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readingwhilemommying 's review for:
Newsroom Confidential: Lessons (and Worries) from an Ink-Stained Life
by Margaret Sullivan
In this book, Washington Post media columnist Margaret Sullivan shares her experiences as the first woman Public Editor of the New York Times & her career in journalism. She shares anecdotes about columns she wrote, experiences she had with colleagues, & the "big" issues she sees in journalism today--the lack of trust from the public, the mainstream media's tendency to cover politics as a horserace, the lure of propaganda and a public that doesn't have a shared belief in facts, and the misogyny and legacy thinking that hamper newsrooms and their work.
I loved the portions of this book that spoke to Margaret's work as oversight for The New York Times. The public editor position was eliminated in 2017, one year after Margaret moved on, which is a shame considering it seems like the position--and Margaret's work in it--provided some much-needed perspective and accountability for the paper and its work.
I also liked the behind-the-scenes info Margaret shared. Her insight into the missteps--and the reverberations of those missteps that we still see today--regarding the press's coverage of Hillary Clinton's emails and the rise and presidency of Donald Trump are intriguing, especially due to her close access. She does offer some solutions to the BIG issues she sees with journalism today, yet they seem rather pat and unrealistic considering the level of divisiveness and the reality that many Americans no longer believe in a shared set of facts.
I would have liked to learn more about Margaret's personal life and its challenges amidst this intense work. Many of the sections also contain work we can find on the internet. While this book is interesting, I feel like it's not as comprehensive and effective as it could be. Still, hearing from a well-regarded female journalist who broke the glass ceiling and provided accountability for "the paper of record" is absolutely worth the time.
Props to Lisa Flanagan for a stellar narrating of this audiobook. And thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. I did my usual listen to some/read some of this book.
I loved the portions of this book that spoke to Margaret's work as oversight for The New York Times. The public editor position was eliminated in 2017, one year after Margaret moved on, which is a shame considering it seems like the position--and Margaret's work in it--provided some much-needed perspective and accountability for the paper and its work.
I also liked the behind-the-scenes info Margaret shared. Her insight into the missteps--and the reverberations of those missteps that we still see today--regarding the press's coverage of Hillary Clinton's emails and the rise and presidency of Donald Trump are intriguing, especially due to her close access. She does offer some solutions to the BIG issues she sees with journalism today, yet they seem rather pat and unrealistic considering the level of divisiveness and the reality that many Americans no longer believe in a shared set of facts.
I would have liked to learn more about Margaret's personal life and its challenges amidst this intense work. Many of the sections also contain work we can find on the internet. While this book is interesting, I feel like it's not as comprehensive and effective as it could be. Still, hearing from a well-regarded female journalist who broke the glass ceiling and provided accountability for "the paper of record" is absolutely worth the time.
Props to Lisa Flanagan for a stellar narrating of this audiobook. And thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. I did my usual listen to some/read some of this book.