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Unreliable Sources

How the Twentieth Century Was Reported

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About this listen

'Informative, amusing, sometimes shocking' – Giles Foden, The Guardian

A critical examination of the British press over the last century, from legendary foreign correspondent John Simpson.

Through many decades of groundbreaking journalism across the globe, John Simpson has become one of the most recognisable and trusted British reporters. In Unreliable Sources, he draws upon this extensive experience to trace the history of the press in the UK, and explore the complex relationship between the media and the events they report.

He shows how, while the press likes to pretend it's independent, it also enjoys wielding its power and has at times exercised it irresponsibly. He examines the relationship between British society and the media, from the Daily Mail's influence on anti-German sentiment leading up to the First World War to the Sun's propping up of the Thatcher government and beyond.

Authoritative, brilliantly readable and not shying away from controversy, Unreliable Sources is a fascinating piece of self-analysis from one of the pillars of modern journalism. Can the press ever be truly free and would we want it to be?

 Art & Literature Europe Great Britain Journalists, Editors & Publishers Words, Language & Grammar Writing & Publishing Imperialism Winston Churchill Military War

Critic reviews

Informative, amusing, sometimes shocking (Giles Foden, The Guardian)
Unreliable Sources is an easy read, brimming with cogent and often caustic judgments (Christopher Silvester, Daily Express)
Simpson has a newsman's forensic nose for the continuities amid the chaos of war, and his conviction is that those on the ground almost always know best (Anne McElvoy, The New Statesman)
Lively and intelligent analysis . . . a book as authoritative as it is enjoyable (Philip Ziegler, The Spectator)
A cri de Coeur by Simpson for the old, familiar world of the print media, "the star" reporter and the ability to move public opinion through language and force of despatch (Keith Simpson, Total Politics)
This grand panjandrum of BBC TV journalism has the personal authority and professional firepower to give credibility to a detailed inquiry into the state of British journalism . . . This powerful book, well researched, well structured and consistent does Simpson credit as a craftsman journalist who is prepared to expose the vices of his own arrogant and rogue-ridden trade – a trade that is always more ready to name and shame others than to report on its own shortcomings (Iain Finlayson, Saga Magazine)
A fascinating history of the 20th century seen from the peculiar vantage point of the hassled hack, rushing to file his copy, hemmed in by censors, his own prejudices, and the demands of his proprietor and editor . . . Simpson is alive to the absurdities of our calling, but this is a profoundly serious book, an attempt to work out why some [reporters] stand apart
Unreliable Sources is a lively and refreshing partisan account . . . what raises Simpson above his peers: a courage, a literacy and an intelligence that places him in the tradition of those he reveres, like Gellhorn herself (Nicholas Shakespeare, The Daily Telegraph)
It is a massive undertaking . . . his knowledge and experience – he can spot the rogues and is not overly romantic about the good guys – provide an informed commentary (Robert Chesshyre, The Literary Review)
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