Nonfiction

Newsroom Confidential: Lessons (and Worries) from an Ink-Stained Life

Newsroom Confidential: Lessons (and Worries) from an Ink-Stained Life

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  • Create Date：2023-01-14 18:16:29
  • Update Date：2025-09-23
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Margaret Sullivan
  • ISBN：1250281903
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Summary

"Sullivan remains the critic American journalism requires， a veteran practitioner with street cred， still in touch with the ‘unaccountable joy’ of reporting and writing that continues to draw talented young people to the field。” —Steve Coll， The New York Times Book Review

Sullivan began her career at the Buffalo News， where she rose from summer intern to editor in chief。 In Newsroom Confidential she chronicles her years in the trenches battling sexism and throwing elbows in a highly competitive newsroom。 In 2012， Sullivan was appointed the public editor of The New York Times， the first woman to hold that important role。 She was in the unique position of acting on behalf of readers to weigh the actions and reporting of the paper's staff， parsing potential lapses in judgment， unethical practices， and thorny journalistic issues。 Sullivan recounts how she navigated the paper’s controversies， from Hillary Clinton's emails to Elon Musk's accusations of unfairness to the need for greater diversity in the newsroom。 In 2016， having served the longest tenure of any public editor， Sullivan left for the Washington Post， where she had a front-row seat to the rise of Donald Trump in American media and politics。

With her celebrated mixture of charm， sharp-eyed observation， and nuanced criticism， Sullivan takes us behind the scenes of the nation's most influential news outlets to explore how Americans lost trust in the news and what it will take to regain it。

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Reviews

Bailey Vandiver ，

Though I think the first two-thirds was stronger than the end， I really enjoyed this inside， analytical look at American journalism。

Allison Goley ，

As a journalist myself， I was fascinated by this topic and the world of such a renowned journalist。 To be brief， Sullivan introduced a new way she argues journalists should approach the news in the era of election denialism。 In essence， Sullivan argues that many journalists focus too heavily on a desire to appear neutral at all costs。 This， she argues， causes journalists to give equal weight to arguments that are unequal in factuality。 Her argument is certainly an interesting perspective to cons As a journalist myself， I was fascinated by this topic and the world of such a renowned journalist。 To be brief， Sullivan introduced a new way she argues journalists should approach the news in the era of election denialism。 In essence， Sullivan argues that many journalists focus too heavily on a desire to appear neutral at all costs。 This， she argues， causes journalists to give equal weight to arguments that are unequal in factuality。 Her argument is certainly an interesting perspective to consider。 She also gives a thorough look at the nation’s waning trust in the media through her career and speculates on the cause。 Overall， I loved the book and found her career fascinating。 My only critique is that I felt some earlier portions of the book came off as arrogant and biased as she described her career and work rather than truly being honest about her feelings， emotions， and vulnerabilities at the time。 。。。more

Daphne Manning ，

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。

Dick Olsen ，

Confession: I like newspapers。 I thoroughly enjoy the national dailies like the NYT， WP， WSJ。 But I am also a great fan of local papers and have subscribed to my hometown （wherever I'm living） paper for over 60 years。 So when Margaret Sullivan makes the case in Newsroom Confidential we need newspapers to not only survive but to thrive as protectors of our democracy she's preaching to the choir。 Sullivan has always been a good writer and her new book is no exception -- a little slow in recounting Confession: I like newspapers。 I thoroughly enjoy the national dailies like the NYT， WP， WSJ。 But I am also a great fan of local papers and have subscribed to my hometown （wherever I'm living） paper for over 60 years。 So when Margaret Sullivan makes the case in Newsroom Confidential we need newspapers to not only survive but to thrive as protectors of our democracy she's preaching to the choir。 Sullivan has always been a good writer and her new book is no exception -- a little slow in recounting her time as Public Editor for the NYT -- but otherwise a great peek into newsrooms and editorial philosophies of papers from Buffalo NY to DC。 This book is a keeper。 Now to find the space on the shelves 。 。 。 。。。more

zenwldflwr ，

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。

Ellen Comisar ，

Big fan of the author。 Loved her insights about her career and especially her portrayal of various editors and reporters I know or know of。 Wish it had been a little more like her columns， which I read avidly

Barbara Taylor ，

Skip the first nine chapters and go directly to what I think makes this book good: her discussion of news media ethics。 The news business needs to remember the point is to serve democracy。

Matthew Budman ，

Margaret Sullivan has a great story to tell， of her rise to the editorship of her hometown Buffalo News and her ascension to national prominence as The New York Times' public editor and the Washington Post's media critic， at a time when news editors' decisions had a very real impact on democracy itself。 Her columns for the Times and Post were unfailingly provocative， and she has remained a strong voice for reorienting journalism to defending democratic institutions against the nihilism of Fox Ne Margaret Sullivan has a great story to tell， of her rise to the editorship of her hometown Buffalo News and her ascension to national prominence as The New York Times' public editor and the Washington Post's media critic， at a time when news editors' decisions had a very real impact on democracy itself。 Her columns for the Times and Post were unfailingly provocative， and she has remained a strong voice for reorienting journalism to defending democratic institutions against the nihilism of Fox News and Donald Trump's zealots。So why does Newsroom Confidential feel so listless？ It's not that Sullivan pulls punches—indeed， she calls out irritating former co-workers and bosses and details a handful of cases as an ombudswoman at greater length than readers not on staff at the papers will want or need。 It's not that news editors don't urgently need to adopt her prescriptions。 More than anything， the problem is with the writing， and not only in that there's little unpredictable or surprising: Sullivan uses remarkably flat， clunky， simplistic prose to recount her ink-stained life， experiences， opinions， and "lessons。" At one point， she refers to prior Times public editor Dan Okrent as an elegant writer， and I wished for more elegance in these pages。 There's no line or paragraph or passage in Newsroom Confidential that will stick in readers' minds， and that's 100% due to the absence of poetry。 Which is a shame—sure， there are other pundits， books， and organizations calling for similar reexaminations of traditional journalistic practices， but few have Sullivan's prominence or audience。 。。。more

Andrea ，

It’s fitting to finish reading this on the 1st anniversary of the insurrection。 Sullivan underscores the importance of journalism and outlines what needs to change。 Media has to take the side of democracy。 Her book combines work memoir with critique。 Woodward and Bernstein were her heroes as a young high school student。 Later， she ends up challenging Woodward for keeping potentially lifesaving news about the pandemic for his DJT book。 She’s had an extraordinary career。 （I hate doing ratings。 Thi It’s fitting to finish reading this on the 1st anniversary of the insurrection。 Sullivan underscores the importance of journalism and outlines what needs to change。 Media has to take the side of democracy。 Her book combines work memoir with critique。 Woodward and Bernstein were her heroes as a young high school student。 Later， she ends up challenging Woodward for keeping potentially lifesaving news about the pandemic for his DJT book。 She’s had an extraordinary career。 （I hate doing ratings。 This book is a B+。 I prefer to reserve 4 stars for extraordinary books; 5 stars for life changing。） 。。。more

Jenna ，

This book wasn’t for me。 😏 DNF

Cazlam ，

I think the ideas in this are important

Georgia ，

This was a 4 star read right up until the last chapter when she started on her odd bashing off bob Woodward？ It was such an out of place thing and frankly felt unnecessary and nothing to do with her over all message of the book， and frankly just left a bad taste in my mouth

Carol ，

Part memoir， part journalism lesson， Newsroom begins with Sullivan’s life at the local Buffalo newspaper where she started as an intern and left as the top editor。 She defends some of her controversial decisions as the NYTimes public editor。 Along the way， she makes a strong case for the value of local as well as national journalism。 Thoughtful reading。

Kristine ，

As a former journalist， I found Sullivan’s book to be very thought-provoking。 She offers insight into why the American public has lost trust in mainstream media and what must be done to overcome that and save our democracy。 It is a quick and easy read， and a must read， especially for those in the journalism or social media fields。

Trina ，

Margaret Sullivan is the perfect read for a news junkie。 I loved the mix of career-memoir and media criticism。 She reflects candidly on her work， the editorial choices made by publications， her crusade against unnecessary use of anonymous sources， and the struggles of shrinking newsrooms and skeptical-or-worse readers。

Kathleen Nalley ，

The timeliness of reading this cannot be overemphasized。 It is an important book by a credible journalist and helps make sense of the media in this critical period where democracy is threatened。 I’m returning my copy to the library then heading to the bookstore to buy one。

Lynne ，

This is actually very interesting but I deducted a point because she so matter of factly talked about how the media swayed the 2016 election away from Clinton。 I knew this happened but hearing the tone of this book angered me。

Emily ，

She’s right about everything。

Kat ❅ ，

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 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。 。。。more

Robyn ，

As a former journalist myself， I found Sullivan's professional experiences to be awe-inspiring and her commentary on the state of the journalism industry both insightful and reaffirming。It took me longer to read this book then normal because I literally had to stop almost every page to either discuss a paragraph with those around me or to think deeper on a point she made。 Side note: Even as a person who has left the industry because of ethical differences， I would pay good money to take her Duke As a former journalist myself， I found Sullivan's professional experiences to be awe-inspiring and her commentary on the state of the journalism industry both insightful and reaffirming。It took me longer to read this book then normal because I literally had to stop almost every page to either discuss a paragraph with those around me or to think deeper on a point she made。 Side note: Even as a person who has left the industry because of ethical differences， I would pay good money to take her Duke University class discussing mainstream media。Thanks to Edelweiss+ for the DRC of this title。 。。。more

Mark Maddrey ，

“[I]t’s not about false equivalency。 It’s about approaching every subject with an open mind， rigorously reporting without bias， and then telling the truth， as gleaned， in a straightforward manner” writes Margaret Sullivan in this memoir focused on her 4 decades in journalism。 The book chronicles her rise from being an intern at the Buffalo News， to becoming their editor in chief， then moving on to work at the NY Times and the Washington Post。 Not surprisingly it is well written and entertaining， “[I]t’s not about false equivalency。 It’s about approaching every subject with an open mind， rigorously reporting without bias， and then telling the truth， as gleaned， in a straightforward manner” writes Margaret Sullivan in this memoir focused on her 4 decades in journalism。 The book chronicles her rise from being an intern at the Buffalo News， to becoming their editor in chief， then moving on to work at the NY Times and the Washington Post。 Not surprisingly it is well written and entertaining， while also being instructive and， ultimately， somewhat optimistic。 She spends a lot of the book on the 2016 and forward time， where the press has had to deal with “a radicalized Republican Party that is increasingly dedicated to lies， bad-faith attacks and the destruction of democratic norms…” She correctly holds the media to task for failing to adjust， for reporting “that some were beginning to call false balance or false equivalence （“Some say the earth is round; others insist it is flat” or， more pertinent， “Some say climate change is real and caused partly by human behavior; others insist it doesn’t exist”）。” As the anecdote goes， if one person says it is raining and another says it is not， step outside to find the truth and report it。 This section of the book is both horrifying and necessary。 She has a four point plan for moving ahead， firstly framing the purpose as serving democracy not to make money， secondly call out those that tell lies or spread conspiracy theories， thirdly educate the public in news literacy， and finally strengthening local news outlets。 I found that she sometimes repeated anecdotes and observations but overall it was a fascinating and important read。 In the end it is us as citizens that really make the change。 “News consumers may claim they want neutral reporting and information: “Be objective。 Just give me the facts。” But their behavior isn’t always consistent with that。” That needs to change。 。。。more

WM D。 ，

Newsroom confidential was a good book。 It tells the story of how a woman who worked for the Washington post and New York Times saw with her own eyes the change in basic journalism。

LaShanda Chamberlain ，

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 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"。 。。。more

M Moore ，

I found this book so interesting！ The behind the scenes insight combined with Sullivan's experienced analysis of how journalism has evolved made for a quick and informative read。 A good pick for your next nonfiction read！Thanks to St。 Martin's Press for this #gifted copy。 My thoughts are my own。 I found this book so interesting！ The behind the scenes insight combined with Sullivan's experienced analysis of how journalism has evolved made for a quick and informative read。 A good pick for your next nonfiction read！Thanks to St。 Martin's Press for this #gifted copy。 My thoughts are my own。 。。。more

Marsha Valance ，

A top editor for the NY Times & Washington Post during the Trump era， who began her career on a local Buffalo paper， Margaret Sullivan described the loss of trust in journalists she has observed with the decline of local newspapers and the rise of profit-driven network tv news。

Linda ，

Very interesting memoir about her 40 years as a journalist during which she worked for both the New York Times and the Washington Post。

CJ ，

This was good but I had been hoping it was going to focus more on her time in local news--a memoir about working your way up a big metro paper and the ins and outs of managing as a woman would have been fascinating to me personally （though I'm not sure to how many others--and the painful reality is that the news industry Sullivan came up in is a thing of the past）。 That being said， this was interesting and Sullivan was refreshingly forthcoming about some of the national media' failures in recent This was good but I had been hoping it was going to focus more on her time in local news--a memoir about working your way up a big metro paper and the ins and outs of managing as a woman would have been fascinating to me personally （though I'm not sure to how many others--and the painful reality is that the news industry Sullivan came up in is a thing of the past）。 That being said， this was interesting and Sullivan was refreshingly forthcoming about some of the national media' failures in recent years。 I wish I had more faith that the people who need to hear them most would take her lessons to heart， but as she herself acknowledges， that is unlikely。 。。。more

Caspar ，

Really enjoyable memoir by a brilliant journalist and media columnist。 I’ve always been interested in journalism without ever being directly involved， so it’s fascinating to learn so much about the thought and care that goes into the work。

Nicole ，

I received an ARC of Newsroom Confidential via a Goodreads giveaway that eventually just became a RC because by the time I could get around to reading， the book had been released。 That doesn’t mean I wasn’t excited to read it， though。 I was。 It’s pitch perfect exactly what my interests gravitate towards。 My degree isn’t in journalism but directly adjacent to it。 I am obsessed with how the media （in all its iterations） shapes our culture。 And I’m a giant nerd for examining and dissecting it all。 I received an ARC of Newsroom Confidential via a Goodreads giveaway that eventually just became a RC because by the time I could get around to reading， the book had been released。 That doesn’t mean I wasn’t excited to read it， though。 I was。 It’s pitch perfect exactly what my interests gravitate towards。 My degree isn’t in journalism but directly adjacent to it。 I am obsessed with how the media （in all its iterations） shapes our culture。 And I’m a giant nerd for examining and dissecting it all。 That said， it took a while for me to get into this book。 The beginning felt like straight memoir and while I wasn’t opposed to it - I knew what the book was going in - it felt a little too inside baseball and vaguely self congratulatory for me （though， let me be clear。 Sullivan is a force and she should be proud of her accomplishments。 I just didn’t need several chapters of her listing her accomplishments to feel that way）。 Once the focus shifted from true personal memoir to a more global and thoughtful examination of journalism as a whole based on her experiences and where we go from here， I was hooked。 I really appreciated the exploration of what objectivity in these times could/should look like。 The discussion of journalistic responsibility and integrity。 Of what journalists owe to the public。 The challenges and barriers that prevent journalists from achieving that goal。Anyone fascinated by the current state of journalism will get something out of this read。 。。。more

Dave ，

Part memoir， part critique of the media， Margaret Sullivan has produced an interesting look at her life in newspapers， the changing role of women in media over the last 30 years， and an analysis of how media contributed to the current political mess。 The fact that she hits on several key thoughts that I share is， of course， totally irrelevant to my awarding the book five stars。 Sullivan， who has served as an ombudsman for the New York Times and media critic for the Washington Post pans how media Part memoir， part critique of the media， Margaret Sullivan has produced an interesting look at her life in newspapers， the changing role of women in media over the last 30 years， and an analysis of how media contributed to the current political mess。 The fact that she hits on several key thoughts that I share is， of course， totally irrelevant to my awarding the book five stars。 Sullivan， who has served as an ombudsman for the New York Times and media critic for the Washington Post pans how media treated Donald Trump from the very beginning - giving him attention and a bigger platform than he deserved。 She notes a comment by Les Moonves of CBS about how Trump may be bad for the country， but he is good for CBS。 She also criticizes the effort by journalists to be overly balanced in their reporting。 They would treat blatant anti-constitutional efforts by Trump and cronies the same way they would treat a minor gaffe by a Democrat。 The two are definitely NOT deserving of equal treatment or investigation。She wraps up with her retirement and commentary of the uncertain future for news reporting， especially at the local level。Living in the Washington DC area， I have always enjoyed her columns in the Post。 Even though the book touches on some of the same topics she visited over the years， I thoroughly enjoyed reading her view of things。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Newsroom Confidential: Lessons (and Worries) from an Ink-Stained Life

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Newsroom Confidential: Lessons (and Worries) from an Ink-Stained Life&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Newsroom Confidential: Lessons (and Worries) from an Ink-Stained Life&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0