audio

The Case of the Vanishing Book Review

A panel discussion about books, journalism, and the culture that binds them
September 20, 2007

The September/October issue of Columbia Journalism Review focuses on books and their connections to newspaper journalism. To further explore the themes in Steve Wasserman’s cover story, “The Case of the Vanishing Book Review,” we hosted a panel discussion on September 19. An audio recording of the event is available here:


(Please click here to listen if you cannot see the player above.)

Five book-world experts—Wasserman, Peter Osnos, Elisabeth Sifton, Carlin Romano, and Mark Sarvas—took the case on and engaged in a lively blend of dialogue and debate that addressed some heady questions: Should book sections be essentially populist? What makes them elitist? Why are they shrinking, and how are reviews faring on the Web? How will books themselves thrive in an increasingly digitized world? And what makes a book review any good in the first place?

The Editors are the staffers of the Columbia Journalism Review.