
Behind the White House Curtain
A Senior Journalistās Story of Covering the Presidentāand Why It Matters
- 248 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
Behind the White House Curtain
A Senior Journalistās Story of Covering the Presidentāand Why It Matters
About this book
Going behind the scenes with a veteran member of the White House press corps
Steven L Herman, chief national correspondent for the nonpartisan, government-funded Voice of America (VOA), weaves together memoir and history to pull back the curtain on the inner workings of the White House press corps, giving readers a rare glimpse into the historic and current relationship between the president and the press.
Herman traces the trajectory of his career as a journalistāfrom learning to be skeptical of government officials' statements when he worked as a novice reporter covering nuclear testing in Nevada in the 1970s to understanding the power of on-the-ground social media coverage after the Fukushima disaster in 2011 and facing the challenges of covering the Trump administration. He reflects on the experience of reporting on a president who once called journalists "enemies of the people"āand indeed, former president Trump singled out VOA, accusing the organization of being not a voice of America but rather a voice supporting Moscow's and Beijing's interests. Under questionable circumstances, top VOA executives lost their security clearances, and a dossier was prepared on Herman in an effort to remove him as White House bureau chief. With journalistic independence under threat, Herman feared not only for his career but also for "the soul of Voice of America."
Throughout Behind the White House Curtain, Herman convincingly argues that public access to accurate, unbiased information is essential to a healthy and peaceful democracy, and that journalists can and should play a key role in pressing government officials to be truthful and transparent. At a time when misinformation is rampant and the need for unbiased coverage of current events is more urgent than ever, Herman reminds readers that freedom of the press is a foundational American right.
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Information
Table of contents
- CoverĀ
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- ContentsĀ
- Foreword
- List of Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
- Chapter 7
- Chapter 8
- Chapter 9
- Chapter 10
- Chapter 11
- Chapter 12
- Chapter 13
- Chapter 14
- Chapter 15
- Chapter 16
- Chapter 17
- Chapter 18
- Chapter 19
- Chapter 20
- Chapter 21
- Chapter 22
- Chapter 23
- Chapter 24
- Chapter 25
- Chapter 26
- Chapter 27
- Chapter 28
- Chapter 29
- Chapter 30
- Chapter 31
- Chapter 32
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgments
- Selected Bibliography
- Index
- About the Author