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Influencing Machine (book)
Nonfiction graphic novel by Brooke Gladstone and Josh Neufeld From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media is a nonfiction graphic novel by journalist Brooke Gladstone and cartoonist Josh Neufeld. Gladstone describes the book as "a treatise on the relationship between us and the news media."[1] It was further described by the New York Observer as "a manifesto on the role of the press in American history as told through a cartoon version of herself."[1] The title of the book refers to On the Origin of the "Influencing Machine" in Schizophrenia, a 1919 article written by psychoanalyst Viktor Tausk.
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Publication history
The Influencing Machine was released in hardcover in May 2011. A paperback edition with a new cover was released in May 2012. A tenth anniversary edition, with a new cover, interior revisions, new material, and a new afterword, was released in January 2021.[2]
Synopsis
Much in the vein of Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, Gladstone appears in the book as an illustrated character, taking the reader through two millennia of history — from the newspapers in Caesar's Rome to the penny press of the American Revolution and the activities of contemporary journalism. Issues discussed include bias, objectivity, misinformation, ethics, and a large chapter on war reporting. In a reference to the Trausk's "Influencing Machine," the book debunks the notion that “The Media” is an external force, outside of our control. Instead, it posits that the media is a mirror — sometimes a distorted one — reflecting society's beliefs and morals back at itself.
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Reception
The Influencing Machine received recognition from magazines, newspapers, and websites such as The New Yorker,[3] National Public Radio,[4] the Associated Press,[5] The Nation,[6] Columbia Journalism Review,[7] and many others.
The book was named one of the best comics/graphic novels of 2011 by Publishers Weekly[8] and the Library Journal.[9] It was listed on a number of 2011 holiday gift guides, including New York magazine[10] and BoingBoing.[11] It was selected for 1book140, The Atlantic.com's reading club.[12]
The Influencing Machine has been selected as a common read by a number of universities, including Alaska Pacific University, American University,[13] Millersville University,[14] the University of Alaska Anchorage,[15] and the University of Maryland.[16]
Editions
The Influencing Machine has been translated into Korean,[17] Italian,[18] French,[19] and German.[20]
- The Influencing Machine (English paperback edition) ISBN 978-0393342468, W.W. Norton, May 2012
- Digesting the Media: Detailed History of Media; Eloquent Media Criticism (Korean edition), DoddleSaeghim, 2012
- Armi di Persuasione di Massa: Abbiamo i media che ci meritiamo (Italian edition) ISBN 978-8817058704, Rizzoli Lizard, February 2013
- La Machine à Influencer: Une historie des medias (French edition) ISBN 978-2-916207-96-4 Çà et Là, April 2014
- Der Beeinflussungsapparat (German edition) ISBN 9783981740004, Correctiv, April 2016
- The Influencing Machine (10th anniversary paperback edition) ISBN 978-0-393-54157-1, W.W. Norton, January 2021
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See also
References
External links
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