Weapons of Mass Deception is currently ranked #23 on the New York Times' best seller list, its third week on that list. Check out some of its recent reviews. Authors Sheldon Rampton and/or John Stauber are on the road the last half of September for book talks in San Francisco (9/15), Sebastopol (9/16), Berkeley (9/17), and Corte Madera (9/18), California.

Alternative sources of news such as the Internet have made readers "more assertive and far less in awe of the press" than before, writes Jay Rosen. He highlights the case of Chris Allbritton, a former AP and New York Daily News reporter who became "the Web's first independent war correspondent," raising donor funds to support his weblog reporting on Iraq. "The Internet did the rest," Rosen writes.

"Just like in the old days, the military wants you," writes Beth Snyder Bulik. "But these days, Uncle Sam has a better pitch. With the help of big-time ad agencies and sleek messages, the stalwart armed services have modernized their marketing and advertising o and attracted a new generation of recruits in the process." Tactics used to promote its "Army of One" slogan have included interactive games on the Internet and sponsorship of a NASCAR race car.