This is an interesting look at how journalists have changed their tenor in reporting over the past 40 years. Written by a seasoned journalist, the most interesting part of me was her assessment of the state of reporting since 2015. Changes need to occur! Worth the read.

I received this book as an ARC and this is my review. I loved this book! The story is timely and hard-hitting and Sullivan is neither neutral nor impartial. So refreshing! I have a journalistic background and realize the importance of sometimes just speaking out to emphasize the relevance of a story. This is a true behind-the-scenes view with well-known characters on all sides. Definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants an all-sides view of America at this moment in time.

I love a good journalism memoir, and I was really excited for this one because it focused on two of the biggest newspapers in the world: The New York Times and the Washington Post. Sullivan was the Times’ public editor, which meant that she would report on the Times’ reporting and share her own commentary on whether she thought the Times was being fair and accurate in their journalism. I was really not familiar with that type of role before reading this and found it to be BEYOND fascinating. Actually, I wish we had gotten more stories from that part of her career in here! After leaving the Times, Sullivan became a media columnist for the Post. While I really enjoyed this part as well, I thought that some of her discussion on truth, the role of journalism in democracy, the industry as a whole felt a little heavy-handed. I agreed with pretty much everything she was arguing, but I think there was a little too much of that element and not enough memoir in the back half of the book.

I was a bit surprised that I didn't enjoy this as much as I expected to.
Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC for review.
Obviously the author is a professional writer, but content-wise I expected more behind-the-scenes dirt and grit from newsrooms.
Instead it felt a bit like an expanded resume of accomplishments. Which is fine, just wasn't for me.
I tend to gravitate toward the "confidential" books in hopes of capturing the magic that Anthony Bourdain once did with Kitchen Confidential.
You simply can't replicate his original.

I was spectacle about this title/synopsis, but I’m glad I committed to this book! The author makes several viewpoints that I can jump on board as an educator. Although I’m not going to purchase it, I will be suggesting it as required reading to my students!

This is an interesting memoir of a journalist who rose to the top of her field. Along the way she encountered sexism and was able to break through the proverbial glass ceiling. She reported on many historical events that you will recognize without needing a lot of background. She is a skilled writer and the best part was her call to action for current and future journalists about reporting the facts and the importance of not over-sensationalizing statements and situations that are not fact-based - be more discerning about what should be amplified and given a platform. The first part of the book turned me off because she lacked humility. I did check myself to make sure I was not being biased and affirmed I don't like this quality with men either. But with that aside, this is a very timely and important book and is worth the read.

In this book, Washington Post media columnist Margaret Sullivan shares her experiences as the first woman Public Editor of the New York Times & her career in journalism. She shares anecdotes about columns she wrote, experiences she had with colleagues, & the "big" issues she sees in journalism today--the lack of trust from the public, the mainstream media's tendency to cover politics as a horserace, the lure of propaganda and a public that doesn't have a shared belief in facts, and the misogyny and legacy thinking that hamper newsrooms and their work.

I loved the portions of this book that spoke to Margaret's work as oversight for The New York Times. The public editor position was eliminated in 2017, one year after Margaret moved on, which is a shame considering it seems like the position--and Margaret's work in it--provided some much-needed perspective and accountability for the paper and its work.

I also liked the behind-the-scenes info Margaret shared. Her insight into the missteps--and the reverberations of those missteps that we still see today--regarding the press's coverage of Hillary Clinton's emails and the rise and presidency of Donald Trump are intriguing, especially due to her close access. She does offer some solutions to the BIG issues she sees with journalism today, yet they seem rather pat and unrealistic considering the level of divisiveness and the reality that many Americans no longer believe in a shared set of facts.

I would have liked to learn more about Margaret's personal life and its challenges amidst this intense work. Many of the sections also contain work we can find on the internet. While this book is interesting, I feel like it's not as comprehensive and effective as it could be. Still, hearing from a well-regarded female journalist who broke the glass ceiling and provided accountability for "the paper of record" is absolutely worth the time.

Props to Lisa Flanagan for a stellar narrating of this audiobook. And thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. I did my usual listen to some/read some of this book.

This memoir detailing the author’s life in journalism touts truth over two-sided storytelling. But her reflections on her white privileged past are often cringeworthy.

Margaret Sullivan gives an in-depth perspective to today's "real" and "fake" news in her memoir. Her experience and expertise provides her an authoritative voice on how social media, influencers and newsrooms themselves affect what's considered news, who the audiences are and the slant in its presentation. As a former newspaper editor, I really appreciate that she's trying to separate the real deal and the real bad.

Margaret Sullivan is a famous editor who for many years ran the Buffalo News before going on to the New York Times and later the Washington Post. She writes here about her time in newsrooms and the relationship between news and the public. This book is shorter, thank goodness, because it is somewhat dry (or merely journalistic) and very "inside baseball". If you want to hear all about newsrooms and the difficult state we are in with people's trust in media at an all-time low, then this is the book for you.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

As a former journalist, I was thrilled to get an advanced reader’s edition of this book. (Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley).

Margaret Sullivan is a true trailblazer in that she smashed glass ceilings in newspaper journalism. She was the first female editor of the Buffalo News, where she worked her way up, and the first female public editor of the New York Times.

For reference, the public editor position was one where the editor was independent from the newsroom and focused on reader complaints and investigated what went right and wrong in the reporting of news. You can imagine that would be a difficult position as you are essentially critiquing the reporters and editors at your own paper.

This is a memoir that all interested in news reporting/ the media will want to read. The prose is great (no big surprise!), and Sullivan makes some very thought provoking arguments about the role of the media in today’s heated political environment.

I completely agree with her that Americans have lost their trust in the media. She posits some interesting recommendations for how to regain that lost trust.

As would be expected from someone with her training and experience as a journalist and editor, Margaret Sullivan has delivered a very readable memoir covering her career in journalism. She returns to her experiences in high school with the school newspaper to demonstrate how her love for the field began, and continues to her early work as a reporter for the Niagara Gazette and then the Buffalo News, leading to her eventual promotion as that paper’s chief editor. Her subsequent roles as public editor for the New York Times and media columnist for The Washington Post moved her to national fame. As the public editor for the Times she found herself in the middle of multiple controversies about that paper’s coverage of political events, representing the rights of the readership to know more about faulty and uneven by her colleagues of those events. Her move to the Post gave her a wider mandate, able to cover journalist choices in all national media.

The later parts of the book are what I consider its most important, as she delves into a discussion of the state of local and national news coverage in today’s political climate. She tries to identify ways in which the media should be covering events and stories in a world of news filled with misinformation. This book should be required for aspiring (and experienced) journalists as a guide on how to present the news honestly in a time when balanced news coverage may not be accurate.

Thank you for the advanced copy, St. Martin's Press!

This book definitely scratches the itch for those who are interested in journalism and particularly how stories have been covered in the last 30 years. As an admirer of the profession, I found the book very interesting and have a ton of respect for how Margaret Sullivan held her co-workers and the industry accountable in her role as the public editor of the New York Times. Though, many of the specifics on the writers and industry references went over my head. I loved the first half of the book and learning about her rise to her position at the NYT. Admittedly my eyes glazed over when the book began to cover the 2016 election - it was full of politics and I just was not in the mood to relive that time or dive into those challenges again.

Overall - for a fan of the industry or someone wanting to learn more about the waning trust of journalism in America, I would recommend this book. I found it particularly interesting to learn more about Margaret and her impressive career.

A fascinating look at the life of a talented journalist as she climbed her way to the top to become the first female public editor of the New York Times. An inspiring book for people wanting a peek behind the curtain at some of the most influential news agencies in the country.

Margaret Sullivan writes in a very comfortable style making this memoir a book that will appeal to both those who are knowledgable of the ins and outs of journalism and those who are not. I wasn't bothered by names and newspapers that were new to me. I wanted to know how we came to find ourselves with such a small portion of Americans trusting the news. Her position on the 2016 election and Clinton's emails and its aftermath made for a hard discussion but a very necessary one. The role of journalism in these days of social media and the lack of fact checking is important. It's no wonder the public has such a low opinion of journalism. They have lost trust. Can it ever be recovered?
My thanks to the publisher St. Martin's and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Enlightening book. It’s a topic that is important in today’s world because the media has changed so drastically. Everyone seems to have an opinion about what is right/wrong with media and the author certainly has strong opinions as well but they are grounded in years of experience as a journalist. She brought up many interesting points but I particularly liked her thoughts on whether journalists should be neutral and present all sides of a story equally. It helped me understand the bias that is so predominant today in the news.

An intriguing look behind the scenes at journalism. Sullivan has worked in multiple capacities at multiple papers, notably the Washington Post and the New York Times but while this does take you through her history, it's stronger sections (and the ones I found most discouraging) are about how journalism has changed in the last 8 years, Her job at the Post had her looking at media but it's now that she's able to look back at the 2016 and 2020 elections and point fingers. Over to others on those sections- it's still a wilderness of mirrors. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For those interested in journalism.

<i>I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.</i>
I thought this would be a bit more engaging but as another reviewer stated "this just felt like a long op-ed."

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy.

My college degree is in journalism. I work in TV news as a Social Media Strategist. I spend a lot of time in newsrooms across the country. "Newsroom Confidential" ignited my love for this industry all over again in a time that is plagued with misinformation, doom-and-gloom, and public mistrust in the media.

Even if you're not in the industry, this is still a must-read.

I think this book is perfect for new junkies who really want a peak behind the scenes. Following Margaret's career from Buffalo to the NY Times to Washington Post was simply fascinating. Having worked briefly in newspapers I know this industry is not for the weak. The book was a perfect mixture of reporting and memoir. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own