Media & PR

Bad News: What the Headlines Don’t Tell Us

Copies of Bad News by Mark Pack on a shelf

Buy from Waterstones, Amazon (paperback and Kindle), Biteback (including ebook) or Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops).*

Bad News, my latest book, is out!

It’s a popular guide that helps you make sense of the news wherever it appears – print, broadcast or online.

Peppered with examples from around the world, the book turns a serious subject into an enjoyable read.

Thoughtful and perceptive, Bad News is required reading for anyone who wants to get to grips with how the journalism we consume both good and bad shapes our reality. With his forensic insight and lively intelligence, Mark Pack proves that understanding the news and understanding the world are two very different things. – Polly Mackenzie, chief executive of Demos and former Director of Policy to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg

Sharp and insightful you can trust Mark Pack to tell it as it is. – Craig Oliver, former Director of Politics and Communications to Prime Minister David Cameron

A sharp and witty diagnosis of exactly what’s going on in our newsrooms right now and why. – Adam Payne, Business Insider

Mark has thought deeply about the media for many years. This book distils his wisdom. – Tim Leunig, London School of Economics

You will learn as you are entertained. You will discover all the tricks you need to work out whether to trust a story based on an anonymous source, when big numbers are really small and when small numbers are really big, why you should ignore what appears behind someone on the TV and much more.

You’ll even learn why you should always read stories in the Daily Mail backwards, when to beware of stories about cats and when correlation is causation.

You may be reassured or you may be further depressed to learn how long-standing many of the problems with the news are.

But you will also learn how ill-suited the news is to understanding and interpreting the modern world, even when it comes from honest journalists working for reputable outlets.

The news has a role, but you will learn how to ensure you don’t confuse enjoying the news with understanding the world.

Bad News is available both in print and as an e-book. You can buy it from Waterstones, Amazon (paperback and Kindle), Biteback (including ebook) or Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops).*

* This list includes affiliate links which generate a commission for each sale made.

4 responses to “Bad News: What the Headlines Don’t Tell Us”

  1. Hello Mark,

    I was hoping to sign up for the preview of “Bad News” as instructed in your latest podcast. What do I need yo do?

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