Margaret Sullivan has had a long career in print journalism. Born in Lackawanna, New York, Sullivan decided on a journalism career early on, inspired (like many of her peers) by the work of Woodward and Bernstein during the Watergate scandal in the early 1970s. The year after Nixon’s resignation she became the editor in chief of her high school newspaper, and she never looked back. She went on to become a reporter for the Buffalo News, advancing to become its editor and vice president. After 32 years there she then became the public editor of the New York Times (NYT). And she recently retired as a media columnist for the Washington Post.

In Newsroom Confidential Sullivan gives us an overview of her career. The book is part memoir, part critique of the current state of journalism, and part message to the next generation of journalists. Sullivan’s career has given her a unique perspective from which to critique today’s journalists and advise tomorrow’s.

She has certainly seen enormous change in journalism. Local newspapers, like the Buffalo News where she spent so much of her career, faced difficult challenges as advertising moved from print to digital, and readers moved on to other sources. Budgets tightened every year, and the number of journalists local papers could afford to employ fell. While some newsrooms have made the successful transition from paper only to online, others have struggled or closed.

Her role as “public editor” at the NYT found her reporting directly to the Times chairman Arthur Sulzberger Jr. She brought 32 years of experience as a reporter and editor to a role that was the “reader’s representative”. She was both a part of the Times, and apart from the reporting structure of the newspaper itself. Her role was to hold the paper to account to journalistic ethics.

At the Post as media columnist, she provided analysis and criticism of the news media over 5 years and 500 columns. Much of her criticism had to do with how the press handles threats to US democracy. In particular, Sullivan is concerned about the threat to US democracy that another run for President by Donald Trump would represent.

As in her columns, Sullivan brings a plain-spoken clarity and a bit of levity to the stories she tells in this book. Those stories follow Sullivan from chasing news and battling sexism in the newsroom in Buffalo, to the outsider / insider tension she felt in her role as public editor at the Times, to her criticisms of the current state of American journalism. The stories are episodic, with each chapter of the book feeling like its own extended newspaper column. The result is fast paced and enjoyable as well as informative.

In an interview with Vanity Fair just before her retirement from the Post, Sullivan talked about this book, and also mentioned that there may be a fiction book in her future. She loves police procedurals and is said to be considering writing a series featuring a retired journalist who solves crimes! I’ll be looking forward to that.

RATING: Four Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

NOTE: I received an advanced copy of this book from St Martin’s Press and NetGalley and am voluntarily providing this review. The book is available starting October 18, 2022.

Newsroom Confidential: Lessons (and Worries) from an Ink-Stained Life by Margaret Sullivan is a straightforward look back at the life of an incredible journalist who has written for the Buffalo News, The New York Times, and the Washington Post. However, the primary function of her book is an analysis of just how precarious our nation's hold is on a functioning democracy and how the industry she loves has contributed to that deterioration as well as what Americans can do to change that. You can find it on bookstore shelves October 18th.

This book was a tough read primarily because she highlights so many worries about the U.S.that I have going forward. But the quote that pulled me back from giving in to doomsday thinking is this quote from an Aspen Institute report that Sullivan includes: "The biggest lie of all, which this crisis thrives on, and which the beneficiaries of mis- and disinformation feed on, is that the crisis itself is uncontainable."

i.e. Just because something is HARD doesn't mean we don't try to fix it.

Heading into the final weeks of #midterms Margaret Sullivan's book came at just the right time for me to become reinspired to continue working where I can to help elect people who are pro-democracy. Read this book if you need that kind of motivation and hope.

Margaret Sullivan has served as a journalist for decades, spending most of her time in Buffalo, before making her way to the New York Times as a watchdog editor. As a former print and broadcast journalist, I enjoy these types of memoirs like catnip. Sullivan describes how the media failed in the 2016 election cycle, and how it has further degraded in the ensuing years. The first 70% of the book was fascinating; the last 30% felt like a really long op-ed for a magazine and I lost some steam reading it. Overall, still a good read.

As a whole this was a fascinating and unparalleled look into the global media landscape, dating back four decades when Sullivan began her career in the field, and up until now.

As a reader, I feel that Sullivan has created a compelling narrative that speaks broadly about the inner workings of American journalism, which has a knock on effect on the world's population.

While I've been an international subscriber for years, through Newsroom Confidential, I was able to grasp just how influential a publication The New York Times really is, and it's through her role as public editor that Sullivan was able to shine a light on what really goes on behind the glass walled Pulitzer Prize-winning organization.

A page-turner from start to finish, Sullivan weaves in a lot of thought-provoking events like the lead up to the 2016 election, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the January 6, 2021 United States Capitol attack.

As a writer, I appreciated Sullivan's advice toward the end of Newsroom Confidential. While it's a book that will appeal to many who wish to enter the world of journalism, I think it would also be an interesting read for anyone consuming news in any format today.

This was so much fun to read. I loved the stories and Margaret Sullivan’s writing style. This was a super fast read for me.

What you would expect from a veteran newspaper person and that's not a good thing. Few surprises and feels dated.

Great for news nerds.

A deep look into Margaret Sullivan’s career — she goes over her time at the Buffalo news, as public editor for the New York Times, and her most recent media columnist stint at the Washington Post. Her voice is as clear as ever.

Part memoir, part reporting, all sensible as Margaret Sullivan usually is.

I loved getting the peek behind the curtain and hearing it it Margaret’s no-nonsense style.

This should be required reading for every student of journalism. Newsroom Confidential is part memoir, part lesson for news media across America.

Sullivan recounts her career as a journalist spanning four decades while working for some of the most influential newspapers in the country. She holds interest while recounting the papers' successes and failures. This is especially true while working for the New York Times as Public Editor. That position serves the readers by making sure each article published meets the integrity and ethical standards expected of the Times. Not only did she hold the Times writers responsible for their reporting, she herself was responsible directly to the public as she answered demands from readers. The Public Editor position, sadly, is disappearing from US publications as it now has from the New York Times.

The most important part of the book is Sullivan's honest examination of the media including all forms of "news". Her honesty will make some uncomfortable, some angry and some rejoicing her words that should have been said long before this. Her criticism of "fair and balanced" is on the mark and she doesn't hold back when naming organizations that hold the responsibility for the divided nation we are today. Most importantly, Margaret Sullivan offers hope for the future with a road map for journalists to follow. We'll see what path the media follows.

I thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was excited to receive a copy of this book to review - the change in news coverage over the past two decades is such an interesting topic, and I looked forward to Sullivan’s perspective and experiences as the ultimate insider. I was a bit surprised by the format and tone of this book -as other reviewers have observed, it is not a memoir, but rather a critique in essay form. Once you are clear about that, it is an interesting and timely read. But I would have preferred more personally scenes and stories. Hopefully she has something along those lines that in the works soon.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book.

I'm in the minority here and I suspect it is because I was expecting a different book. I thought this was going to be more of a memoir and read like narrative nonfiction. Instead it felt like one very long, very extended essay on politics, the changing world order in journalism, and the loss of trust that followed the progressions in those areas. It just wasn't a good fit for me.

In Newsroom Confidential, Margaret Sullivan has written a thought-provoking and timely book about the media’s influence in today’s world. Through sharing her many experiences working and reporting for newspapers, she explains why so many people distrust the media and how the media can manipulate the truth. Margaret Sullivan’s book balances the need for reporters to conduct their own research while delivering the news in a timely manner. The internet has changed the ability of outlets to publish the news quickly and that can sacrifice accuracy. This is a book that is best savored a chapter at a time since her revelations make you stop and think. Margaret Sullivan’s book brings into question long-held traditions held by reporters while trying to give equal time to both sides of the current issues. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a career in journalism as well as anyone who wants to discern the truth in news.

Margaret Sullivan got her start in journalism at The Buffalo News in 1980 where she eventually became Editor. She left that position to become the Public Editor at NYT for 4 years, followed by an assignment as the Media Editor at the WAPO for 6 years. In this candid memoir, she discusses the role of the press in maintaining truth and objectivity, and the times they have failed to do so. She comes down hard on the overdone use of anonymous sources and the over-saturation of the press' focus on Clinton's emails as the headlines for week after week during the election cycle, to the detriment of any discussion of policy. She also discusses the cultural and historical factors that resulted in the election of Trump and the development of Fox News as the main "news" source for the right. To quote the book: "Fox had moved beyond mere partisanship to straight-out propaganda." She also discusses the declining trust and belief in the Press, the role of social media in allowing propaganda and untruths to parade as "news", and Trump's constant bludgeoning of the Press with his "Fake News" label.

Though the decline of the media as trustworthy arbiters of the truth has been drastic and troubling, she does provide some ideas and prescriptions in Chapter 13, "How to Clean Up The Mess". This book should be required reading for anyone aspiring to a career in journalism, and those currently plying the trade. The role of objective, fair and balanced journalism in maintaining the integrity of Democracy cannot be over-stated.

I've always loved listening or reading to the ideas and thoughts of bright, insightful people, especially women. Margaret Sullivan certainly fills that bill. Her book is a passionate discourse on the state of American media, and how trust in it has drastically declined within American readers. Sullivan bemoans this fact, and feels that the media needs to do a better job of taking a stand on what they believe and on exposing things they think are lies or are aimed at undermining our democracy;. She uses current (Trump/Clinton campaign and Trump administration) and past examples (Watergate et al) of how the media has failed or supported he American public, and she predicts an ongoing deterioration in US democracy should that trend continue. She takes responsibility for errors that both she and her publishing employers have made and continue to make. The book is a a bit of a downer although Sullivan does end with some concrete steps that need to be taken by both institutions and individuals who are committed to preserving our now-fragile democracy. Provocative. Recommend it.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Margaret Sullivan’s memoir describes her life as a journalist and the pivotal moments in American news that defined and reaffirmed her sense of purpose in the profession. A key focus that she revisits among the events she reported on is the importance of upholding integrity and truth in journalism and a self-awareness to strengthen inclusivity in the field. She begins recounting her decision to pursue journalism from her life growing up, learning about important events, and from her earliest days working at The Buffulo News and then proceeding to subsequent work terms at institutions like The New York Times and The Washington Post. Sullivan’s writing style manages to find a balance between providing accounts of major sociopolitical events with her lived experience. It would have been intriguing to have had a more detailed section dedicated to her time as a journalism student at Northwestern and graduate student at Georgetown since most of her work dives straight into her professional career.

This book is about Margaret Sullivan's experiences in journalism over the course of her career. It's not comprehensive, rather, more an overview with highlights of the behind the scenes discussions (or arguments) about how to present news fairly and whether objectivity can be a shared value in this fractious age. Sullivan relays the changes that have come to the profession with the advent of social media and of the deepening cultural divide in our country.

I am drawn to books about the inner-workings of institutions and this is where this book excels. There isn't much gossip but we do get to know some of the people in power and the struggle to put out ethical stories pitted against profit. I would have liked more gossip, but that's not the author's purpose or style.

The final section of the book is where Sullivan makes suggestions for saving our country and democracy and while it feels hopeful when reading the words, it's harder leave thinking everything is going to be okay.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Margaret Sullivan's Newsroom Confidential is an excellent critique of the news business as it is today. While the first few chapters are basically a memoir, they are also the necessary background for the superb remainder of the book. I heartily recommend it.

From a very young age, I’ve admired and respected journalists to the extent that I went to school for Media Studies and Journalism later in life. Margaret Sullivan is one of the greats, so to read about her journey through the ever-changing journalism landscape was enthralling. This book is also great for people who don’t have any attachment to the news media, though. In this book, Sullivan touches on the “why”- why journalists think the way they do, why news organizations make the decisions they do, and– this one is big– why people should trust the media. The last decade or so has been a challenge for news outlets, both financially and when it comes to public trust. We are experiencing a hyper-polarizing time politically and one of the main tools has been distilling not only distrust but outright fear of journalists. Sullivan does a great job of explaining what went wrong in 2016 and even 2020 and makes really great suggestions on how news can do better moving forward. Whether you’re obsessed with journalism like me or just want to gain insight into how the industry works (or aspires to work), then this book is absolutely worth picking up!

I'm not particularly politically inclined, so I wasn't sure how much I'd like this book. As it turned out, it was fascinating to get the inside view behind the news scene. Margaret Sullivan is smart, insightful, and thought-provoking as she examines her journalistic life. I have great respect for honest journalists, brave storytellers, and dedicated humans trying to do good for the people. I am convinced Sullivan is one of those people. I am happy to have gotten to know her a little bit through her sage memoir.

Descriptions of how Margaret Sullivan became such an important voice in American journalism today, with many moments of her having to prove her mettle as a young reporter and, later, as the only woman in the room. If only sexism in journalism were a thing of the past.

If I saw this book in a bookstore, I wouldn’t buy it. I would pick it up, go, “oh! How interesting!” And then put it back down. However I would be sorely missing out. This is a recollection of Margaret’s rise through newsrooms, from an intern to editor and chief, holding positions in some of the most coveted spaces in journalism while opening the doors for women.

It is an easy read, one that is easily accessible to the masses due to its writing style (as expected from someone in journalism) but sometimes there is a lack of linearity and cohesion. Maybe because of instead of a book it reads more like an op-ed, it can be a bit jarring but makes sense when you consider her line of work.

The reason why this book is so interesting is because its such a great introduction to the politics of the newsroom and how it impacts society; how pieces of literature, of recounts of news and investigative journalism has the power to shift perspectives, garner or lose trust.

In this book Margaret also allows us to enter her mind by telling us her viewpoints on politics, society and the intersection between them and journalism, how fraught the space has become as time progresses. I think some may find this time of book boring due to its content, but I think its a great non-fiction piece about some of the intricacies of journalism