Evening News Stars Often Fail Us. Can You Spot Their Mistakes?

Longtime network newswriter Mervin Block doesn't just watch and hear evening newscasts; he listens. Block, who wrote for Walter Cronkite and other anchors at ABC, CBS and NBC, examines today's network anchors, their scripts and their journalism. Instead of writing about anchors' delivery, wardrobe or favorite desserts, he points out distortions, deceptions, discrepancies and abuses of broadcast writing style. Block shows how newscasters:

• fudge facts,

• tinker with time,

• label stories exclusive that aren't,

• utter grammatical grotesqueries,

• present old news as breaking news,

• exaggerate medical news,

• hammer home hype,

• boast about routine coverage.

Block's sharp wit will leave you amused, fuming and shaking your head over today's network anchors. Reinforced with tips, tests and quizzes, Weighing Anchors gives anyone who watches the evening news the tools and insights to identify write from wrong.