{"id":97182,"date":"2012-12-02T09:53:21","date_gmt":"2012-12-02T13:53:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/?p=97182"},"modified":"2012-12-02T09:53:21","modified_gmt":"2012-12-02T13:53:21","slug":"washington-posts-ghostly-top-50-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/2012\/12\/washington-posts-ghostly-top-50-list\/","title":{"rendered":"Washington Post’s ghostly top 50 list"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

It\u2019s that time of year when media outlets put out their best of the year lists. I know we\u2019re all waiting with baited breath for the news about who is Time<\/em>\u2018s Person Of The Year<\/a> (come on, Mars Rover! You can do it!).<\/p>\n

The outcome of these lists might be boring. But they do tell us quite a bit about the culture of a given media outlet. Which is why I found John Wilson\u2019s comments about a recent end-of-year list so interesting.<\/p>\n

Wilson<\/a> is the editor of Books & Culture<\/em><\/a>, a wonderful bimonthly review that engages the contemporary world from a Christian perspective. He had some interesting insights about the Washington Post<\/em>\u2018s Best of 2012: 50 notable works of nonfiction<\/a> list. Here are the first few books on the list, in alphabetical order:<\/p>\n

500 DAYS: Secrets and Lies in the Terror Wars<\/a><\/strong> By Kurt Eichenwald <\/a>(Touchstone)<\/p>\n

An anecdote-rich, page-turning account of President George W. Bush\u2019s war on terrorism, with almost all of his actions traced back to decisions made during the first 500 days after Sept. 11, 2001. \u2014 Dina Temple-Raston<\/em><\/p>\n

ALL THE MISSING SOULS: A Personal History of the War Crimes Tribunals<\/a><\/strong> By David Scheffer <\/a>(Princeton)<\/p>\n

Written by the Clinton administration\u2019s point man on international justice, the book describes the U.S. role in trying to make accountability for mass atrocities a central principle in international affairs. \u2014 Anthony Dworkin<\/p>\n

AMERICA\u2019S GREAT DEBATE: Henry Clay, Stephen A. Douglas, and the Compromise That Preserved the Union<\/a><\/strong> By Fergus M. Bordewich <\/a>(Simon & Schuster)<\/p>\n

This stylish history recounts the Compromise of 1850, which managed to hold the expanding nation together. Bordewich breathes new life into figures who were giants in their day. \u2014 Donald E. Graham<\/p>\n

AMERICA\u2019S UNWRITTEN CONSTITUTION: The Precedents and Principles We Live By<\/a><\/strong> By Akhil Reed Amar <\/a>(Basic)<\/p>\n

This is a masterful, readable book that constitutes one of the best, most creative treatments of the U.S. Constitution in decades. \u2014 Ken Gormley<\/p>\n

AUTUMN IN THE HEAVENLY KINGDOM: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War<\/a><\/strong> By Stephen R. Platt <\/a>(Knopf)<\/p>\n

Platt\u2019s fresh and important argument refutes the traditional idea that China was unchangeable and not a significant factor in the world\u2019s history in the 19th century. \u2014 John Pomfret<\/p>\n

THE BOY KINGS OF TEXAS: A Memoir<\/a><\/strong> By Domingo Martinez<\/a> (Lyons)<\/p>\n

Recounting the author\u2019s tough upbringing in Brownsville, Tex., this finalist for the National Book Award joins a rich body of Mexican American coming-of-age narratives. \u2014 Valerie Sayers<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Notice anything thus far Wilson wrote (on Twitter<\/a>):<\/p>\n

In WaPo\u2019s Best 50 works of nonfiction in 2012, 14 titles (by my quick count) deal with war, including 7 on war on terror.<\/p>\n

There are also several others closely related (e.g., on Pakistan, on Saudi Arabia), and another 9 or 10 on politics.<\/p>\n

This list represents a suffocatingly truncated view of \u201cnonfiction\u201d in 2012\u2013or any other year.<\/p>\n

No book on the WaPo list\u2013this will shock you\u2013centers directly on religion, though it plays a part in a book on the Taiping rebellion, \u2026<\/p>\n

\u2026and on the side in a couple of others. One book of 50\u2013by E.O. Wilson\u2013is from science. (WaPo hates science?)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The list includes some mighty fine books and I have my own ideas about some that had no business being included or no business being excluded, but I think Wilson\u2019s point is worth ruminating on.<\/p>\n

If you wonder why some media outlets view everything through the prism of politics, it might just reflect their own provincial culture. Perhaps it\u2019s to be expected of some media outlets, but it\u2019s just a good reminder to keep in mind when evaluating overall media coverage and the world it conveys to readers.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s that time of year when media outlets put out their best of the year lists. I know we\u2019re all waiting with baited breath for the news about who is Time\u2018s Person Of The Year (come on, Mars Rover! You can do it!). The outcome of these lists might be boring. But they do tell […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":605,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,35,3,12,1],"tags":[499,500,402,497,498,215],"class_list":["post-97182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-islam","category-politics","category-religion","category-uncategorized","tag-best-of","tag-book","tag-hijabs","tag-john-wilson","tag-person-of-the-year","tag-washington-post"],"yoast_head":"\nWashington Post's ghostly top 50 list<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It's that time of year when media outlets put out their best of the year lists. 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