56-674: Eric Matthew Schlosser (born August 17, 1959) is an American journalist and food writer . He is known for his books Fast Food Nation (2001), Reefer Madness (2003), and Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety (2013). Schlosser was born in New York City, New York ; he spent his childhood there and in Los Angeles, California . His parents are Judith (née Gassner) and Herbert Schlosser ,
112-548: A BFA in film in 1993. He was a member of the fraternity Phi Gamma Delta . Spurlock was a playwright, winning awards for his play The Phoenix at both the New York International Fringe Festival in 1999 and the Route 66 American Playwriting Competition in 2000. In 2004, Spurlock co-founded the production studio Warrior Poets which would be the production studio for the films he directed and produced for
168-479: A Henrico County , Virginia (a county outside of Richmond ), jail to experience life as an inmate. The third season of 30 Days premiered on June 3, 2008. The first episode of the third season, titled "Working in a Coal Mine", was filmed in Bolt, West Virginia, which is located roughly 18 miles (29 km) from the city of Beckley , West Virginia, where Spurlock was raised before leaving for New York. In 2008, he signed
224-615: A Master of Letters in British Imperial History from Oriel College, Oxford . He tried playwriting, writing two plays, Americans (1985) and We the People (2007). He is married to Shauna Redford, daughter of actor Robert Redford . Schlosser started his career as a journalist with The Atlantic Monthly in Boston, Massachusetts . He quickly gained recognition for his investigative pieces , earning two awards within two years of joining
280-495: A Methodist . Phyllis was an English teacher and guidance counselor while Ben owned an auto repair shop. Spurlock said he was of Scots-Irish and English descent. He would later state that he was sexually abused as a child. Spurlock graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Beckley, West Virginia , then attended New York University 's Tisch School of the Arts , graduating with
336-475: A newsroom , from home or outside to witness events or interview people. Reporters may be assigned a specific beat (area of coverage). Matthew C. Nisbet , who has written on science communication , has defined a "knowledge journalist" as a public intellectual who, like Walter Lippmann , Fareed Zakaria , Naomi Klein , Michael Pollan , and Andrew Revkin , sees their role as researching complicated issues of fact or science which most laymen would not have
392-518: A book on the American prison system , which has been over 10 years in the making. Schlosser appeared in an interview for the DVD of Morgan Spurlock 's Super Size Me , having a one-on-one discussion with the filmmaker about the fast-food industry . He did not appear in the film itself. He was interviewed by Franny Armstrong in 2005 and is a feature interviewee in her film McLibel . Schlosser appeared in
448-444: A day, whereas the average American walks 1.5 miles (2.4 km). Over the course of filming, Spurlock gained 25 pounds (11 kg), became quite puffy, and suffered liver dysfunction and depression by the end. His supervising physicians noted the effects caused by his high-calorie diet—once even comparing it to a case of severe binge alcoholism . Following Spurlock's December 2017 assertion that he had not been "sober for more than
504-527: A deal with Fox Television Studios . Spurlock also created I Bet You Will for MTV . I Bet You Will began as a popular Internet webcast of five-minute episodes featuring ordinary people doing stunts in exchange for money. Examples of the scenarios which transpired include eating a full jar of mayonnaise (US$ 235), eating a "worm burrito" (US$ 265), and taking shots of corn oil , Pepto-Bismol , lemon juice , hot sauce , cold chicken broth, and cod liver oil (US$ 450.00 for all nine shots). MTV later bought
560-466: A director credit for the multimedia installation entitled "the bomb", an experimental film about nuclear weaponry coupled with a live score by The Acid . Journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism . Journalists can be broadcast, print, advertising or public relations personnel. Depending on
616-481: A former Wall Street lawyer who turned to broadcasting later in his career, eventually becoming president of NBC in 1974 and later becoming a vice president of RCA . Schlosser graduated with an A.B. in history from Princeton University in 1982 after completing a 148-page-long senior thesis titled "Academic Freedom during the McCarthy Era: Anti-Communism , Conformity and Princeton." He then earned
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#1733086144369672-490: A news media that tended to oversimplify issues and to reinforce stereotypes , partisan viewpoints and prejudices . As a consequence, Lippmann believed that the public needed journalists like himself who could serve as expert analysts, guiding "citizens to a deeper understanding of what was really important". In 2018, the United States Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook reported that employment for
728-434: A person (sometimes Spurlock himself) or a group of people spend 30 days immersing themselves in a mode of life markedly different from their norm (being in prison, a devout Christian living in a Muslim family, a homophobe staying with a homosexual person, etc.), while Spurlock discusses the relevant social issues involved. The series ran on FX between 2005 and 2008. In the second-season finale, Spurlock spent 25 days locked in
784-403: A professional journalist and a source can be rather complex, and a source can sometimes have an effect on an article written by the journalist. The article 'A Compromised Fourth Estate' uses Herbert Gans' metaphor to capture their relationship. He uses a dance metaphor, "The Tango", to illustrate the co-operative nature of their interactions inasmuch as "It takes two to tango". Herbert suggests that
840-498: A week" in three decades, the claims of his liver dysfunction being caused by eating McDonald's food solely for 30 days have been called into question. Spurlock also did not publicly release a diet log documenting his diet while filming the documentary. After completing the project, it took Spurlock 14 months to return to his normal weight of 185 pounds (84 kg). His then-girlfriend (and later wife), Alexandra Jamieson, took charge of his recovery with her " detox diet ", which became
896-704: Is a 2011 documentary film about product placement, marketing, and advertising which was reportedly itself financed through product placement. The Greatest Movie Ever Sold premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2011 . In the United States, the film had a limited release , opening on April 22, 2011, in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington D.C., Boston , Philadelphia , San Diego , Phoenix , and Austin, Texas . Six days later,
952-676: Is an adaptation of the book of the same name by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner , which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2010 and had a theatrical release later that year. Spurlock was at the helm of this project alongside five directors ( Heidi Ewing , Rachel Grady , Alex Gibney , Seth Gordon , and Eugene Jarecki ). Spurlock's segment dealt with people with unusual names. The one-hour documentary Committed: The Toronto International Film Festival premiered on AMC on October 12, 2010. The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
1008-499: The Associated Press in 2019: "For me, there was a moment of kind of realization—as somebody who is a truth-teller and somebody who has made it a point of trying to do what's right—of recognizing that I could do better in my own life. We should be able to admit we were wrong." Additionally, he told Deadline : "Part of the reason I wrote that essay in the first place was to be on the right side of it. I'm hopeful that in time, with
1064-537: The #MeToo movement , Spurlock stated: "I've come to understand after months of these revelations, that I am not some innocent bystander, I am also a part of the problem." In the post, he said that he committed sexual misconduct in his past, including being "unfaithful to every wife and girlfriend [he] ever had". Spurlock recounts settling a sexual harassment allegation, brought by his assistant at his production company, Warrior Poets, for verbal harassment including yelling for her as "hot pants" or "sex pants" from across
1120-603: The Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film . He produced What Would Jesus Buy? (2007) and directed Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden? (2008), POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (2011), Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope (2011), and One Direction: This Is Us (2013). Spurlock was executive producer and star of the reality television series 30 Days (2005–2008). In June 2013, he became
1176-506: The CNN series Morgan Spurlock Inside Man , which aired from June 2013 to August 2016. Spurlock helped distribute A Brony Tale , a documentary directed by Brent Hodge on the brony phenomenon and on the musician and voice acting career of Ashleigh Ball . The film was selected for theatrical distribution under the label Morgan Spurlock Presents. The film was released in theaters on July 8, 2014. Spurlock teamed up with Hodgee Films again on
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#17330861443691232-645: The COVID-19 pandemic had given governments around the world the chance “to take advantage of the fact that politics are on hold, the public is stunned and protests are out of the question, in order to impose measures that would be impossible in normal times”. In 2023 the closure of local newspapers in the US accelerated to an average of 2.5 per week, leaving more than 200 US counties as “news deserts” and meaning that more than half of all U.S. counties had limited access to reliable local news and information, according to researchers at
1288-914: The Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders publish reports on press freedom and advocate for journalistic freedom. As of November 2024, the Committee to Protect Journalists reports that 1625 journalists have been killed worldwide since 1992 by murder (71%), crossfire or combat (17%), or on dangerous assignment (11%). The "ten deadliest countries" for journalists since 1992 have been Iraq (230 deaths), Philippines (109), Russia (77), Colombia (76), Mexico (69), Algeria (61), Pakistan (59), India (49), Somalia (45), Brazil (31) and Sri Lanka (30). The Committee to Protect Journalists also reports that as of 1 December 2010, 145 journalists were jailed worldwide for journalistic activities. Current numbers are even higher. The ten countries with
1344-446: The Hamas attack , Russian invasion of Ukraine and the presidential election . American consumers turned away from journalists at legacy organizations as social media became a common news source. Journalists sometimes expose themselves to danger, particularly when reporting in areas of armed conflict or in states that do not respect the freedom of the press . Organizations such as
1400-603: The Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University . In January 2024, The Los Angeles Times , Time magazine and National Geographic all conducted layoffs, and Condé Nast journalists went on strike over proposed job cuts. The Los Angeles Times laid off more than 20% of the newsroom. CNN , Sports Illustrated and NBC News shed employees in early 2024. The New York Times reported that Americans were suffering from “news fatigue” due to coverage of major news stories like
1456-487: The fast food industry . Fast Food Nation evolved from a two-part article in Rolling Stone . The book won the 2002 Firecracker Alternative Book Award for Nonfiction. Schlosser helped adapt his book into a 2006 film directed by Richard Linklater . The film opened November 19, 2006. Chew On This (2006), co-written with Charles Wilson, is an adaptation of the book for younger readers. Fortune called Fast Food Nation
1512-410: The wire services , in radio , or for news magazines . Morgan Spurlock Morgan Valentine Spurlock (November 7, 1970 – May 23, 2024) was an American documentary filmmaker, writer, and television producer. He directed 23 films and was the producer of nearly 70 films throughout his career. Spurlock received acclaim for directing the documentary Super Size Me (2004), which was nominated for
1568-505: The "Best Business Book of the Year" in 2001. His 2003 book Reefer Madness discusses the history and current trade of marijuana , the use of migrant workers in California strawberry fields , and the American pornography industry and its history. William F. Buckley gave Reefer Madness a favorable review, as did BusinessWeek . Schlosser's book Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons,
1624-399: The 2008 documentary, Food, Inc. , and the 2023 sequel Food, Inc. 2 with Michael Pollan . Schlosser also served as co-executive producer on the 2007 film There Will Be Blood . In 2014, he was an executive producer of the farmworker documentary Food Chains , a credit he shared with Eva Longoria . They both won a James Beard Foundation Award for their roles. Schlosser also shared
1680-453: The 2015 web series Consider the Source , in association with Disney 's Maker Studios . While attending a screening of the movie Catfish , Spurlock approached the film's producers afterwards and called Catfish "the best fake documentary" he had ever seen. In December 2017, Spurlock wrote a blog post admitting to what he described as a history of sexual misconduct . In the midst of
1736-506: The Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety was published in September 2013. It focuses on the 1980 Damascus Titan missile explosion , a non-nuclear explosion of a Titan II missile near Damascus, AR . The New Yorker ' s Louis Menand called it "excellent" and "hair-raising" and said that " Command and Control is how nonfiction should be written." It was a finalist for the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for History . He has been working on
Eric Schlosser - Misplaced Pages Continue
1792-454: The basis for her book, The Great American Detox Diet . Super Size Me was later nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and Spurlock won the first Writers Guild of America Award for Best Documentary Screenplay . Spurlock wrote a book in 2005 as a follow-up to Super Size Me entitled Don't Eat This Book: Fast Food and the Supersizing of America . In each episode,
1848-754: The category "reporters, correspondents and broadcast news analysts" will decline 9 percent between 2016 and 2026. A worldwide sample of 27,500 journalists in 67 countries in 2012–2016 produced the following profile: In 2019 the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism Digital News Report described the future for journalists in South Africa as “grim” because of low online revenue and plummeting advertising. In 2020 Reporters Without Borders secretary general Christophe Deloire said journalists in developing countries were suffering political interference because
1904-520: The country reportedly go unsolved. Bulgarian Victoria Marinova was beaten, raped and strangled. Saudi Arabian dissident Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul. From 2008 to 2019, Freedom Forum 's now-defunct Newseum in Washington, D.C. featured a Journalists Memorial which honored several thousand journalists around the world who had died or were killed while reporting
1960-512: The documentary, told Variety , "We look forward to capturing the spirit, energy and people that Comic-Con has infused into legions of fans, bringing these audiences and projects out of the halls and onto a world stage." Spurlock's documentary Mansome was announced on March 8, 2012, as a Spotlight selection for the Tribeca Film Festival . The film takes a comedic look at male identity as defined through men's grooming habits featuring celebrity and expert commentary. Spurlock hosted and produced
2016-533: The film opened the 2011 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival . In mid-2010, Spurlock worked with Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon , Ain't It Cool News founder Harry Knowles , and comic book creator Stan Lee to create the documentary Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope , to cover the stories of convention fans. Whedon, Lee, and Knowles served as executive producers. Legendary Pictures ' Thomas Tull, who independently financed
2072-543: The film when he was at his parents' house for Thanksgiving, and while watching TV saw a news story about a lawsuit brought against McDonald's by two teenage girls who blamed the fast food chain for their obesity. The film was produced for $ 65,000 and made $ 22 million in return. The film depicts an experiment Spurlock conducted in 2003, in which he claimed he ate three McDonald's meals every day (and nothing else) for 30 days, although he later disclosed he also drank copious amounts of alcohol. The film's title derives from one of
2128-579: The form of a targeted sexual violation, often in reprisal for their work. Mob-related sexual violence aimed against journalists covering public events; or the sexual abuse of journalists in detention or captivity. Many of these crimes are not reported as a result of powerful cultural and professional stigmas. Increasingly, journalists (particularly women) are abused and harassed online, via hate speech , cyber-bullying , cyber-stalking , doxing, trolling, public shaming , intimidation and threats. According to Reporters Without Borders ' 2018 annual report, it
2184-523: The form of journalism, "journalist" may also describe various categories of people by the roles they play in the process. These include reporters, correspondents , citizen journalists , editors , editorial writers , columnists and photojournalists . A reporter is a type of journalist who researches , writes and reports on information in order to present using sources . This may entail conducting interviews , information-gathering and/or writing articles. Reporters may split their time between working in
2240-496: The fourth estate being driven by the fifth estate of public relations. Journalists can face violence and intimidation for exercising their fundamental right to freedom of expression . The range of threats they are confronted with include murder, kidnapping , hostage-taking, offline and online harassment, intimidation , enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention and torture. Women in journalism also face specific dangers and are especially vulnerable to sexual assault, whether in
2296-404: The largest number of currently-imprisoned journalists are Turkey (95), China (34), Iran (34), Eritrea (17), Burma (13), Uzbekistan (6), Vietnam (5), Cuba (4), Ethiopia (4) and Sudan (3). Apart from physical harm, journalists are harmed psychologically. This applies especially to war reporters, but their editorial offices at home often do not know how to deal appropriately with
Eric Schlosser - Misplaced Pages Continue
2352-835: The news. After the Newseum closed in December 2019, supporters of freedom of the press persuaded the United States Congress in December 2020 to authorize the construction of a memorial to fallen journalists on public land with private funds. By May 2023, the Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation had begun the design of the memorial. In the US, nearly all journalists have attended university, but only about half majored in journalism. Journalists who work in television or for newspapers are more likely to have studied journalism in college than journalists working for
2408-433: The office. In the post, Spurlock also said that he was accused of sexual assault while in college. Spurlock wrote that while still "in college, a girl who I hooked up with on a one night stand accused me of rape. Not outright. There were no charges or investigations, but she wrote about the instance in a short story writing class and called me by name." He wrote: "This wasn't how I remembered it at all [...] She believed she
2464-483: The problem", leading to a distribution drop and his resignation from the production company . The film was instead distributed in 2019 by Samuel Goldwyn Films . In 2024, Spurlock died at age 53 due to complications related to cancer. Morgan Valentine Spurlock was born on November 7, 1970, in Parkersburg , West Virginia, and was raised in Beckley , West Virginia. His parents, Ben and Phyllis Spurlock, raised him as
2520-494: The producer and host of the CNN show Morgan Spurlock Inside Man (2013–2016). Spurlock was also the co-founder of the short-film content marketing company Cinelan, which produced the Focus Forward campaign for GE . The documentary Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! was set to be released in 2017, until Spurlock wrote a social media post saying that he had a history of sexual misconduct and referring to himself as "part of
2576-606: The reporters they expose to danger. Hence, a systematic and sustainable way of psychological support for traumatized journalists is strongly needed. Few and fragmented support programs exist so far. On 8 August 2023, Iran's Journalists' Day, Tehran Journalists' Association head Akbar Montajabi noted over 100 journalists arrested amid protests, while HamMihan newspaper exposed repression against 76 media workers since September 2022 following Mahsa Amini's death-triggered mass protests, leading to legal consequences for journalists including Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh. The relationship between
2632-452: The rest of his career. The list of documentary films that inspired Spurlock includes Brother's Keeper , Hoop Dreams , The Thin Blue Line , Roger and Me , Harlan County, USA , and The Last Waltz . He considered Brother's Keeper the greatest documentary of all time. Spurlock's documentary Super Size Me was released in the U.S. on May 7, 2004. He conceived the idea for
2688-462: The rules of Spurlock's experiment: he would not refuse the "super-size" option whenever it was offered to him but would never ask for it himself. The result, according to Spurlock, was a diet with twice the calories recommended by the USDA . Further, Spurlock attempted to curtail his physical activity to better match the exercise habits of the average American; he previously walked about 3 miles (4.8 km)
2744-525: The show and aired it, which Spurlock hosted. Spurlock's second feature documentary, Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden? premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2008. In the film and during interviews, Spurlock explored the fight against terrorism and views the argument from both sides, in which he tries to find Osama bin Laden . Spurlock directed The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice! . Freakonomics
2800-513: The source often leads, but journalists commonly object to this notion for two reasons: The dance metaphor goes on to state: A relationship with sources that is too cozy is potentially compromising of journalists' integrity and risks becoming collusive. Journalists have typically favored a more robust, conflict model, based on a crucial assumption that if the media are to function as watchdogs of powerful economic and political interests, journalists must establish their independence of sources or risk
2856-668: The staff: he won the National Magazine Award for his reporting in his two-part series "Reefer Madness" and "Marijuana and the Law" ( The Atlantic Monthly , August and September 1994), and he won the Sidney Hillman Foundation award for his article "In the Strawberry Fields" ( The Atlantic Monthly , November 19, 1995). Schlosser wrote Fast Food Nation (2001), an exposé on the unsanitary and discriminatory practices of
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#17330861443692912-532: The time or access to information to research themselves, then communicating an accurate and understandable version to the public as a teacher and policy advisor. In his best-known books, Public Opinion (1922) and The Phantom Public (1925), Lippmann argued that most people lacked the capacity, time and motivation to follow and analyze news of the many complex policy questions that troubled society. Nor did they often experience most social problems or directly access expert insights. These limitations were made worse by
2968-411: The work that I do and the changes that I continue to go through, that I can be there on the right side." In the blog post, Spurlock further disclosed that he had been the victim of sexual abuse as a boy and teenager, and that he had "consistently been drinking since the age of 13." Spurlock released a sequel film, Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! , in 2017, to be distributed by YouTube Red , but it
3024-481: Was dropped following Spurlock's admission of sexual misconduct. Samuel Goldwyn Films instead distributed the film in September 2019. In October 2022, The Washington Post reported that Spurlock had "suffered career death" as a result of his misconduct. Spurlock's marriages to Priscilla Sommer, Alexandra Jamieson, and Sara Bernstein all ended in divorce. He had two children. Spurlock was raised Methodist . He stated in an interview with TV Guide in 2014 that he
3080-405: Was raped. That's why I'm part of the problem." Spurlock said both he and the woman had been heavily drinking the night of the incident, and that during sex she had begun crying, and they had stopped. After publishing his blog post, Spurlock stepped down from his position with Warrior Poets, the company he had co-founded in 2004. The move ended his career as a documentary filmmaker. Spurlock told
3136-491: Was the worst year on record for deadly violence and abuse toward journalists; there was a 15 percent increase in such killings since 2017, with 80 killed, 348 imprisoned and 60 held hostage. Yaser Murtaja was shot by an Israeli army sniper. Rubén Pat was gunned down outside a beach bar in Mexico. Mexico was described by Reporters Without Borders as "one of world's deadliest countries for the media"; 90% of attacks on journalists in
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