Former journalist, Jones (Boys of '67
) examines the challenges of war reporting in an “era of 24/7 media” in this superficial study that draws upon interviews with a small sample of journalists—including Sam Donaldson, Jim Lehrer and Joe Klein— military public affairs officers and former NATO commander James L. Jones to reveal “the story behind the story of the Iraq War.” A business reporter, Jones spent his two-week summer vacation embedded with the Marines at Camp Fallujah and mines his experiences heavily for a series of unremarkable conclusions: the Pentagon has systematically manipulated the media and too many reporters play “footsie with the military” in exchange for access. The author expresses little but disdain for “the Bush administration and its military minions”; Bush adviser Karl Rove, “the Texas political consigliere”; and Rupert Murdoch, whose Fox News Channel's appeal “came from lowering journalistic standards.” Similarly, U.S. Central Command headquarters in Qatar is “America's fantasy factory,” and Baghdad's Green Zone is “an American playground.” A one-sided perspective covering no new ground, Jones's brief survey promises more than it delivers. (Sept.)
