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Breaking News

The Remaking of Journalism and Why It Matters Now

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Breaking News

By: Alan Rusbridger
Narrated by: Samuel West
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Summary

We are living through the greatest communication revolution since Gutenberg. In Breaking News Alan Rusbridger offers an open, personal and agenda-setting account of how we arrived at the news world of today.

The President of the United States regularly lies to the public and accuses anyone who criticisms him of being fake. Politicians openly rubbish the views of ‘so called experts’, dissemble and mislead. So how do we hold those in power accountable? Fox News, Breitbart Media and the Murdoch papers peddle views not news, pushing politically-motivated agendas. So, where can we look for reliable, verifiable sources of news and information? What does it mean for democracy? And what will the future hold?

Reflecting on his twenty years as editor of the Guardian and his experience of breaking some of the most significant news stories of our time, including the Edward Snowden revelations, phone-hacking, wikileaks and the Keep in the Ground campaign, Rusbridger answers these questions and offers a stirring defence of why quality journalism matters now more than ever.

 Politics & Government Words, Language & Grammar Writing & Publishing Capitalism
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Critic reviews

"[Rusbridger] has written a book of breathtaking range . . . The brilliant Breaking News is essential - and entertaining - reading" (SIR HAROLD EVANS)
"I particularly enjoyed Alan Rusbridger's Breaking News – in places it's as exciting as a thriller (and the good guys win) but it also gave me a new understanding of the difficulties that now confront good journalism" (HENRY MARSH)
"Just when we were feeling lost in the dark labyrinth of fake news and journalism in crisis, Alan Rusbridger lights his torch and leads the way. Essential" (STEVE COOGAN)
"Well written and unskimped, this will be a painful document when we wake up one morning with nothing to read at breakfast except our smartphones" (TOM STOPPARD)
"The book [Rusbridger] has written is eloquent in its argument for well-resourced journalism, and never better than in its central narrative of how an old profession struggled to cope with a new technology that threatened it with obsolescence" (IAN JACK)
"It was my good luck – and the world’s – that Alan Rusbridger was the Guardian’s editor when powerful governments tried to prevent the paper from revealing that they had deceived and disempowered their citizens. Alan is a fearless defender of the public interest who has had a singular career in journalism. His book is an urgent reminder that there is still a place for real journalism – indeed, our democracies depend on it" (EDWARD SNOWDEN)
"A fascinating book and an important one"
"Engaging . . . We love a good newspaper yarn, and Rusbridger provides a dandy"
"Alan Rusbridger is one of the most important journalists of his generation . . . this book needs to be read"
"The portrait of Rusbridger that emerges is that of the rarest of newsroom species – someone with genuine bona fides as a journalist and an unassailable commitment to the profession’s enduring values, who also possesses the curiosity, nimbleness of mind and openness to change necessary to navigate the relentless, shape-shifting challenges that lie ahead for media companies today. The cascading crises afflicting journalism are now, rightly, understood to be threats to American democracy. It is hardly an overstatement, then, to say that the health of our society depends, in part, on future Rusbridgers emerging to take the reins of our news organisations"
All stars
Most relevant
Such a worthwhile book, with some amazing insights to the world of news and journalism. I highly recommend it.

Samuel West, was, as ever, brilliant to listen to.

Incredibly informative and helpful

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Compelling listening. beautifully narrated.
Anyone who works in news needs to listen to this - a warts and all journey from print into 21st century multiplatform journalism. Highly recommended

20th and 21st century news from the inside

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A page turner in every sense. A beautiful blend of the history of journalism, his time on the regionals, as Editor of the Guardian where he oversaw some of the biggest news stories of a generation. The assessment of the challenge for journalism from "social platforms" is concise and yet honest in admitting the unknown future. One of those rare books where you don't want to stop reading and when you get to the end you are actually sad that it is over. Will be great to review his predictions/views on the future in five years and see where he was too conservative or too hopeful on what lies ahead for fact based, honest, transparent journalism.

A gripping insight to future of the 4th Estate

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The chapters covering the main stories; Snowden, Leverson, Wikileaks, Trump, Aitken were absolutely fascinating.

The areas looking at the financials of the paper and the initial reticence to move to online felt less relevant to now, though perhaps I am missing the point.

Fascinating Listen

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For anyone with an interest in how our world view is shaped by the media we consume this book supplies many examples of this across the past 200 years. In addition, as a regular Guardian reader for almost 40 years, I was interested to hear how the paper evolved into its online form and has gained new audiences across the world. Even though I remember reading of the several crisis The Guardian has faced over the time I’ve been a reader (and a subscribing ‘member’ for the past few years), I was gripped by the inside accounts of these. And the narration of the book was perfect in all ways it might be evaluated.

Fascinating, insightful and a joy.

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