I was a broadcast journalist for many years and I’m fascinated by the experiences of others doing that work. I love everything about it in my rearview mirror! From gossip about how famous newspeople behave behind closed doors to the nitty gritty of gathering facts to shaping a story–once it’s in your blood, it’s there for life. I’ve also spent a fair bit of energy defending journalism from people who are only guessing how it happens. Each of these books reveals a different but genuine reality about it. I hope you find them as compelling as I did.
Connie Chung was a trailblazer in network TV news. But she’s sometimes overshadowed by the likes of Barbara Walters and Jane Pauley. Not only did she have to deal with blatant sexism, but racism as well. She was one of the first to experience deception and gaslighting by a powerful male counterpart. (I’m looking at you, Dan Rather.)
I love that she fought back and ultimately turned defeat into a better life for herself and her family. She’s still in the record books for many firsts on network television, and her story about the inner workings of network news is nothing short of jaw-dropping.
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER A NEW YORK TIMES EDITOR'S PICK A LA TIMES AND PEOPLE BEST BOOK OF THE MONTH
"This delightful memoir is filled with Connie Chung's trademark wit, sharp insights, and deep understanding of people. It's a revealing account of what it's like to be a woman breaking barriers in the world of TV news, filled with colorful tales of rivalry and triumph. But it also has a larger theme: how the line between serious reporting and tabloid journalism became blurred." - Walter Isaacson, New York Times bestselling author
I could identify with a lot of what Katie went through in her long career as a television icon. Of course, my experiences were on a much smaller scale, but Katie’s memoir showed me that the same b.s. in corporate media happens at every level. She names names and tells everything we’ve ever wondered about Matt Lauer and her (now defunct) friendship with her longtime costar.
This book is simply another highlight in a career full of them.
This heartbreaking, hilarious, and brutally honest memoir shares the deeply personal life story of a girl next door and her transformation into a household name.
For more than forty years, Katie Couric has been an iconic presence in the media world. In her brutally honest, hilarious, heartbreaking memoir, she reveals what was going on behind the scenes of her sometimes tumultuous personal and professional life - a story she’s never shared, until now. Of the medium she loves, the one that made her a household name, she says, “Television can put you in a box; the flat-screen can flatten. On…
Author Tamara Cherry found the words to articulate what so many journalists like me have felt and experienced while covering stories. She explores the question of whether reporters revictimize victims of tragedies. Not only that, but she also looks at the impact on the reporter, too.
I haven’t read another book that does this as well with so much data to back up her theories. I have also knocked on the door of a bereaved parent because a producer assigned it to me, and felt sick to my stomach, wishing I’d gotten into another line of work instead. We don’t have to do it this way and this book proves it.
A groundbreaking and thorough examination of the trauma caused by the media covering crimes, both to victims and journalists, from a respected journalist and victim advocate
In The Trauma Beat, an eye-opening combination of investigative journalism and memoir, former big-city crime reporter Tamara Cherry calls on her award-winning skills as a journalist to examine the impact of the media on trauma survivors and the impact of trauma on members of the media. As Tamara documents the experiences of those who were forced to suffer on the public stage, she is confronted by everything she got wrong on the crime beat.…
I loved the way Ronan Farrow not only broke the Harvey Weinstein story but fought off repeated attempts to kill it. Much of a journalist’s work is a little mundane–checking facts, interviewing people by asking the same questions over and over–but it can end up in something that literally moves pop culture, like this story.
Farrow takes us step by step. He also had resources and support that many other journalists simply don’t have and this book profoundly illustrates why real journalism matters.
'Dripping with jaw-dropping revelations' Telegraph
'Absorbing' New York Times
In a dramatic account of violence and espionage, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Ronan Farrow exposes serial abusers and a cabal of powerful interests hell-bent on covering up the truth, at any cost.
In 2017, a routine network television investigation led Ronan Farrow to a story only whispered about: one of Hollywood's most powerful producers was a predator, protected by fear, wealth and a conspiracy of silence. As Farrow drew closer to the truth, shadowy operatives, from high-priced lawyers to elite…
I think most investigative journalists aim to be as good as Kevin Donovan.
This creepy double murder of a billionaire drug company founder and his wife is still unsolved and the investigation was botched from the start. Donovan’s knowledge of the case and discovery of more potential suspects and witnesses boggle the mind. It’s not surprising that police are now following Donovan’s leads.
A top journalist crosses the yellow tape to investigate a shocking high-society crime.
Billionaires, philanthropists, socialites . . . victims. Barry and Honey Sherman appeared to lead charmed lives. But the world was shocked in late 2017 when their bodies were found in a bizarre tableau in their elegant Toronto home. First described as murder-suicide — belts looped around their necks, they were found seated beside their basement swimming pool — police later ruled it a staged, targeted double murder. Nothing about the case made sense to friends of the founder of…
Media professionals are deluged with pitches for airtime and print space. They must keep their listeners, viewers, and readers in mind while deciding what to cover and what to ignore. PR reps, publicists, business owners, and artists have to make a business case. But too often, they have no idea how to do it or who they’re pitching to. Or worse, they expect the media pro to do the work for them.
This book takes the mystery out of the process from the pitch to the interview and everything in between. It includes examples of good and bad interviews, major mistakes to avoid, and insider tips on how to approach an overworked, overtired broadcaster or journalist.
