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The Journalist
Taking FAKE NEWS to a higher level, with the U.S. in a state of increased terrorist threats, the Media Director for the President of the United States fabricates a gruesome fake video.
The purpose of the fake video is to create chaos so POTUS can establish martial law and begin a “new world order.” Posing as a concerned citizen who videotaped a horrific murder/rape, the fake video is presented to a local Miami TV station’s news director. The news director immediately begins televising the video as exclusive Breaking News. Zack Stearn, owner/editor of a small Miami weekly newspaper, watches the video, contacts the TV station to ask the source of the video. He is told it is from a “confidential source.” The video is quickly picked up by national cable news and other television.Editorial JD ShiptonOriginally written over twenty years ago, Rockey imagines the news media landscape in the year 2024. Reading it today is both a treat, and uncannily unsettling. The plot is at once original and completely believable, and the dialogue feels like a newsroom ought to feel.
The purpose of the fake video is to create chaos so POTUS can establish martial law and begin a “new world order.” Posing as a concerned citizen who videotaped a horrific murder/rape, the fake video is presented to a local Miami TV station’s news director. The news director immediately begins televising the video as exclusive Breaking News. Zack Stearn, owner/editor of a small Miami weekly newspaper, watches the video, contacts the TV station to ask the source of the video. He is told it is from a “confidential source.” The video is quickly picked up by national cable news and other television.Editorial JD ShiptonOriginally written over twenty years ago, Rockey imagines the news media landscape in the year 2024. Reading it today is both a treat, and uncannily unsettling. The plot is at once original and completely believable, and the dialogue feels like a newsroom ought to feel.
335 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 9, 2014
18 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 11, 2025
he Journalist is one of those rare books that makes you pause every few chapters and think: Wait this was written twenty years ago? GL Rockey’s vision of the media landscape in 2024 is so eerily accurate that it borders on unsettling. The premise a fabricated, gruesome video engineered at the highest levels of government to spark chaos and justify martial law hits with a weight that feels both cinematic and disturbingly plausible.
The pacing is sharp and relentless. From the moment the fake video hits a Miami newsroom, the story spirals into a tense, adrenaline-charged chain reaction that mirrors today’s world of hyper speed news cycles, misinformation, and political manipulation. Zack Stearn, the small town newspaper owner who dares to question the “confidential source,” becomes an unexpectedly compelling anchor in the chaos. His skepticism and pursuit of truth give the story its heart and grounding in journalistic integrity.
Rockey’s dialogue is crisp and authentic exactly what a real newsroom sounds like and his portrayal of media culture feels lived-in. The way he dissects power, fear, and the fragility of truth in a world drowning in manufactured narratives is both thrilling and thought-provoking.
If you enjoy political thrillers, media driven suspense, or stories that push you to question the information we’re fed, The Journalist is a must read. It’s entertaining, bold, and frighteningly relevant a reminder of how quickly truth can be twisted when power and panic collide.
The pacing is sharp and relentless. From the moment the fake video hits a Miami newsroom, the story spirals into a tense, adrenaline-charged chain reaction that mirrors today’s world of hyper speed news cycles, misinformation, and political manipulation. Zack Stearn, the small town newspaper owner who dares to question the “confidential source,” becomes an unexpectedly compelling anchor in the chaos. His skepticism and pursuit of truth give the story its heart and grounding in journalistic integrity.
Rockey’s dialogue is crisp and authentic exactly what a real newsroom sounds like and his portrayal of media culture feels lived-in. The way he dissects power, fear, and the fragility of truth in a world drowning in manufactured narratives is both thrilling and thought-provoking.
If you enjoy political thrillers, media driven suspense, or stories that push you to question the information we’re fed, The Journalist is a must read. It’s entertaining, bold, and frighteningly relevant a reminder of how quickly truth can be twisted when power and panic collide.
December 11, 2025
The Journalist is one of those rare books that makes you pause every few chapters and think: Wait… this was written twenty years ago? GL Rockey’s vision of the media landscape in 2024 is so eerily accurate that it borders on unsettling. The premise a fabricated, gruesome video engineered at the highest levels of government to spark chaos and justify martial law hits with a weight that feels both cinematic and disturbingly plausible.
The pacing is sharp and relentless. From the moment the fake video hits a Miami newsroom, the story spirals into a tense, adrenaline charged chain reaction that mirrors today’s world of hyper speed news cycles, misinformation, and political manipulation. Zack Stearn, the small town newspaper owner who dares to question the “confidential source,” becomes an unexpectedly compelling anchor in the chaos. His skepticism and pursuit of truth give the story its heart and grounding in journalistic integrity.
Rockey’s dialogue is crisp and authentic exactly what a real newsroom sounds like and his portrayal of media culture feels lived in. The way he dissects power, fear, and the fragility of truth in a world drowning in manufactured narratives is both thrilling and thought-provoking.
If you enjoy political thrillers, media driven suspense, or stories that push you to question the information we’re fed, The Journalist is a must read. It’s entertaining, bold, and frighteningly relevant a reminder of how quickly truth can be twisted when power and panic collide.
The pacing is sharp and relentless. From the moment the fake video hits a Miami newsroom, the story spirals into a tense, adrenaline charged chain reaction that mirrors today’s world of hyper speed news cycles, misinformation, and political manipulation. Zack Stearn, the small town newspaper owner who dares to question the “confidential source,” becomes an unexpectedly compelling anchor in the chaos. His skepticism and pursuit of truth give the story its heart and grounding in journalistic integrity.
Rockey’s dialogue is crisp and authentic exactly what a real newsroom sounds like and his portrayal of media culture feels lived in. The way he dissects power, fear, and the fragility of truth in a world drowning in manufactured narratives is both thrilling and thought-provoking.
If you enjoy political thrillers, media driven suspense, or stories that push you to question the information we’re fed, The Journalist is a must read. It’s entertaining, bold, and frighteningly relevant a reminder of how quickly truth can be twisted when power and panic collide.
December 16, 2024
I read the Journalist this past weekend. It was engaging, intriguing, and an edge-of-your-seat political thriller. Eerily compelling and believable, as if I was watching a news report today. I give this political thriller 4 stars.
This is a new edition of this book and I believe the previous one star review of the first edition was a matter of not so great editing.
—Betty Ann, Love Writers Bibliophiles.
This is a new edition of this book and I believe the previous one star review of the first edition was a matter of not so great editing.
—Betty Ann, Love Writers Bibliophiles.
December 2, 2015
If I could give this book no stars I would. My young nieces and nephews can write better than Rockey. Do not waste your time or money. :-(
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews