Waubonsee Community College

Truth in our times, inside the fight to save press freedom in the age of alternative facts, David McCraw

eng

index present

non fiction

Truth in our times

1076423514

David McCraw

inside the fight to save press freedom in the age of alternative facts

"David E. McGraw recounts his experiences as the top newsroom lawyer for The New York Times during the most turbulent era for journalism in generations. In October 2016, Donald Trump's lawyers demanded that The New York Times retract an article about two women who accused the then presidential candidate of touching them inappropriately. David E. McCraw sent a scathing letter of refusal that dismissed the libel claim, defended the reporters' work on the article, and championed the rights of the women sharing their story as a cornerstone of American democracy. His letter went viral, embraced by liberals as an anti-Trump message and by women as a voice against sexual harassment. McGraw's intent wasn't partisan or political, but to stand against any individual or administration trying to suppress journalists from reporting the truth, and he found himself hailed as a hero of press freedom. With President Trump's declaration of the media as 'the enemy of the American people' and a rallying cry from increasingly volatile quarters dismissing reports as 'fake news,' protecting the First Amendment's freedom of the press has never been more important in the country's history. [This book] shares McGraw's battle experiences as The Times's Deputy General Counsel since 2002, leading the paper's fight for freedom of information, defending it against libel suits, and providing legal counsel to the reporters breaking the biggest stories. From Hillary Clinton's email investigation to Trump's tax returns, McGraw is at the center of the editors' decisions about what news is fit to print. An exclusive look inside the hard legal decisions behind some of the Times's most controversial and impactful stories of the twenty-first century, McGraw's memoir is not only a captivating narrative of the nation's best journalists in the trenches but a love letter celebrating freedom of the press."--Dust jacket

Election day -- Reckless disregard -- Mystery mail and the box in the courthouse -- Tax day -- Day of the gaggle -- US vs. us -- The leaks police -- The don of defamation -- Fake fake news -- Insecure -- Weinstein & Co -- Alice in FOIA-land -- A world of trouble -- One morning a letter -- Afterword