW THE MEDIA WIELDS DANGEROUS WORDS TO DIVIDE A NATION. Race-baiter traces the history of "prejudice as a business model" and its consequences - intended or otherwise - examining the powerful ways modern media feeds fear and hate. Deggans shows how today’s media platforms play on old prejudices and deep-rooted fears, sending coded messages and demonizing opposing groups, in the fight for valuable audience share and website traffic, pushing the same old buttons of conflict and division for new purposes. “Eric Deggans is one of the most insightful and provocative writers about television today. In his columns…and his NPR commentaries, Deggans has established himself as a voice worth listening to. His many fans - and I'm one of them - will devour this book.” Andy Borowitz, The Borowitz Report "If you care about this country, if you want to take part in a citizen’s movement that helps heal the deep racial, economic, and cultural divides tearing us apart, you must read Eric Deggans’ Race-baiter. No book of recent vintage so thoroughly dissects the media’s monetized appetite for division. Provocative, honest, and smart, Race-baiter is a supremely important book. Read it and let the conversation begin." Connie May Fowler “Eric Deggans proves that he is one of the most insightful and courageous writers covering today's fast-shifting media landscape. This is an important book.” Michele Norris, NPR's All Things Considered Deggans is a veteran journalist, writing for Florida’s largest newspaper since 1995, and is also a freelance contributor to National Public Radio, CNN.com and the Huffington Post. His work has appeared in print ranging from the conservative Newsmax magazine to the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Seattle Times, Chicago Sun-Times, Miami Herald and Detroit News, and VIBE, Hispanic, and Ebony magazines. Deggans regularly appears as a pundit/expert on various network and cable news shows.

Location: Street: 216 S Armenia Ave City: Tampa, Province: Florida Postal Code: 33609-3310 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)