The brass check
a study of American journalism
by Upton Sinclair · first published 1905
4mentions
0recommended by
4HN commenters
2013–2023first – last mentioned
100% neutral
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Read freeProject Gutenberg
…care about are interacting with gutters and ladders, I stay very alert, and strive for "zero idealistic thoughts". And - this sad state of affairs is nothing new. Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle, The Brass Check, and other works (about the deep and systematic moral failings of corporations, journalists, etc.) over a century ago.
on “They're trying to get me kidnapped and tortured, but Twitter doesn't care” ↗That's a long time. Some things have been around longer: brothel tokens date from the 1st century to the early 1900's. Roman brothel tokens were used in London, and Upton Sinclair wrote about 'brass check' tokens used in his youth (1919).
on “Paris Métro paper ticket reaches end of the line after more than 120 years” ↗He wrote the intro to the republished edition of The Brass Check believe it or not. (But to address your other point, it may be. Chomsky's media criticism focusing heavily on this)
on “Modern media is often wrong, vapid, and easy to manipulate” ↗Yes! Here is his 1919 book The Brass Check: A Study of American Journalism, also self-published and also courtesy of the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/cu31924026364251/page/n3/mode/2u...
on “Mammonart. An Essay on Economic Interpretation (1925)” ↗