It's a sad truth that lies are becoming a part of everyday life. From pre-approved credit card mailings to college admission claims to presidential press conferences, the American public is being spun, deceived and misinformed at a dizzying rate and on a daily basis. Why is this? And what can we do about it? In this lively but serious examination of the way lies are infiltrating world, media expert Carl Hausman takes a hard look at the business of deception, an industry that is growing at an alarming rate. Uncovering the roots of misinformation in American business and politics, he reveals the way words, numbers, and images are intentionally distorted for public consumption by some of this country's major industries-including tobacco companies, airlines, financial institutions, public relations firms, and even medical practices and universities-and offers outrageous examples of some of the more egregious assaults on the public trust. Showing readers how to spot potentially false claims, he offers advice about what we can do to stop them, with an annotated list of publications, individuals, and organizations dedicated to preventing the spread of misleading information. Whether it is paragraph-length footnotes, microscopic print or tortured statistics, the amount of propaganda being passed off as fact is both alarming and dangerous. Lies We Live By shows what to look for behind the double talk; but most importantly it offers ways to fight back.

About the Author

Carl Hausman is a journalist and educator who has written and published widely on the topic of media ethics, including nineteen books. He is an associate professor of writing at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, and an adjunct professor of journalism at New York University. A former television talk show host, he frequently lectures on mass media issues.

Reviews

"For those interested in honing their talents while also seeing through the other person's/organization's deception, Hausman does an excellent job of explaining how deception works and at times why it is practiced. While he writes in a very readable fashion, he also has a lot of substance in his work. Public RelationsQuarterly."
"Hausman explores misleading ads, how colleges massage numbers to attract students, scams credit card companies pull with small print, and more. Hausman's guidelines for being a better information consumer are words we all can live by..." -- Toronto Star
"Carl Hausman has provided a useful, pretty comprehensive guide to the way we lie now...It is a book that should be put into the hands of every young person taking his or her first steps into what might be called the adult world." -- New York Observer
"...his list of deceptive tactics is insightful and interesting, and his jocular style makes it a fun read as well." -- National Journal

Book Information
ISBN 9780415922807
Author Carl Hausman
Format Hardback
Page Count 240
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 600g