A memoir, occasionally notes the failure of the exposure of wrongdoing to result in accountability or policy reforms. He was especially noted for his investigations into the my lai massacre and the abu ghraib prison scandal. Joining the staff of the new york times in 1972, hersh did groundbreaking reporting on the watergate scandal, though most of the credit for that story went to carl bernstein and. Over the past halfcentury, hersh has been one of americas. Kennedy, his brother robert, his friends, assistants, confidants, lawyers. Seymour hershs new memoir is a flabbergasting masterpiece. Hersh discloses little about his wife and children, but otherwise, candor is the driving force in this outstanding book. Hersh is a terrific storyteller and i would recommend this.
The killing of osama bin laden by seymour hersh details. Reminiscing about the past presidential administrations and the people who advised those presidents. In his new memoir, he describes his pursuit of that story, as well as many others, including the downing of korean air flight 007, the interrogation techniques at abu ghraib, and the killing of osama. Seymour hershs fearless reporting has earned him fame, frontpage byline. Seymour hersh on spies, state secrets, and the stories he. Hersh, 9780141989099, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. He is a regular contributor to the new yorker magazine on military and security matters. Thats the closest the book generally comes to touching on any motivation behind hershs work related to ending war or torture or any other evil. Its gotten praise from many quarters, including from novelist and former intelligence officer john.
Jun 20, 2018 young hersh learned journalism the hard way, and he turned into an aggressive and enterprising reporter. Seymour hersh, american journalist whose reporting generally focused on the u. He has also won two national magazine awards and is a fivetime polk winner and recipient of the 2004 george orwell award. English due to its large file size, this book may take longer to download. May 28, 2018 the qualities that make seymour hersh a firstrate reporter his hustle, his wonkiness, his nighthawk drive to unearth a radioactive fact and then top that fact make him a secondrate. Jun 05, 2018 seymour hersh reports on a life in journalism in his new book reporter. The benefits and perils of access are a central theme of seymour hershs new memoir, reporter. Investigative reporter seymour hersh raised eyebrows back in march when he told an audience at the university of minnesota that dick cheney ran a.
He was especially noted for his investigations into the my lai massacre and the abu ghraib prison scandal hersh was the son of polish and lithuanian immigrants whose deep belief in. Ultimately, in unfurling seymour hershs life and career, reporter tells a story of twentiethcentury america, in all its excitement and darkness. Seymour hersh recently released a book on his life as a reporter, called appropriately, reporter. A memoir, journalist seymour hersh covers his life story, with analysis of his profession thrown in. John le carre a master class in the craft of reporting. Thats the closest the book generally comes to touching on any motivation behind hersh s work related to ending war or torture or any other evil.
Seymour hersh is the kind of journalist that hardly exists any more a maverick independent with a talent for investigative journalism. Lorraine berry, signature reporter is just wonderful. A memoir by seymour m hersh is published by allen lane. Late in his new memoir, reporter, muckraking legend seymour hersh recounts an episode from a story he wrote for the new yorker in 1999, about the israeli spy jonathan pollard. Jun, 2018 one of the countrys top investigative reporters, hersh set the bar high with his 1970 pulitzer prizewinning expose of the my lai massacre.
One caveat, the narrator mispronounced several names. Seymour hersh is an honored investigative reporter that ive long admired. Now in this memoir he describes what drove him and how he worked as an independent outsider, even at the nations most prestigious publications. Essential reading for every journalist and aspiring journalist the world over john le carre. In reporter, seymour hersh recounts leaping tall deadlines. Seymour hershs memoir is full of useful reporting secrets. Essential reading for every journalist and aspiring journalist the world over john le carre in the early 1950s, teenage seymour hersh was finishing high school and university while running the familys.
Jun 15, 2018 the evericonoclastic, nevertobeignored, muckraking seymour hersh in his revealing new memoir, hersh modestly calls himself a survivor from the golden age of journalism. This book is essential reading for every journalist. In his new memoir, he describes his pursuit of that story, as well as many others, including the downing of korean air flight 007, the. Us journalist seymour hersh recounts in fine detail the stories that made him, from the my lai massacre to abu ghraib.
Over his career of more than 50 years, he has covered many of the most important. In reporter, seymour hersh recounts leaping tall deadlines in single bounds the qualities that make seymour hersh a firstrate reporter his hustle, his wonkiness, his nighthawk drive to unearth. Seymour hersh on the golden age of journalism for decades now, no reporter has been better at asking tough questions and getting candid answers than the legendary seymour hersh. The evericonoclastic, nevertobeignored, muckraking seymour hersh in his revealing new memoir, hersh modestly calls himself a survivor from the golden age of journalism. Seymour hershs fearless reporting has earned him fame, frontpage bylines in virtually every major newspaper in the free world, honors galore, and no small amount of controversy. As the bloggers eliot higgins and scott lucas have shown, he entirely ignores the overwhelming balance of. He developed meaningful relationships and was known as a straight shooter. In his revealing new memoir, hersh modestly calls himself a survivor from the golden age of. For a second time the lrb has aired seymour hershs highly shaky claim that the opposition was responsible for the chemical weapons attack on the ghouta on 21 august 20 lrb, 17 april. Seymour hersh reports on a life in journalism in his new book reporter. Young hersh learned journalism the hard way, and he turned into an aggressive and enterprising reporter. A memoir, is that he never set out to write it at all, but was actually deeply engaged in writing a massive expose of dick cheney a project he decided couldnt ultimately. What hersh reports is entirely plausible, and consistent with facts that emerged from our more limited but irrefutable technical studies of the circumstances surrounding the nerve agent attack in damascus on 21 august 20. To the extent that its possible, i think investigative reporter seymour hersh achieves something along those lines in his honest, wellwritten memoir, reporter.
A memoir knopf, pulitzer prizewinning investigative journalist seymour hersh describes the instincts and tenacity needed in helping uncover the. Seymour hersh, in full seymour myron hersh, born april 8, 1937, chicago, illinois, u. At the beginning of seymour hershs new memoir, reporter, he tells a story from his first job in journalism, at the city news bureau of chicago city news stationed a reporter at chicago. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel that the. Seymour sy myron hersh is an american pulitzer prizewinning investigative journalist and author based in washington, d. By the 1960s he had become a practitioner of advocacy journalism and was an early activist. Skip them and miss the story of the cia bigwig who blamed investigative reporter seymour hersh for blowing his cover and causing his divorce. Jun 15, 2018 in this excerpt from his latest book, reporter. Hersh, including the dark side of camelot, and reporter. Hershs article about the killing of bin laden have received official denials and journalistic gasps similar to those that greeted his 1974 reporting on the cias mhchaos domestic spying programme and the revelations in his 1983 book the price of power about henry kissingers masterminding of the carpetbombing of cambodia and hiding it from the us congress. Rarely has a journalists memoir come together so well, with admirable measures of selfdeprecation, transparent pride, readable prose style, and honesty. Jun 04, 2018 that, more or less, is the premise behind a new memoir by seymour hersh, the investigative journalist who has been revealing secrets and atrocities and often secret atrocitiesto great acclaim since he exposed the my lai massacre in 1969. Truly a great life, and what shines out of the book, amid the low cunning and tireless legwork, is hershs warmth and humanity. Hershs memoir, reporter, describes his fruitful, if acrimonious.
A memoir knopf, pulitzer prizewinning investigative journalist seymour hersh describes the instincts and. The qualities that make seymour hersh a firstrate reporter his hustle, his wonkiness, his nighthawk drive to unearth a radioactive fact and then top that fact make him a secondrate. Jun 02, 2018 at the beginning of seymour hershs new memoir, reporter, he tells a story from his first job in journalism, at the city news bureau of chicago city news stationed a reporter at chicago. Jamie allinson makes some false technical claims in his critique of seymour hersh letters, 8 may. It is a story of slog, ingenuity and defiance, following hersh from his first job as a crime reporter for the chicago city news. That, more or less, is the premise behind a new memoir by seymour hersh, the investigative journalist who has been revealing secrets and atrocities and often secret atrocitiesto great acclaim since he exposed the my lai massacre in 1969. Hersh provides only one source for the key claims in his piece. Hersh his journalism and publishing awards include a pulitzer prize, five george polk awards, two national magazine awards, and more than a dozen other prizes for investigative reporting.
This book is essential reading for every journalist and aspiring journalist the world over. Hersh holds up to the available light in strict chronological order just about every report, claim, rumor or telltale clue of precisely and exclusively those things that president john f. Hershs book, economically titled reporter, is focused on the work. Its gotten praise from many quarters, including from. In the book, hersh, an indefatigable investigative reporter he broke the story of the my lai massacre in 1969. May 31, 2018 late in his new memoir, reporter, muckraking legend seymour hersh recounts an episode from a story he wrote for the new yorker in 1999, about the israeli spy jonathan pollard. Like a greyhound or a kamikaze pilot or an insurance man peddling a policy, hes not built for reflection. Jun 27, 2018 seymour hersh recently released a book on his life as a reporter, called appropriately, reporter. Seymour myron sy hersh born april 8, 1937 is an american investigative journalist and political writer. Apr 04, 2020 hershs syndicated account helped end u. Hersh is an investigative reporter with 25 videos in the cspan video library. Reading reporter is to be reminded of the true power of journalism.