Monday 7 April 2014

Joe Muto, "An Atheist in the Foxhole" (2013)

Muto seems to have started off as a pretty run-of-the-mill American mid-west liberal arts university undergraduate without much focus or desire. Not long after graduating, he ends up, as much by luck as by planning, working in New York City for the Fox media empire. Muto makes much of the fact that Fox is viewed as part of the 'enemy' by American Democrats and liberals genuinely. It's frequent and well-known commentators include figures such as Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Greta Van Susteren, Geraldo Rivera, and Ann Coulter. While not particularly politically-minded, Muto is aware that Fox's positioning may indicate that his politics will clash with his new employer's. After years of employment, during which he bears what he characterizes as petty, although seemingly mostly harmless demands from the likes of O'Reilly, Muto finally opts to leak his 'insider' knowledge to a political blog. He is quickly found out and dismissed.

In short, the greatest value of this book is its intriguing insight into how a contemporary television news-type corporation works, from the perspective of the coffee-fetchers and wrench-turners. For this, Muto has provided an eminently worthy book for university students hoping to break into big media work.




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