Book · 1920 · Journalism
The Brass Check
A Study of American Journalism
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It's what Upton Sinclair was talking about over 100 years ago in The Brass Check, which is one of my all-time favorite books about media.
Ryan Holiday · The Daily Stoic · Aug 2024 Why people recommend it
The Brass Check by Upton Sinclair is a searing early twentieth-century journalistic exposé examining media corruption, propaganda, and the profound commercial pressures influencing American news reporting. Ryan Holiday frequently recommends and discusses the book across multiple podcast platforms, including The Daily Stoic and The Joe Rogan Experience, often citing it as one of his all-time favorite works on media history. Holiday noted that he was deeply influenced by the text, which continues to shape his understanding of modern media manipulation and corporate conflicts of interest. During his podcast appearances, Holiday emphasized that Sinclair's century-old critique remains remarkably relevant, explaining how the author astutely observed the structural difficulties of convincing individuals to understand truths that threaten their livelihoods. By drawing upon Sinclair's historical observations following the publication of The Jungle, Holiday has consistently used the book to illustrate the enduring challenges of journalistic integrity, media ethics, and the systemic control of public attention. Podcast hosts and guests point to this classic critique to contextualize contemporary media landscapes, treating Sinclair's investigation as an indispensable foundational text for anyone seeking to understand the deep-seated flaws inherent in mass communication and commercialized news production.
Every mention
Ryan Holiday It's what Upton Sinclair was talking about over 100 years ago in The Brass Check, which is one of my all-ti… 5
“I'd been deeply influenced by this book that I read, we still carry on the painted porch today, called The Brass Check by Upton Sinclair”
“It's what Upton Sinclair was talking about over 100 years ago in The Brass Check, which is one of my all-time favorite books about media.”
“if you read the brass check no you should read it Upton Sinclair after the jungle wrote an expose of media in like 1913.”
“that expression from Upton Sinclair who who wrote sort of very critically about journalism in one of his great books called The Brass check he was saying like it's impossible to get someone to understand something that their salary depends on them”
“and then you go back even further there's another book called the brass check which was written in i don't know 1910 1912 1930 anyways upton sinclair who wrote the jungle”