From the Stacks: April 27, 2007

Article Tools

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

Utne Reader's library is abuzz with a steady flow of 1,500 magazines, newsletters, journals, weeklies, zines, and other lively dispatches from the cultural front that are rarely found at big-box bookstores, newsstands, or even online. So we share the highlights (and occasional lowlights) of what's landing in our library each week in 'From the Stacks.' Check in every Friday for the latest edition.

Before watching Money Talks: Profits Before Patient Safety, I suspected the documentary would tell me what I already knew: that the pharmaceutical industry is sleazily convincing Americans that we need a pill for every mood, every intimation of discomfort. But Money Talks filled the gaps in my knowledge with compelling details, suggesting that things are far worse than I suspected. The 50-minute documentary is directed by John Ennis and Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau, a former sales representative for a pharmaceuticals company. They turn their camera on a group of well-spoken critics of big pharma, including doctors and an investigative journalist. The facts and figures these sources cite are startling. For instance, pharmaceutical companies now employ one representative for every four doctors in America. What's more, these companies can legally protect potentially damning results from drug test trials as 'trade secrets,' as though nasty side effects are part of the drugs' secret recipes. -- Evelyn Hampton

Published by the Documentary Organization of Canada, Point of View (POV) magazine is a good source to turn to for the latest on 'the art and business of indie docs and culture.' POV's summer edition features 'Aerial Perspective: A Window on Reality for the 21st Century,' written by documentary filmmaker Kevin McMahon. With honesty and sincerity, McMahon examines the pitfalls of documentary filmmaking while setting the stage for what he describes as the most exciting new advent in the industry: interactive media. -- Natalie Hudson

Global Journalist reports on those who report the news. The cover of the spring issue depicts a cameraperson, armed with an M16, filming a wall of flames. The image evokes the kinds of intense situations that journalists encounter throughout the world. As the magazine describes, violent conflict zones are not the only dangers confronting journalists; they also face restricted freedoms in countries like Venezuela and China (both profiled in the issue). The University of Missouri-based publication also tracks the recent deaths of correspondents in its 'Death Watch' department, and tallies global freedom-of-the-press violations in a section called 'World Watch.' -- Natalie Hudson

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print