Bad News

Bad News is a popular guide that helps you make sense of the news wherever it appears - print, broadcast or online. Peppered with examples from around the world, the book turns a serious subject into an enjoyable read. You will learn as you are entertained. Readers will discover all the tricks and techniques required to work out whether to trust a story based on an anonymous source, when big numbers are really small and when small numbers are really big, why you should ignore what appears behind someone on the TV and much more. You'll even learn why you should always read stories in the Daily Mail backwards and when correlation is causation. But readers will also learn how ill-suited the news is to understanding and interpreting the modern world, even when it comes from honest journalists working for reputable outlets. The news has a role, but readers will learn how to ensure they don't confuse that with understanding the world.

Dr Mark Pack is the co-author of 101 Ways to Win an Election. He has extensive experience with the news as a political party press officer, working for highly regarded PR firm Blue Rubicon, being a visiting lecturer at City University, running the most-read Liberal Democrat blog and regularly appearing in the media as a pundit on British politics.