The Smear - by Sharyl Attkisson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

New York Times Bestseller

Ever wonder how politics turned into a take-no-prisoners blood sport? The New York Times bestselling author of Stonewalled pulls back the curtain on the shady world of opposition research and reveals the dirty tricks those in power use to influence your opinions.

Behind most major political stories in the modern era, there is an agenda; an effort by opposition researchers, spin doctors, and outside interests to destroy an idea or a person. The tactic they use is the Smear. Every day, Americans are influenced by the Smear without knowing it. Paid forces cleverly shape virtually every image you cross. Maybe you read that Donald Trump is a racist misogynist, or saw someone on the news mocking the Bernie Sanders campaign. The trick of the Smear is that it is often based on some shred of truth, but these media-driven "hit pieces" are designed to obscure the truth. Success hinges on the Smear artist's ability to remain invisible; to make it seem as if their work is neither calculated nor scripted. It must appear to be precisely what it is not.

Veteran journalist Sharyl Attkisson has witnessed this practice firsthand. After years of being pitched hit jobs and puff pieces, she's an expert at detecting Smear campaigns. Now, the hard-hitting investigative reporter shares her inside knowledge, revealing how the Smear takes shape and who its perpetrators are--including Clinton confidant Sidney Blumenthal and, most influential of all, "right-wing assassin turned left-wing assassin" (National Review) political operative David Brock and his Media Matters for America empire.

Attkisson exposes the diabolical tactics of Smear artists, and their outrageous access to the biggest names in political media--operatives who are corrupting the political process, and discouraging widespread citizen involvement in our democracy.

From the Back Cover

Behind most major political stories there is an agenda: to destroy an idea or the people advancing it. Maybe you watched someone on the news report that Donald Trump is a racist misogynist, saw a Facebook post about Russian hackers, or heard that Hillary Clinton used a body double during her campaign. Regardless of accuracy, the themes get repeated until they become accepted by many as the truth. It's called "the smear." Sophisticated operatives work behind the scenes to establish narratives, manipulate journalists, and shape the images you see every day. Nothing is by accident.

Now hard-hitting investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson takes you behind the scenes of the modern smear machine, exploring how operatives from super PACs, corporations, and both sides of the political aisle have manipulated a complicit mainstream media to make disinformation, rumor, and dirty tricks defining traits of our democracy.

And she doesn't just tell stories--she names names, sharing her deeply researched account of how smears take shape and who their perpetrators are--from Clinton confidant Sidney Blumenthal to liberal political operative David Brock. Dissecting the most divisive, partisan election in American history, she explores how both sides used every smear tactic as a political weapon, culminating in Donald Trump's hard-fought victory, even as his detractors have continued their smears against him into the Oval Office.

What emerges is a timely assault on the mainstream media's willingness to sacrifice ethics for clicks, and the cynical politicians and high-paid consultants who exploit this reality.

Review Quotes

"Attkisson offers a harrowing and gripping account of journalism as practiced these days in Washington. She skillfully unveils how she discovered the secret scheme to spy on her. The larger and more disturbing takeaway is how the mainstream are falling down on the job." - Jeff Gerth, Pulitzer Prize winning former investigative reporter for The New York Times
"I don't know any journalist like Sharyl Attkisson. She has no fear and she doesn't stop until she gets all of the facts, like an old-fashioned gumshoe detective. That's why I stop and listen to her when I see her on TV and that is why I read her book. Stonewalled is a perfect blend of Attkisson's captivating storytelling abilities and her relentless appetite for the truth. No fluff, no agenda...just the facts." - Greta Van Susteren, For the Record
Praise for Stonewalled: "A deep, nuanced and indignant indictment of the players who have made investigative journalism harder to conduct, even if those actors are other journalists." - Kirkus Reviews
"Stonewalled is a harrowing real-life tale that should be required reading for anyone who has asked the Obama White House a question and foolishly expected a straight answer. Sharyl Attkisson's meticulous reconstruction of her award-winning investigative stories shows how difficult the federal government has made it to commit a random act of journalism, how the groupthink of network news bureaus can be every bit as soul-crushing as university politics, and how buying digital ink by the barrel is no longer an insurance policy against the kind of government surveillance that used to be unthinkable." - David Martosko, U.S. Political Editor, The Daily Mail (UK)
"Forty years ago Woodward and Bernstein exposed the rampant dishonesty inside the White House. Four decades later, one of America's few remaining premier investigative journalists has penned an explosive book detailing just how far short her profession has fallen in keeping to those ideals. Sharyl Attkisson's Stonewalled examines the power exerted by the corporations that control the media, the ruthless tactics used by the Obama administration and its allies to manipulate and control the news narrative, and the complacency of many of her colleagues in challenging the entrenched special interests. Stonewalled is not only a riveting read, it's a gutsy and important book that reminds us of what journalism should be. " - Tom Bevan, Co-Founder and Executive Editor of RealClearPolitics
"It really doesn't matter if you are left, right or center, the facts compiled in this timely and unforgettable book speak for themselves. Stonewalled paints a chilling portrait of our times. The erosion of First Amendment rights in our country is epidemic, as Sharyl Attkisson describes in chilling personal detail. If you are not scared now, you will be when you finish this astonishing work of nonfiction." - David Kirby, former New York Times writer, bestselling author of Evidence of Harm and winner of 2005 Investigative Reporters and Editors award for best book