General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAmusing myself reading gossip in books about Trump administration
Just finished "Kushner Inc." by Vanity Fair writer Vicky Ward.
Ward writes that real estate investor Richard Mack remembers that, at one dinner party at Jared Kushner's home on Astor Place, "Ivanka was adamant that 'libertarian' and 'liberal' were the same thing and would not be dissuaded."
We also learn that Ivanka's argument of last resort, when cornered, is to say something like "Of course, I don't like to get involved in politics."
The details of Jared's father's maneuvers against his own brother-in-law in a business dispute -- hiring a cop who was about to retire for $25,000 to find a prostitute to entrap the brother-in-law and sending pix to his wife -- are beyond seedy.
Finally, there are connections with disgraced New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey.
Normally, I don't read gossipy nonfiction, but the Trump administration is SUCH a juicy target. And it whiles away the time until one of our great Democratic candidates evicts Trump in 2020.
Karadeniz
(22,283 posts)lunatica
(53,410 posts)The untrue kind and the factual kind. The factual kind is called biographical and serves to describe peoples reputation and interactions. The untrue kind take a kernel fact and add embellishment and exaggerations and downright lies with the intent to harm.
They arent equal nor is reading them the same thing.
philly_bob
(2,419 posts)where you required two independent sources before you ran with a story. That's what they did with Watergate investigation.
What I call "gossip" is one-source journalism. Someone says it to the author and the author prints it as fact.
Lunatica, your definition based on "untrue" vs. "factual" is kind of hard to follow in practice. I mean, how do you establish whether it is untrue or factual? Not to get into a a discussion of philosophy.... but I will be more careful when I dismiss an author as "gossip."
lunatica
(53,410 posts)book it is which isnt the same as journalism. Youre right about the importance of standards in journalism. In time we all get to know which ones we can trust and believe because of that standard.
Im referring more to books which you have to consider as the authors point of view. So the authors reputation is everything. Many will fall into the twilight zone of believability, where you can just take what they say with a grain of salt. It could be true or nor, even if it is fun to read. Figure out if you think its possible or not. Chances are that if you are a stickler for truth that what you think about anecdotal stories being true or not is probably what they are.
Now if Trump writes it you can be sure its all lies. All of it. LOL!