tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post1849782206055674375..comments2024-02-24T05:19:10.949-05:00Comments on Durham-in-Wonderland: Cohan: Side-by-Sidekcjohnson9http://www.blogger.com/profile/09625813296986996867noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-19746233210620117172014-06-12T14:58:16.215-04:002014-06-12T14:58:16.215-04:00Just received an email from Amazon hawking their w...Just received an email from Amazon hawking their wares (as I get occasionally).<br />Imagine my shock- the email IN THE SUBJECT LINE has "The Price of Silence: The Duke..." (ends with the dot dot dot).<br />On sale for $25.50 regularly $35.<br />The link to the Amazon web site about this book does at least include the Customer reviews.<br /><br />RL '75 Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-39515695449371297922014-06-08T10:57:22.973-04:002014-06-08T10:57:22.973-04:00you're lucky
how blissful that soundsyou're lucky<br /><br />how blissful that soundsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-75402633099598516092014-06-06T21:30:03.586-04:002014-06-06T21:30:03.586-04:00Hi--not for publication
A colleague told me that ...Hi--not for publication<br /><br />A colleague told me that someone assuming my identity was a commenter over here. My name came up in a Google search on Brooklyn Prep graduates.<br /><br />Anyway, I know nothing about the lacrosse case.<br /><br />James F. ClyneAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-63133853224805806722014-06-06T11:21:32.193-04:002014-06-06T11:21:32.193-04:00We now know why Cohan wrote his book, and how it g...We now know why Cohan wrote his book, and how it got so many puff reviews early on.<br /><br />But, the puff interviews continue.<br /><br />So, the third and final question remains unanswered:<br /><br />How can so many interviewers not call Cohan out for his demonstrable errors and his dishonesty? <br /><br />Dorothy Rabinowitz is now a "hater", and no one notices? Has anyone at all noticed what just happened to an innocent young black man in Durham who has been in prison for 20 years because of Nifong?<br /><br />Does anyone do their homework anymore before interviewing an author?<br /><br />Any decent high school debater would take him apart. Never mind Barbara Walters.<br /><br />Oops, forgot. Barbara retired. And, there is no one to replace her. At least, no one Cohan's handlers will ever let near him.<br /><br />Jim Peterson<br /><br /><br /><br />Jim In San Diegohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06959286127760699852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-37355407334477391792014-06-06T10:26:46.768-04:002014-06-06T10:26:46.768-04:00Well KCJ, it seems that you're still in WDC...Well KCJ, it seems that you're still in WDC's thoughts. Beginning at about 4:45 into his <a href="http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/segment/william-cohan-the-price-of-silence-duke-lacrosse-scandal/5386554d78c90aff9200017c" rel="nofollow">HuffPo interview</a>, WDC gripes about "...professional, responsible journalists today and who have gotten space in some of our most well respected publications like <a href="http://www.newrepublic.com/article/117383/william-d-cohans-duke-lacrosse-case-book-gets-many-things-wrong" rel="nofollow">The New Republic</a> and <a href="http://www.commentarymagazine.com/article/the-hazards-of-duke/" rel="nofollow">Commentary</a> and <a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304081804579558413534190406" rel="nofollow">The Wall Street Journal</a> to make their vitriolic <b>HATRED</b> against me...."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-90732877359954020972014-06-06T02:13:31.550-04:002014-06-06T02:13:31.550-04:00I foolishly succumbed to the link to the Puff Ho i...I foolishly succumbed to the link to the Puff Ho interview of WDC. I can reach only one conclusion, WDC is even more delusional than Crystal Magnum and that's a tall order.<br /><br />He continues to spew lies, mischaracterizations and just plain BS.<br /><br />I am surprised that one or more of the principals hasn't sued him for slander and libel.Bumpernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-29134391495194308482014-06-05T19:32:06.498-04:002014-06-05T19:32:06.498-04:00"Occidental Expels Student for Rape Under Sta..."Occidental Expels Student for Rape Under Standards So Low the Accuser Could Have Been Found Guilty, Too". I couldn't paste the web address here. If you put the above article address in it will take you to article. I found the link in the Washington Post. It is posted to the Reason.com site and happened at Occidental College.<br /> <br />Tuition-paying parents with sons should take a stand against such brutality. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-31595578230046491432014-06-05T19:11:40.493-04:002014-06-05T19:11:40.493-04:00Re. Huffington Post video of Cohan interview: No w...Re. Huffington Post video of Cohan interview: No wonder Cohan got so many negative reviews on Amazon for POS. And he must believe himself...similar I think to how Nifong seems to believe in his perspective throughout. Wow. I have friends who know far less about the case than I do and yet, when I tell them about Price of Silence, none are interested in Cohan's views. The allegations were false, Nifong manipulated evidence, the accused were declared innocent, and Nifong was disbarred. End of story. <br /><br />At times like this I am astonished to be among people incapable of understanding the essence of the truth about what is going on around them. Some write books, some railroad the innocent, who knows what the others are doing? I wonder if there are as many of them as there are of us? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-85248818262524213942014-06-05T18:46:31.307-04:002014-06-05T18:46:31.307-04:00In his latest misrepresentation of the criticisms ...In his latest misrepresentation of the criticisms his book has received, on HuffPost Live, Cohan claims he is being "criticized for talking to Nifong." Sigh.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-4561574558620525342014-06-05T16:45:40.110-04:002014-06-05T16:45:40.110-04:00Video of "William D. Cohan LIVE On The Duke L...Video of "<b>William D. Cohan LIVE On The Duke Lacrosse Scandal</b>" now archived at Huffington Post <a href="http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/segment/william-cohan-the-price-of-silence-duke-lacrosse-scandal/5386554d78c90aff9200017c" rel="nofollow">here</a> (16:36).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-67369302848931048232014-06-05T11:27:19.250-04:002014-06-05T11:27:19.250-04:00Authors typically send out Advanced Review Copies ...Authors typically send out Advanced Review Copies (ARC) of books, to solicit feedback and reviews. That is how they get review comments they put on the book and in marketing materials. One recipient of an ARC may send the ARC along to anyone of their choosing.<br /><br />Actually, the gushing reviews were probably made on the basis of the contents of ARCs, before the original content as detailed in KC Johnson's blog were edited out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-52326404224273584192014-06-05T10:55:13.066-04:002014-06-05T10:55:13.066-04:00 Anonymous @ 7:43,
Do you know a way to find out,... Anonymous @ 7:43,<br /><br />Do you know a way to find out, in advance, where Cohan will be appearing for his media events?<br /><br />I checked his web page, but it is not being kept current.<br /><br />Jim PetersonJim In San Diegohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06959286127760699852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-81138353800417463102014-06-05T07:43:51.533-04:002014-06-05T07:43:51.533-04:00Cohan will be appearing on HuffPost Live on June 5...Cohan will be appearing on HuffPost Live on June 5, so perhaps he will respond to some of the criticisms of his book?<br /><br />http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/segment/william-cohan-the-price-of-silence-duke-lacrosse-scandal/5386554d78c90aff9200017cAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-11549096284879819302014-06-04T21:36:49.738-04:002014-06-04T21:36:49.738-04:00Most people laugh at Wood and the race/gender/clas...Most people laugh at Wood and the race/gender/class ass-clowns at Duke. ...from another profAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-49702418901619985642014-06-04T21:29:26.637-04:002014-06-04T21:29:26.637-04:00Schribman's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is just ok...Schribman's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is just ok. Whatever, I empathize with the reviewers who gushed without having actually read the book. I mean, just look at that thing! And then the readers inadvertently gets tangled up in all those quotes. Its a long ride downhill from there---issues of veracity aside. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-57553078235846779852014-06-04T20:01:19.926-04:002014-06-04T20:01:19.926-04:00I'll join in the chorus of praise for Professo...I'll join in the chorus of praise for Professor Johnson's unusually thorough analysis and commentary. <br /> <br />I also commend the 10:54 AM posting by "Jim in San Diego" on why so many (hell, even if it just a few) "gushing" reviews. After the Rabinowitz evisceration of TPOS, I went back and read David Shribman's positive review of TPOS in the Wall Street Journal. It was bad, maybe not as bad as some other reviews. Anyway, and I missed this at first being unfamiliar with a lot of media "names", Shribman is not just a newspaper book reviewer; he's the Executive Editor of the Pittsburgh paper. That was a shock in addition to being very disheartening. <br /> <br />I'd been thinking that there had to be a story behind the story there. So, the 5-point list @ 10:54 makes abundant sense. Now I'm pretty sure I know why one with credentials as good as Shribman could do such a thing. Any shock now would arise from one of the "gushers" saying "you know, I'm having second thoughts about TPOS".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-73189457257010192032014-06-04T17:56:20.790-04:002014-06-04T17:56:20.790-04:00To Anonymous 3:55PM
Thanks I'll try Amazon.To Anonymous 3:55PM<br /><br />Thanks I'll try Amazon.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-35892484612545693432014-06-04T16:35:21.476-04:002014-06-04T16:35:21.476-04:00Jim Peterson, I agree with your analysis. Of cours...Jim Peterson, I agree with your analysis. Of course they didn't read the book and just trusted that an author in his position (author of strong selling business books, spouse to a known editor)must have written a good book. Physically, in-hand, it sure looks substantial. <br /><br />I am thankful for Amazon! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-32270103524087235592014-06-04T15:55:16.725-04:002014-06-04T15:55:16.725-04:00Ask a Librarian at Harvard knows "of no relia...<a href="http://asklib.hcl.harvard.edu/a.php?qid=50305" rel="nofollow">Ask a Librarian</a> at Harvard knows "of no reliable, publicly-available way to get comprehensive statistics for book sales at this time." Also mentioned: "If you are looking for current sales figures, you can use Amazon.com to get a general idea." Scroll down to <b>Product Details</b> for current Amazon Best Sellers Rank in: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Price-Silence-Corruption-Universities/dp/1451681798/" rel="nofollow">Hardcover</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Price-Silence-Lacrosse-Corruption-Universities-ebook/dp/B00DPM7YZY/" rel="nofollow">Kindle</a>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-47396652721011152482014-06-04T14:34:31.419-04:002014-06-04T14:34:31.419-04:00Does anyone know the current sales (approximately...Does anyone know the current sales (approximately)<br />of the book? ThanksAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-63976118642300562862014-06-04T13:03:24.550-04:002014-06-04T13:03:24.550-04:00Mr. Cohan's dishonesty & the misleading na...Mr. Cohan's dishonesty & the misleading nature of his book has been laid bare for the world to see. <br /><br />He must be pulling his hair out right about now…...Mike Leehttp://www.none.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-10695678629042062972014-06-04T12:49:08.209-04:002014-06-04T12:49:08.209-04:00Peter Wood claims that he “heard plenty of confirm...Peter Wood claims that he “heard plenty of confirmation from undergraduate remarks regarding the unsavory reputation of the team in social matters on and around campus.”<br /><br />As the director at that time of a Duke program that dealt intimately with undergraduates (in and out of class), I can tell you that that is pure BS. <br /><br />There are, however, oodles of "undergraduate remarks regarding the unsavory reputation" of the race/gender/class faculty, who routinely teach biased courses, while deriding and penalizing students who ask "inappropriate" questions or who deign to commit the ultimate "sin:" present in class an opposing view. <br /><br />Tragically, those students do not openly protest because they know the price to pay. It's like a reign of terror, where the victims' attitude is: "Keep your heads down, and get the degree"<br /><br />Duke Prof<br /><br />P.S. KC, great analysis! I now have a better understanding of why Cohan and Nifong are birds of a feather: "keep that which serves a 'narrative;' ignore that which doesn't." <br /><br /> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-20733262557584674122014-06-04T10:54:25.329-04:002014-06-04T10:54:25.329-04:00We now know why Cohan wrote this book. The next u... <br />We now know why Cohan wrote this book. The next unanswered question is:<br /><br />How did "Price of Silence" garner so many gushing reviews when it was published, from the likes of Salon, the New Yorker, the Economist, and the N.Y. Times, et al?<br /><br />I have a theory.<br /><br />The theory is, "who has time to read a stinkin' 650 page book?"<br /><br />Here is my argument:<br /><br />1. Cohan's book is demonstrably poor as investigative reporting. Any reporter at all knows that sources should be vetted. Leads must be sought and checked. Obvious bias must be reported and examined.<br /><br />Joe Neff nailed it: "[Cohan's reporting errors] would be pathetic mistakes for a daily newspaper story." <br /><br />2. The reviewers like Jane Mayer at the New Yorker, and others at Salon, the Economist, and the N.Y. Times all know this. They could not have passed Journalism 101 without this knowledge.<br /><br />3. So, when any reviewers write that such a work is "magnificent reporting"; "the definitive history", etc., we know they have not read the book. This is linguistic DNA which says, "I really have not read this book".<br /><br />4. So, who did? <br /><br />I suggest an assistant, or even an intern. <br /><br />These very junior folk, hanging onto the most plum of all plum jobs available to them, could not in a thousand years write a critical review of a book written by a member of the club like William Cohen. It would be career suicide. <br /><br />5. Why then would a respected journalist sign off on something written for them when they themselves had not read the book? It is the culture:<br /><br /> a. They trusted Cohan. They trusted Scribners. It seemed like a pretty safe thing to do.<br /><br /> b. Their bien pensant vibes are tuned to what Cohan is saying. They are not disposed to question any of it. (This is, after all, Cohan's secret: tell his audience exactly what they want and expect to hear. Sell books.)<br /><br /> c. These are genuinely busy people. A book review is a blip in the day. Reading such a book is out of the question.<br /><br />p.s. This is life in the big city. If any of these authors should write here (ha ha) that yes, they really did read the entire book, I would immediately lose a great deal of respect for them.<br /><br />We would then know they were genuinely dishonest, and not just busy. It is just not possible to reconcile the quality of the investigation within "Price" with words like "magnificent", "definitive", and "forensic".<br /><br />IMHO<br /><br />Jim Peterson<br /> <br /><br />Jim In San Diegohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06959286127760699852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-24837075315707031192014-06-04T10:47:22.419-04:002014-06-04T10:47:22.419-04:00@skwilli
"He's actually earned a review b...@skwilli<br />"He's actually earned a review by anyone who ever paid him before."<br /><br />I suspect the people who paid him were well-satisfied with what he wrote, then and now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-79887041526749800192014-06-04T10:25:17.275-04:002014-06-04T10:25:17.275-04:00Like Jim in San Diego, I too wonder about the sour...Like <i>Jim in San Diego</i>, I too wonder about the source of your pre-publication draft. If you decide to preserve the anonymity of your source, then I suggest the acerbic and provocative <i>nom de guerre</i> of <b>Deep Hater</b>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com