Margaret Sullivan's book on how newsrooms work and her account of decades in journalism, from her days in Buffalo, NY to The New York Times in her state's largest city, and our nation's, is a must-read for today's journalism student.

Like many of her time Watergate coverage inspired Sullivan and two cub reporters, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, were what she needed to inspire her start at her own high school. newspaper and beyond. It was a man's world, but Sullivan was determined to give it her all.

Imagine as she writes then about seeing the Republican nomination of another would-be president who targeted the media and rallied chants against his opponent to lock her up. Misogyny seemed to prevail and distrust of the media abounded.

This memoir, though tough to read for some, will inspire others, particularly with the resilience and perseverance needed to build a career. Journalism students take note!

Definitely a great read! Especially if you want to know how other professions are and how complicated life can get lol. I definitely enjoyed it.

Newsroom Confidential: Lessons (and Worries) from an Ink-Stained Life by Margaret Sullivan is a good fit for readers who are passionate about journalism, politics, and the media, and are eager to gain a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of America's most influential newsrooms, as well as those seeking a stimulating exploration of the challenges and complexities of maintaining trust in the media.

NEWSROOM CONFIDENTIAL offers the reader a unique perspective on the news business. Though I was hoping to devour this, it just became difficult for me to finish. I guess I wanted something different and wished it was more of a memoir.

I wanted this to be spicier lol. It felt middle-of-the-road when it could have taken really big and fascinating swings that could have inspired a generation of journalists. Now I wonder what the tea is about that...

I found it interesting and of course ver well written. I’m learning that I have a hard time with memoirs by individuals who are still involved in their career as there is so much patting oneself on the back. That is not to say that Sullivan doesn’t deserve the accolades, but I prefer hearing the praise from 3rd parties. All that said, Sullivan has had an amazingly successful journalistic career and I was pleased to read about her growth, successes, ‘faikures’.

As someone who majored in journalism, I found this memoir really intriguing, I wish Sullivan had been a bit more candid - it did feel like she was walking on egg shells sometimes - but it is a really interesting insider's look at being a reporter during a time when the media is so rapidly changing, and I appreciated how Sullivan offered real ideas on how to fix its failures.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetHalley for the copy to review.

This book was a tough read at times. Not because the writing was bad or the topic was boring, but because it was such a strong reminder of the failure of modern journalism in so many ways. It's clear that the author is also concerned about this, but few people have the ability to truly push back against corporate control and politicized spin in a meaningful way. How did we go from Woodward and Bernstein exposing Watergate to Bob Woodward holding back explosive information about Trump's approach to covid in order to sell more books? How did so many journalists start utilizing anonymous sources to publish unconfirmed information as fact without informing the public that they had no proof the information was true? Evil doers have spent decades trying to undermine education and control the media. And now we are reaping what we've sown. I did receive a copy of this ebook from the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

Found this to be quite a fun and interesting read having come from a newsroom in my career. I recommended this to multiple colleagues and they thoroughly enjoyed it as well.

Thanks for the advanced copy! I grew up when people read newspapers and had the news on at night. Those days appear to be long gone. Maybe forever? I don’t know. But the stories of a real life journalist are incredible!

I enjoyed reading Sullivan's perspectives on reporting, defining objectivity and how to stay objective, current and recent events, politics, and more. A decent portion of the book is spent on the recent elections (but there are other interesting bits that are not connected to them). She is clearly not a fan of former President Trump or his actions in the political realm but has factual evidence to back her claims of lies and mishandling. If you're interested in how things got to where they are now or journalism in general, this book will likely be an interesting read for you.

This journalistic memoir and critique of past and present media culture and practices most reminded me of Katharine Graham's Personal History, though the approach and tone were quite different.

Newsroom Confidential is a great read on the decline of true with traditional media as we explore Sullivan’s career.

I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes to stay informed.
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Hard charging, take no prisoners, always on deadline. Margaret Sullivan is a veteran to be valued . She begins her career as an intern . She was the first woman to be appointed the public editor at The New York Times. She has spent decades acting on behalf of the readers. She has been in the forefront of news that shaped the world and shadowed our daily lives. A true newspaperman. A eye on ethics , a true believer in the written word.

Actually rating is 3.5 stars but I did enjoy this. I got a review copy of this book from Netgally but did end up listening to the audiobook once it was released.

I recently moved to Buffalo, a city that plays a large role in this book, and that did make this kind of fun for me. I even listened to part of this book while walking past the building that houses The Buffalo News. I’ll say that I enjoyed Sullivan’s particular stories about working in journalism and her general musings about journalism more than I enjoyed the parts where she tried to offer advice but all of it was at least somewhat compelling.

At times, this book felt like each chapter was written individually and then everything was shoved together. There’s more repetition than you would expect of a book this length. It didn’t affect my enjoyment that much but it was definitely noticeable.

I would probably still recommend this as a good journalism book, especially as a recent Buffalo transplant, but I don’t know how many new insights there are. An enjoyable read but nothing mind blowing.

This is a memoir about the author’s life in journalism. From first wanting to become a reporter in her younger years, to becoming the editor of the Buffalo News, then being asked to become the fifth public editor of the New York Times, then moving on to the Washington Post.

As she goes along in her timeline, she also talks about major news events and her reaction to how the press handled their coverage - she does this a lot when talking about her time at the New York Times since her job as public editor was essentially to be the “reader’s representative,” or a kind of ethics watchdog, making sure that reader’s concerns were heard and that reporting was done fairly and honestly.

And since her stint as public editor took place at the same time as coverage for the 2016 election, she has a lot to say about that. I thought it was interesting getting her takes on everything and hearing about her feelings about what journalists need to be doing in the current climate, but it’s a little oddly placed in a memoir.

I think she may have been better off just writing a book about journalism and how she’s seen it evolve over the decades, because I know her life has been working for newspapers, but the work dominates the book. If she wanted to make it a more solid memoir, readers would need more of her life. It’s not a bad book, I enjoyed reading it, but I think it needed to pick a lane.

This book is a must-read!!! Margaret Sullivan shares her story & how her love for journalism developed. In addition, she covered her time in newsroom in both New York & Washington DC. But most importunely from this book, she shared how we must press forward with news literacy. How we must ensure individuals learn how to distinguish facts from fiction in media. We must move forward from the assault on our democracy & the rallying cries of 'fake news".

This is a book all students of journalism need to read.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. And all the best to the author.

Intriguing read. Part memoir part editorial I generally loved the material and think it will be an interesting read for book clubs.

I was thrilled to get the opportunity to read the memoir, NEWSROOM CONFIDENTIAL (StMartinsPress) by Margaret Sullivan. My career for twenty plus years was also in journalism, television broadcast. Everyday was different and I was constantly learning. I can't imagine having had another career.

Margaret Sullivan has worked in print newsrooms for four decades, big and small. In her new memoir we follow her journey from being an intern in a small Buffalo newsroom to being the first woman to become the public editor of The New York Times and then media critic at The Washington Post. She shares how it wasn't easy dealing with sexism and fighting, some even physical in this highly competitive business.

At the beginning, many men and women pursued journalism as a calling. But now it is a business, plain and simple. Journalists try to be truthful and accurate, but various public figures claiming unfairness in their coverage, lapses in judgement, calls for diversity in the newsroom and unethical behavior has turned journalism into the subject of public scrutiny. Margaret Sullivan has seen it all and gives readers a front row seat into the 4th estate.

With a mix of observing with laser eyes, subtle criticism and a bit of good humor, Sullivan takes us behind the scenes of some of the biggest influential news outlets and explores how readers and viewers have lost faith in the reporting and what it'll take to gain their trust again.