Reflections in a Bloodshot Lens

'An acute, informed and timely insight into colliding worlds of perception which dominate the global agenda.' Jim Muir, Middle East correspondent for the BBC and others 'Pintak combines the keen eye of an experienced journalist with [a] sharp intellect. [He] is not afraid to demolish entrenched mythologies.' Hisham Melhem, Washington correspondent, an-Nahar newspaper (Lebanon) and host, Al-Arabiya TV's Across the Ocean '[A] provocative and sophisticated appraisal of the flawed lenses through which Americans view the Muslim world. This fine book should stimulate some much-needed thinking.' Philip Seib, Lucius W. Nieman Professor of Journalism, Marquette University 'Had this book been available and studied before our invasion of Iraq, perhaps no one in or out of the Administration would have believed it would be a short exercise.' Charles A. Krohn, Former Deputy Chief of Public Affairs, U.S. Army There exists today a tragic rift between Americans and the world's Muslims. Yet in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, there was widespread sympathy for the U.S. throughout the Muslim world. This book explores what happened. It examines the disconnect that leads Americans and Muslims to view the same words and images in fundamentally different ways. Partly a result of a centuries-old 'us' against 'them' dichotomy, the problem is exacerbated by an increasingly polarised media and by leaders on both sides who either don't understand or don't care what impact their words and policies have in the world at large. Journalist-scholar Lawrence Pintak, a former CBS News Middle East correspondent, argues that the Arab media revolution and the rise of 'patriot-journalists' in the US marginalized voices of moderation, distorting perceptions on both sides of the divide with potentially disastrous results. Built on the author's extensive journalistic experience, the book will appeal to policymakers, students of media studies, Middle East studies and Islamic studies, and general current affairs readers.