Download The Smear: How Shady Political Operatives and Fake News Control What You See, What You Think, and How You Vote AudioBook Free
Ever speculate how politics converted into a take-no-prisoners blood sport? The New York Times best-selling writer of Stonewalled pulls back again the curtain on the shady world of opposition research and uncovers the dirty tricks those in power use to impact your opinions. Behind most major politics stories in the present day era, there is an agenda - an attempt by opposition experts, spin doctors, and external interests to eliminate an idea or a person. The strategy they use is the Smear. Every day, Americans are affected by the Smear without knowing it. Paid forces cleverly shape nearly every image you mix. Perhaps you read that Donald Trump is a racist misogynist or saw someone on the news headlines mocking the Bernie Sanders plan. The secret of the Smear is that it is often predicated on some shred of real truth, but these media-driven "hit portions" are made to obscure the reality. Success hinges on the Smear artist's potential to remain invisible, to make it appear as if their work is neither calculated nor scripted. It must look like precisely what it isn't. Veteran journalist Sharyl Attkisson has witnessed this practice firsthand. After years to be pitched hit jobs and puff portions, she's a specialist at discovering Smear campaigns. Now, the hard-hitting investigative reporter stocks her inside knowledge, revealing the way the Smear takes condition and who its perpetrators are - including Clinton confidant Sidney Blumenthal and, most important of most, "right-wing assassin flipped left-wing assassin" (National Review) politics operative David Brock and his Press Matters for America empire. Attkisson exposes the diabolical practices of Smear artists and their outrageous usage of the biggest names in political multimedia - operatives who are corrupting the politics process and discouraging widespread citizen involvement inside our democracy.
