As mainstream news sources increasingly turn to the lowest common denominator of shock jocks and flag-waving, millions of Americans are getting their information about important global issues from alternative, nontraditional sources. GNN is one of the best.

In True Lies, the writers at GNN uncover the stories that the mainstream media has held back from the American public. From the war on drugs to environmental abuse to what is really happening in the streets of Baghdad, GNN is the resource more Americans turn to when hungry for answers about what is really happening in the world.

"Making an extensive contribution to ongoing critiques of the media, Web-based Guerrilla News Network reporters Lapp and Marshall charge that the public is served by members of 'a lazy and compliant news media' who often act as mere 'glorified stenographers' to the government and corporate sources they rely on for information and answers. To back up their claims, the authors collect un- and under-reported news stories from the past few years, giving careful scrutiny to alternative versions of election fraud, conspiracy theories surrounding 9/11, the notion of American empire, Gulf War illness and military vaccinations, 'crossover' voting (voting in two primary elections) and electronic voting machines. Perhaps the most compelling chapter deals with the U.S. military use of depleted uranium in armor-tipped weapons. Introduced in the first Gulf War and used again in the Balkans, the recent invasion of Iraq saw a renewed proliferation of these 'radioactive kinetic penetrators.' This time they were used in heavily populated areas now occupied by American forces as well as Iraqi civilians. Why, the authors ask, 'has the mainstream American media paid so little attention to this literally radioactive issue?' Lapp and Marshall also critique the left-leaning organizations and activists for distortions in their dispatches. Their own presentation, which allows most of the stories to speak for themselves without heightened language, does manage to lead by example. Agent, Ian Kleinert of Literary Group International." Publishers Weekly (Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Journalists with the Web-based Guerilla News Network argue that the powerful interests behind mainstream media keep the facts from interfering with mass denial about recent events, e.g., the contested 2000 election and US pursuit of an imperialist course in Iraq. While the muckraking Center for Public Integrity is lauded, independent media stars such as Al Franken and Michael Moore are not immune from criticism. They list Web resources for citizen research but do not specifically mention bloggers. Lacks an index.
Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

With the same irreverent, entertaining, and independent voice that brings 25,000 hits daily to GNN's Web site, "True Lies" examines how the corporate media is failing the public.