New Book Released: BLOGOTHON by Danny Schechter, the News Dissector

Online, May 15, 2012 (Newswire.com) - While the world is experiencing one of the most dramatic decades in modern history, the way the news is brought to the world is also changing dramatically with the advent of social media and blogging. Danny Schechter, independent journalist, gadfly of the media and also known as the "News Dissector" shows in his newly released book Blogothon, Reflections and Revelation from the News Dissector (Cosimo Books, May 2012) the importance of blogging as an alternative media in an age when mainstream media has come under increasing scrutiny for a lack of credibility and real news.

Blogothon is a compilation of Schechter's blog posts describing with firsthand experience how the financial crisis developed during the first decade of the 21st century, the influence of activists such as Martin Luther King and Jesse Jackson on Occupy Wall Street, the ascent of Al Jazeera, the expulsion of Helen Thomas and Keith Olbermann from mainstream media, and increased polarization in U.S. politics.

Schechter is one day mentioned in a New York Times story on the Boston Radio Station where he was once an innovative news anchor. The next day, his columns appear in The Huffington Post, on Al Jazeera and other well-read outline outlets. That same week, one of his many documentaries may be screening on TV or at a venue somewhere in the world. And every day, his News Dissector blog appears online at NewsDissector.net

"I am an independent journalist who wears many hats," Schechter says. "I have worked in the underground and mainstream media in radio, print, and in local, cable and network news. I have been online since 1986, written many books, made documentaries and, even as a media veteran, I feel like I am just getting started."

And for anyone having doubts about the importance of the media, Schechter says: "The media shapes the way we think, and often, what we know and that's why it's important to reflect on the range and accuracy of media coverage. We have to encourage diversity of opinion."

Blogothon is a fascinating read for followers of Schechter's blog, anyone interested in an authentic account of historic events still unfolding, and aspiring bloggers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DANNY SCHECHTER is a writer, television producer, and independent filmmaker who also speaks about media and financial issues. He is the editor of Mediachannell1.org and blogs daily as the News Dissector at NewsDissector.net. Schechter is the author of thirteen books and has produced and directed more than thirty documentaries and television specials. His blog was named the 2009 "Blog of the Year" by the Hunter College Media Department of the City University of New York.

BLOGOTHON: Reflections and Revelations from the News Dissector
Cosimo Books, May 2012
Media/Current Affairs
ISBN 978-1-61640-669-1
Paperback, 306 pages, $17.99 / £13.99

Always available at online bookstores. Visit www.cosimobooks.com

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