The Great Reporters

by David Randall

'Entertaining, amusing, even inspirational. Above all, what every good reporter aims to deliver, a great read.' Peter Cole, Professor of Journalism at the University of Sheffield 'American newsrooms need to buy this inspiring book by the carton. David Randall's gripping collection of profiles in inky courage demonstrates that our current malaise amounts to ignorance of the perpetual siege of newsrooms by the powerful and the parsimonious. "The Great Reporters" is rich with the kind of lore that needs to inform the culture of newspaper journalism." Dean Miller, The Poynter Institute for Media Studies Who are the greatest reporters in history? This unique book is the first to try and answer this question. Author David Randall searched nearly two centuries of newspapers and magazines, consulted editors and journalism experts worldwide, and the result is The Great Reporters - 13 in-depth profiles of the best journalists who ever lived. They include nine Americans and four Britons, ten men and three women, whose lives were full of adventure, wit, and the considerable ingenuity required to bring the story home. Among chapters are those on the reporter • Booked himself onto a ship likely to be sunk by the Germans so he could report its torpedoing • Was called out to a multiple shooting, who interviewed 50 witnesses, went back to the office, and wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning story of 4,000 words in two and a half hours • Was deemed useless by her teacher but who went on to become the greatest crime reporter in history • Wrote a story that changed the map of Europe • Out-bluffed a top Soviet official to get into Russia so he could cover the appalling famine there • Feigned madness to get herself locked up in an asylum so she could expose its terrible conditions • Was the best ever to apply words to newsprint • Became a national hero in America because he stood up for the little guy and his war reporting t

Genres: Journalism

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

In his career he has collaborated with British newspapers, Africans, Americans and Russians. He is senior editor of the "Independent on Sunday" in London.

Reviews

[Jeff Clausen]

If you are a fan of good newspaper writing, you’ll like this book. The author considers many different variables and comes up with his, admittedly, subjective list, and does a good job with it. I especially enjoyed reading sections of Ernie Pyle’s work, the fellow Hoosier who brought World War 2 home to everyone.

[Marta]

bello, un sacco di spunti interessanti ma forse alla lunga un po ripetitivo

[Michael Kohler]

Quick and enjoyable read, but I don't think the self-imposed limitation of print reporters was useful in creating this list.

[GiacomONE]

Il libro che ogni giornalista dovrebbe leggere.

Non solo la storia di 13 giornalisti, non solo uno spaccato della storia anglosassone e di quella mondiale, non solo uno dei libri più avvincenti che io abbia mai letto, non solo la scrittura netta, chiara e pulita di Randall, anche un manuale di come si diventa un giornalista quasi perfetto.

Molto di più del suo primo libro (Il giornalista quasi perfetto) che rimaneva una sorta di manuale in sè, in questo libro Randall insegna, facendoci immergere nella vita dei migliori giornalisti del mondo, come diventare degli ottimi cronisti, rubando il mestiere dei maestri raccontati in queste 300 pagine.

[Safura]

کتاب خیلی جالبی بود. لابد که کتاب برای روزنامه نگارها به خاطر آموزشی که دارد جذاب است، اما برای مخاطبی مثل من هم که به خواندن محصول روزنامه نگارها علاقمند است، دانستن پیشینه گزارش نویسی و آدم های مهم این حوزه بسیار جالب بود.

[Maria]

Simply LOVED it! 'Nuf said.