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鈥呚百冐必ж� 氐丨賮賷 丕爻鬲賯氐丕卅賷鈥�
賰鬲丕亘 芦鈥� A Memoir鈥徛烩€忊€� 鈥庁ж� 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 亘毓賳賵丕賳 芦賲匕賰乇丕鬲 氐丨賮賷 丕爻鬲賯氐丕卅賷禄貙 賷鬲賳丕賵賱 鈥徺佡娰囏� 丕賱氐丨賮賷 丕賱丿賵賱賷 丕賱賲禺囟乇賲 爻賷賲賵乇 賲. 賴賷乇卮 丕賱丨丕氐賱 毓賱賶 噩賵丕卅夭 亘賵賱賽鬲夭乇 賵亘賻賵賱賰 賵亘賽賰賽賲貙 鈥徺呝堌ж顿娯� 丿賵賱賷丞 賴丕賲丞: 兀丨丿丕孬 (11) 爻亘鬲賲亘乇貙 毓賱丕賯丞 乇賮賷賯 丕賱丨乇賷乇賷 賲毓 賳馗丕賲 丕賱兀爻丿貙 賮囟賷丨丞 鈥徺堎堌必嘿娰庁� 賮囟賷丨丞 廿賷乇丕賳 鈥� 賰賵賳鬲乇丕 毓丕賲 1987貙 賲匕亘丨丞 賲丕賷 賱丕賷貙 賮囟丨 丕賱丿賵乇 丕賱爻乇賷 鈥徺勝勝呚жㄘ必ж� 丕賱兀賲賷乇賰賷丞 賮賷 廿爻賯丕胤 丕賱賳馗丕賲 丕賱毓賳氐乇賷 亘噩賳賵亘 兀賮乇賷賯賷丕貙 丨乇亘 賮賷鬲賳丕賲貙 丕睾鬲賷丕賱 鈥徹辟堌ㄘ必� 賰賳賷丿賷貙 丨乇亘 兀賲賷乇賰丕 囟丿 丕賱廿乇賴丕亘 廿賱賶 噩丕賳亘 賯囟丕賷丕 毓丿賷丿丞 兀禺乇賶 鬲賴賲賾 丕賱賲胤賱毓賷賳 毓賱賶 鈥徹з勜Ｙ堌敦ж� 丕賱毓乇亘賷丞 賵丕賱毓丕賱賲賷丞.鈥� 鈥� 鈥� 賷爻乇丿 賰鬲丕亘 "賲匕賰乇丕鬲 氐丨賮賷 丕爻鬲賯氐丕卅賷" 丨賷丕丞 賲丐賱賮賴 爻賷賲賵乇 賴賷乇卮 丕賱賲賴賳賷丞 賰氐丨賮賷 鈥徹ж池傌地ж︐� 賰賻卮賻賮賻 丕賱毓丿賷丿 賲賳 丕賱賯囟丕賷丕 丕賱賲丨賱賷丞 賵丕賱毓丕賱賲賷丞貙 丨賷孬 丿賵賾賳 丕賱賲丐賱賮 賵毓賱賶 賲丿賶 鈥忊€�480 氐賮丨丞 賲賯爻賾賲丞 廿賱賶 19 賮氐賱丕賸 賵賲賯丿賲丞貙 賲毓丕賱賲 &
664 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 5, 2018
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About the author
Seymour M. Hersh
33听books405听followersSeymour (Sy) Myron Hersh is an American Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist and author based in Washington, D.C. He is a regular contributor to The New Yorker magazine on military and security matters. He has also won two National Magazine Awards and is a "five-time Polk winner and recipient of the 2004 George Orwell Award."
He first gained worldwide recognition in 1969 for exposing the My Lai Massacre and its cover-up during the Vietnam War, for which he received the 1970 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting. His 2004 reports on the US military's mistreatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison gained much attention.
He first gained worldwide recognition in 1969 for exposing the My Lai Massacre and its cover-up during the Vietnam War, for which he received the 1970 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting. His 2004 reports on the US military's mistreatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison gained much attention.
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December 22, 2018
This is an incredible memoir about journalism and American politics. Seymour Hersh, perhaps most famous for his reporting on the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam war, tells the story of how he got his start in news and shares fascinating stories about the events he's covered in the last five decades.
My favorite sections were Hersh's reporting in Vietnam 鈥� especially the story of how he tracked down the various people involved in My Lai 鈥� Hersh's experiences covering politics in Washington, and his perspective on our national security agencies. It was especially illuminating to read about the corruption of the Richard Nixon administration in the Age of Trump. (Speaking of Nixon, is there a more loathed figure in this book than Henry Kissinger? Not even Hersh's harsh words for Donald Rumsfeld come close to how he felt about Kissinger.)
Sure, one could read this book and despair about the current state of the news media. Or you could read this book and pay attention to all of the times Hersh himself was fighting to get his stories published 鈥� even the good old days of journalism still had their problems. I'm grateful Hersh wrote this memoir, and I hope it helps to inspire the next generation of reporters. Highly recommended.
Opening Passage
My favorite sections were Hersh's reporting in Vietnam 鈥� especially the story of how he tracked down the various people involved in My Lai 鈥� Hersh's experiences covering politics in Washington, and his perspective on our national security agencies. It was especially illuminating to read about the corruption of the Richard Nixon administration in the Age of Trump. (Speaking of Nixon, is there a more loathed figure in this book than Henry Kissinger? Not even Hersh's harsh words for Donald Rumsfeld come close to how he felt about Kissinger.)
Sure, one could read this book and despair about the current state of the news media. Or you could read this book and pay attention to all of the times Hersh himself was fighting to get his stories published 鈥� even the good old days of journalism still had their problems. I'm grateful Hersh wrote this memoir, and I hope it helps to inspire the next generation of reporters. Highly recommended.
Opening Passage
I am a survivor from the golden age of journalism, when reporters for daily newspapers did not have to compete with the twenty-four-hour cable news cycle, when newspapers were flush with cash from display advertisements and want ads, and when I was free to travel anywhere, anytime, for any reason, with company credit cards. There was sufficient time for reporting on a breaking news story without having to constantly relay what was being learned on the newspaper's web page.
There were no televised panels of "experts" and journalists on cable TV who began every answer to every question with the two deadliest words in the media world 鈥� "I think." We are sodden with fake news, hyped-up and incomplete information, and false assertions delivered nonstop by our daily newspapers, our televisions, our online news agencies, our social media, and our President.
Yes, it's a mess. And there is no magic bullet, no savior in sight for the serious media. The mainstream newspapers, magazines and television networks will continue to lay off reporters, reduce staff, and squeeze the funds available for good reporting, and especially for investigative reporting, with its high cost, unpredictable results, and its capacity for angering readers and attracting expensive lawsuits. The newspapers of today far too often rush into print with stories that are essentially little more than tips, or hints of something toxic or criminal. For lack of time, money or skilled staff, we are besieged with "he said, she said" stories in which the reporter is little more than a parrot. I always thought it was a newspaper's mission to search out the truth and not merely to report on the dispute.
June 24, 2018
I love what Hersh has done for America and for journalism. He is one of the great investigative journalists of our time. I sort of wish I hadn't read this memoir because he comes off as kind of a self-important asshole. I suppose you would have to be to break so many stories, but he seems to distrust everybody and do a lot of fighting.
August 7, 2018
Someone reviewed this book saying they thought he came of as a self important asshole and that鈥檚 exactly what I thought he was not. We need smart and persistent investigative reporters, and those likely to be good at it will be loners, with confidence in their abilities and methods, and hopefully, like Hersh, rigorous and honest. I found him charming in his way. He worked well with editors and reporters he trusted but moved at his own pace and following his instincts. He would not be particularly easy to work with and he was certainly persistent. I was amazed at his persistence in finding and talking to Calley about My Lai. I鈥檓 sure I would having given up. So would most others. I also appreciated his efforts to protect informants, selfishly in part, but out of concern to protect his sources. I can鈥檛 wait to read his book on Cheney! But tonight I just ordered the Kissinger book.
June 29, 2018
Seymour Hersh has done an excellent job of reporting for decades and this memoir explains what steps and approaches he has used to break into and expose events and people that were intensely contrary to public norms and assumptions, including the first, the My Lai Massacre. His "secret"? He is persistent; he is impatiently patient; he researches the hell out of events and people; he tells the truth, including to people he is exposing; he keeps his word when he promises secrecy and cover to sources too centrally involved to be exposed without catastrophic consequences (to the point of deciding not to write about something); he uses everything and everybody he knows to get at the details of a story; he relies on documentable facts, keeping his opinions and judgments to himself;* he trusts his intuition and lets it inform him (when someone is dissembling or when the picture is unfinished).
As a result of his aim at telling the factual truth about what has happened and because of his commitment of anonymity to sources, he has gathered inside sources that have provided invaluable information. One feature he notes is that at least some inside sources are motivated because they, too, want the truth to be known and are disturbed by official "truths" sufficiently to either seek Hersh out or to talk and share documents when he contacts them. This college of contacts enables him to go into a story fully armed, so to say, against critics who reflexively accuse him of lying (the "fake news" label that is currently being used). This does not guarantee he is always accurate, as he explains. But it does up the odds that when he brings a story, it will be deftly on target.
Because every scandal he has covered has threatened certain principals at the heart of the scandal, he has been fought hard by major players, including presidential level staff and politicians, by big guns in the military, by other journalists (including sometimes his own editors), and (according to him), the worst, major international corporations. This last note is highly relevant to many of the struggles that are being played out today.
To me, trained and experienced in psychotherapy, his stories reveal the power that shame and the fear of shame have over our lives. Shame is one of nine innate emotions, present from birth, and in its raw form, it is unbearable. The reasons for its unbearability have to do with our evolved nature as a highly social creature; being excluded from ones group can feel like a form of dying.
My Lai, Watergate, the Vietnam War, and so on, are messy events full of the potential to shame; and the revelations Hersh brought to light were indeed quite shaming. Another facet of Hersh's account is the reinforcement of the understanding that no group that has power over others can function without accountability to the wider public. My Lai, for example, was but one piece of a widespread and brutal slide by soldiers into barbaric behavior where there was no accountability from the ground up and the top down. (I believe the likelihood of this deterioration is most likely universal, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, political beliefs, and so on.)
When the truth is hidden, then all parts of our souls are also hidden for our soul is woven out of the truth. So, the truth does set all of us free even as getting to it can feel like rolling in flames.
So, I say, thank you, Brother Hersh, you have made a real difference for the better of humanity in our society and at this time. I hope that others will join me in this appreciation and, more important, pass these "secrets" on!
*I would argue, and I'm sure I'm not alone, that even the decision to write about something reflects an opinion and a judgement. In the case of Hersh, when he chooses to pursue a story, it is because he feels it is something that needs to be told to a wider audience and most typically, these are events where there has been an abuse of power by some individual or group that has done serious damage to others and that has been hidden from view either totally or by an account that is not true. If you are part of the group that Hersh is pursuing, likely the values that inform your decisions are self-protection from being shamed and from being destroyed (that is, taken apart, de-structured). The support of the Common Good requires the former values, employed in as respectful a manner as possible.
As a result of his aim at telling the factual truth about what has happened and because of his commitment of anonymity to sources, he has gathered inside sources that have provided invaluable information. One feature he notes is that at least some inside sources are motivated because they, too, want the truth to be known and are disturbed by official "truths" sufficiently to either seek Hersh out or to talk and share documents when he contacts them. This college of contacts enables him to go into a story fully armed, so to say, against critics who reflexively accuse him of lying (the "fake news" label that is currently being used). This does not guarantee he is always accurate, as he explains. But it does up the odds that when he brings a story, it will be deftly on target.
Because every scandal he has covered has threatened certain principals at the heart of the scandal, he has been fought hard by major players, including presidential level staff and politicians, by big guns in the military, by other journalists (including sometimes his own editors), and (according to him), the worst, major international corporations. This last note is highly relevant to many of the struggles that are being played out today.
To me, trained and experienced in psychotherapy, his stories reveal the power that shame and the fear of shame have over our lives. Shame is one of nine innate emotions, present from birth, and in its raw form, it is unbearable. The reasons for its unbearability have to do with our evolved nature as a highly social creature; being excluded from ones group can feel like a form of dying.
My Lai, Watergate, the Vietnam War, and so on, are messy events full of the potential to shame; and the revelations Hersh brought to light were indeed quite shaming. Another facet of Hersh's account is the reinforcement of the understanding that no group that has power over others can function without accountability to the wider public. My Lai, for example, was but one piece of a widespread and brutal slide by soldiers into barbaric behavior where there was no accountability from the ground up and the top down. (I believe the likelihood of this deterioration is most likely universal, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, political beliefs, and so on.)
When the truth is hidden, then all parts of our souls are also hidden for our soul is woven out of the truth. So, the truth does set all of us free even as getting to it can feel like rolling in flames.
So, I say, thank you, Brother Hersh, you have made a real difference for the better of humanity in our society and at this time. I hope that others will join me in this appreciation and, more important, pass these "secrets" on!
*I would argue, and I'm sure I'm not alone, that even the decision to write about something reflects an opinion and a judgement. In the case of Hersh, when he chooses to pursue a story, it is because he feels it is something that needs to be told to a wider audience and most typically, these are events where there has been an abuse of power by some individual or group that has done serious damage to others and that has been hidden from view either totally or by an account that is not true. If you are part of the group that Hersh is pursuing, likely the values that inform your decisions are self-protection from being shamed and from being destroyed (that is, taken apart, de-structured). The support of the Common Good requires the former values, employed in as respectful a manner as possible.
June 19, 2018
This is an incredible book by an indefatigable researcher/interviewer/writer. I had previously read Hersh's Dark Side of Camelot, which was depressing but demythologized Jack and Bobby Kennedy, when by far the most books about them had been hagiographies.
This book is a play-by-play story of Hersh's career, with some revelations about presidential misuse of power going all the way back to Eisenhower. Hersh has been so successful as a writer, first for the NY Times and later for The New Yorker. One of his secrets is that he has never betrayed a source, which makes more sources likely to trust him. There are things mentioned in this book that he cannot reveal the sources for, which I find admirable. The threats he has suffered also give a sense of the man's courage.
The thing that most stayed with me about this book is the pettiness and willingness to grovel to the government line that major newspapers have exhibited. Hersh details stories that appeared in the Times that were nearly direct quotes from Henry Kissinger, who had obviously seen them before they were published the next day. That put a cynical look at freedom of the press. Hersh also characterizes editors of major newspapers who were self-censoring because of their fears of government disapproval.
But the thing that shocked me most was the degree to which certain CIA actions, for instance, were actually ordered by the president and then lied about. This happened with a number of presidents, not just Richard Nixon. I was amazed at the detail Hersh uncovered about major lies that were being perpetrated on the public, but terribly disappointed that there has been so much secrecy and denial from the executive branch. It's a sad state of affairs when you can't trust your own government to tell you the truth, and Hersh shows that happening over and over, with many different administrations.
This is a brilliant book and a real eye-opener.
This book is a play-by-play story of Hersh's career, with some revelations about presidential misuse of power going all the way back to Eisenhower. Hersh has been so successful as a writer, first for the NY Times and later for The New Yorker. One of his secrets is that he has never betrayed a source, which makes more sources likely to trust him. There are things mentioned in this book that he cannot reveal the sources for, which I find admirable. The threats he has suffered also give a sense of the man's courage.
The thing that most stayed with me about this book is the pettiness and willingness to grovel to the government line that major newspapers have exhibited. Hersh details stories that appeared in the Times that were nearly direct quotes from Henry Kissinger, who had obviously seen them before they were published the next day. That put a cynical look at freedom of the press. Hersh also characterizes editors of major newspapers who were self-censoring because of their fears of government disapproval.
But the thing that shocked me most was the degree to which certain CIA actions, for instance, were actually ordered by the president and then lied about. This happened with a number of presidents, not just Richard Nixon. I was amazed at the detail Hersh uncovered about major lies that were being perpetrated on the public, but terribly disappointed that there has been so much secrecy and denial from the executive branch. It's a sad state of affairs when you can't trust your own government to tell you the truth, and Hersh shows that happening over and over, with many different administrations.
This is a brilliant book and a real eye-opener.
July 7, 2024
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"賰賱 丿賷 丨乇賷丞 賷丕 賵賱丕丿 丕賱賲鬲賳丕**責"
"賰賱 丿賷 丨乇賷丞 賷丕 賵賱丕丿 丕賱賲鬲賳丕**責"
June 29, 2018
Interesting read and walk down memory lane. Considering the current political climate, there were times the book lessened my pessimism by reminding me of some of the horrors which our nation somehow managed to survive鈥�-
And yet also at times deepened my pessimism as I was reminded that we American citizens seem to simply move on without seriously taking stock of our country鈥檚 most shameful episodes.
Will we ever 鈥渕ove on鈥� from鈥攎uch less take stock of 鈥攖hese trump years. Or will we in future look back and think that these trump years weren鈥檛 so bad, as we try to survive worse things to come?
Will we ever recover from the Bush/Cheney years? Was anything lasting learned from the Church committee or from My Lai? From Abu Ghraib?
I look forward to future investigative reporting by Mr Hersh, and to the promised Cheney book. Does the truth matter? Wonderful book, highly recommended.
And yet also at times deepened my pessimism as I was reminded that we American citizens seem to simply move on without seriously taking stock of our country鈥檚 most shameful episodes.
Will we ever 鈥渕ove on鈥� from鈥攎uch less take stock of 鈥攖hese trump years. Or will we in future look back and think that these trump years weren鈥檛 so bad, as we try to survive worse things to come?
Will we ever recover from the Bush/Cheney years? Was anything lasting learned from the Church committee or from My Lai? From Abu Ghraib?
I look forward to future investigative reporting by Mr Hersh, and to the promised Cheney book. Does the truth matter? Wonderful book, highly recommended.
November 3, 2019
This guy is an American hero. He really tells it like it is. Reporters like this make the world a better place.
June 24, 2018
Crusading journalist consistently proven right
Hersh鈥檚 book is an inspiring account of defying conventional wisdom and political pressure to uncover truth no matter how hidden it is.
Hersh鈥檚 book is an inspiring account of defying conventional wisdom and political pressure to uncover truth no matter how hidden it is.
November 19, 2018
Seymour Hersh's reporting on foreign policy, national security and intelligence affairs has been required reading for decades. A described lone wolf, Hersh has had numerous relationships with major news organizations, notably the New York Times and the New Yorker, but his real strength has been the tenacious and patient network of sources he's developed and kept active long after one major story has passed...helping lead him to the next one.
Hersh's memoir, Reporter, opens with his very basic Chicago beginnings. His father ran a dry-cleaning store and for a time it looked as though Hersh would be saddled running it indefinitely after his father's death. But that was impossible. He was too smart not to be noticed by mentors who helped enroll him in the University of Chicago and then move through the news networks in the Midwest to Washington and ultimately to the world.
In wonderfully vivid, clear, fast-paced prose, Hersh takes us through his major breakthrough--reporting on the My Lai massacre in Vietnam--to Watergate stories, CIA expos茅s, the Abu Ghraib atrocities in Iraq, etc. He's often more kind to editors he worked for than they were to him. I can only deduce that Abe Rosenthal of the New York Times was jealous of him, for example. But even though investigative journalism, of which he is the great master, is a rough business, he has reached his eighth decade still marveling at his partners and rivals in reporting, giving credit where credit is due to journalists like Bob Woodward.
One of the mysteries of investigative journalism is why it's necessary. It's hard to believe that JFK or LBJ or Nixon or Henry Kissinger or a handful of CIA directors so often decided that lying and deceit were the best way to deal with their misjudgments and mistakes. (Today Donald Trump takes this practice to an extreme, a fool like no fool in the history of the Republic.) But the truth about Vietnam or overthrowing Allende in Chile or letting prison guards turn into torturers in Iraq (while CIA officers became torturers at black sites around the world) always has been too much for our leaders to frankly admit. Enter reporters like Hersh, looking for leads, documents, quotes, and concrete evidence that are absolutely essential for a democracy to confront.
Reporter tells the tale of telling the tale. It's fascinating. Did Syria under Assad have to become what it has become? Hersh makes us wonder about that. Has there ever been a worse ally than Pakistan (or now, Saudi Arabia)? Hersh squares up on that question, too. He's not preachy, he's not pompous, he's a reporter, and a great one.
Hersh's memoir, Reporter, opens with his very basic Chicago beginnings. His father ran a dry-cleaning store and for a time it looked as though Hersh would be saddled running it indefinitely after his father's death. But that was impossible. He was too smart not to be noticed by mentors who helped enroll him in the University of Chicago and then move through the news networks in the Midwest to Washington and ultimately to the world.
In wonderfully vivid, clear, fast-paced prose, Hersh takes us through his major breakthrough--reporting on the My Lai massacre in Vietnam--to Watergate stories, CIA expos茅s, the Abu Ghraib atrocities in Iraq, etc. He's often more kind to editors he worked for than they were to him. I can only deduce that Abe Rosenthal of the New York Times was jealous of him, for example. But even though investigative journalism, of which he is the great master, is a rough business, he has reached his eighth decade still marveling at his partners and rivals in reporting, giving credit where credit is due to journalists like Bob Woodward.
One of the mysteries of investigative journalism is why it's necessary. It's hard to believe that JFK or LBJ or Nixon or Henry Kissinger or a handful of CIA directors so often decided that lying and deceit were the best way to deal with their misjudgments and mistakes. (Today Donald Trump takes this practice to an extreme, a fool like no fool in the history of the Republic.) But the truth about Vietnam or overthrowing Allende in Chile or letting prison guards turn into torturers in Iraq (while CIA officers became torturers at black sites around the world) always has been too much for our leaders to frankly admit. Enter reporters like Hersh, looking for leads, documents, quotes, and concrete evidence that are absolutely essential for a democracy to confront.
Reporter tells the tale of telling the tale. It's fascinating. Did Syria under Assad have to become what it has become? Hersh makes us wonder about that. Has there ever been a worse ally than Pakistan (or now, Saudi Arabia)? Hersh squares up on that question, too. He's not preachy, he's not pompous, he's a reporter, and a great one.
February 3, 2022
"Daca maica-ta zice ca te iubeste , dute si verifica !" , aceasta este deviza unui adevarat jurnalist.
Cartea aceasta iti cam arata diferenta dintre articolele mizerabile scrise in ziua de azi bazate pe supozitii, interpretari ca sa nu mai vorbim de minciuni deliberate si cele scrise in era de aur a ziarelor intre anii 60-80'.
Omul asta a acoperit Razboiul din Vietnam (masacrele My Lai) , Afacerea Watergate , Submarinul Rusesc scufundat in Pacific si cautat de americani , Razboiul din Golf , Razboiul Impotriva Terorii, Crima Organizata din Chicago , a scris un urias volum despre matrapazlacurile lui Kissinger , l-a dat in Vileag pe Dick Cheney, a cautat sa inteleaga Orientul Mijlociu intervievand pe presedintele sirian , Assad (cu ocazia asta am aflat ca nu a dat cu gaz sarin cum se zicea) , pe conducatorul Hezbollah , Hassan Nasrallah , torturile din Iraq etc.
Este un jurnalist de talie mondiala pentru ca curajul, etica ,perseverenta, dedicarea si calitatea muncii sale sunt incontestabile.
A scuturat de-a lungul timpului Casa Alba , armata, Pentagonul , Congresul American . Oamenii intotdeauna i-au oferit ponturi si informatii pentru ca stiau ca etica lui este exemplara. Si-a protejat sursele cat de bine a putut in ciuda presiunilor imense a tertelor parti implicate , a informat persoanele despre care scria articolele negative apriori , a cautat adevarul oricat de murdar si neplacut a fost , fapt ce i-a adus renume mondial precum si admiratia tuturor adversarilor sai .
Un moment ce m-a impresionat : cautarea soldatului ce a autorizat masacrarea a 100 de civili in Vietnam. Jurnalistul nostru l-a cautat prin toata America , a mers pe toate pistele de pe o coasta pe alta. Pana la urma printr-un lant de surse indirecte, mergand din aproape in aproape, i-a dat de urma intr-o baza americana.
Nu s-a lasat pana nu a reusit sa se infiltreze in baza , l-a gasit pe un prieten al soldatului , l-a luat cu masina , iar acesta seara i-a facut legatura cu soldatul.A durat luni de zile cautarea , dar articolul ce a iesit a influentat politica americana din Vietnam , si probabil ca a inclinat balanta in favoarea retragerii. Ulterior visul sau s-a implinit si i-a fost oferita o slujba permanenta la ziarul sau de suflet The New York Times.
Daca a reusit ceva aceasta carte , este faptul ca mi-a intarit convingerea ca fac bine ca nu citesc ziare sau urmaresc stiri din surse traditionale, preferand site-uri controversate , precum 4chan, Liveleak , unde e la latitudinea cititorului sa filtreze tot ce citeste dar totodata este si locul unde apar informatiile nefiltrate de multe ori chiar de la sursa.
Cartea aceasta iti cam arata diferenta dintre articolele mizerabile scrise in ziua de azi bazate pe supozitii, interpretari ca sa nu mai vorbim de minciuni deliberate si cele scrise in era de aur a ziarelor intre anii 60-80'.
Omul asta a acoperit Razboiul din Vietnam (masacrele My Lai) , Afacerea Watergate , Submarinul Rusesc scufundat in Pacific si cautat de americani , Razboiul din Golf , Razboiul Impotriva Terorii, Crima Organizata din Chicago , a scris un urias volum despre matrapazlacurile lui Kissinger , l-a dat in Vileag pe Dick Cheney, a cautat sa inteleaga Orientul Mijlociu intervievand pe presedintele sirian , Assad (cu ocazia asta am aflat ca nu a dat cu gaz sarin cum se zicea) , pe conducatorul Hezbollah , Hassan Nasrallah , torturile din Iraq etc.
Este un jurnalist de talie mondiala pentru ca curajul, etica ,perseverenta, dedicarea si calitatea muncii sale sunt incontestabile.
A scuturat de-a lungul timpului Casa Alba , armata, Pentagonul , Congresul American . Oamenii intotdeauna i-au oferit ponturi si informatii pentru ca stiau ca etica lui este exemplara. Si-a protejat sursele cat de bine a putut in ciuda presiunilor imense a tertelor parti implicate , a informat persoanele despre care scria articolele negative apriori , a cautat adevarul oricat de murdar si neplacut a fost , fapt ce i-a adus renume mondial precum si admiratia tuturor adversarilor sai .
Un moment ce m-a impresionat : cautarea soldatului ce a autorizat masacrarea a 100 de civili in Vietnam. Jurnalistul nostru l-a cautat prin toata America , a mers pe toate pistele de pe o coasta pe alta. Pana la urma printr-un lant de surse indirecte, mergand din aproape in aproape, i-a dat de urma intr-o baza americana.
Nu s-a lasat pana nu a reusit sa se infiltreze in baza , l-a gasit pe un prieten al soldatului , l-a luat cu masina , iar acesta seara i-a facut legatura cu soldatul.A durat luni de zile cautarea , dar articolul ce a iesit a influentat politica americana din Vietnam , si probabil ca a inclinat balanta in favoarea retragerii. Ulterior visul sau s-a implinit si i-a fost oferita o slujba permanenta la ziarul sau de suflet The New York Times.
Daca a reusit ceva aceasta carte , este faptul ca mi-a intarit convingerea ca fac bine ca nu citesc ziare sau urmaresc stiri din surse traditionale, preferand site-uri controversate , precum 4chan, Liveleak , unde e la latitudinea cititorului sa filtreze tot ce citeste dar totodata este si locul unde apar informatiile nefiltrate de multe ori chiar de la sursa.
July 27, 2018
One thing clear about this book is that writing a newspaper story is easy. Yes, it鈥檚 easy, but only if you have all the information you need to write it. And that鈥檚 the rub as Hersh shows in his memoir. On so many of his memorable stories such as the Mai Lai massacre in Vietnam, the Watergate scandal, and the various missteps of the CIA, the difficulty was gathering all the facts in spite of our own military and government trying to hide these stories from seeing the light of day. There鈥檚 a lot of leg work involved in gathering such facts including the knack of knowing just where to go and who to talk with. Hersh clearly mastered these techniques early in his career and put them to good purpose like the Mai Lai story which won him a Pulitzer Prize.
When all the facts are gathered and the writing commences, what鈥檚 the next step? Convincing your editor that you have the complete story and the newspaper won鈥檛 be sued for libel is a start. Many times in his career Hersh鈥檚 editor decided to kill the story or save it for another time. Perhaps it was for the best but only history can give a clear answer to that conundrum.
There were many occasions when Hersh tried to learn the facts for his story but was deceived by high-ranking military and government officials. Henry Kissinger and Dick Cheney are two examples who are exposed in this book. The cynic in me believes that this ugly habit of hiding important information from the American public is still going on today in our own Federal government. One has to wonder: Will they ever learn?
On a personal note, I learned a lot about the business of print journalism. When I was a boy my father was a reporter for the East St. Louis Journal and the St. Louis Globe Democrat. Later in his career he was the editor of Midwest Labor World, a house organ for the Teamsters Union. Thanks to Hersh鈥檚 book I have a much better understanding and appreciation of what my father did in those days.
When all the facts are gathered and the writing commences, what鈥檚 the next step? Convincing your editor that you have the complete story and the newspaper won鈥檛 be sued for libel is a start. Many times in his career Hersh鈥檚 editor decided to kill the story or save it for another time. Perhaps it was for the best but only history can give a clear answer to that conundrum.
There were many occasions when Hersh tried to learn the facts for his story but was deceived by high-ranking military and government officials. Henry Kissinger and Dick Cheney are two examples who are exposed in this book. The cynic in me believes that this ugly habit of hiding important information from the American public is still going on today in our own Federal government. One has to wonder: Will they ever learn?
On a personal note, I learned a lot about the business of print journalism. When I was a boy my father was a reporter for the East St. Louis Journal and the St. Louis Globe Democrat. Later in his career he was the editor of Midwest Labor World, a house organ for the Teamsters Union. Thanks to Hersh鈥檚 book I have a much better understanding and appreciation of what my father did in those days.
July 25, 2020
Deftly narrated by Arthur Morey, the CD audiobook edition entertained and interested me for a week of July 2020. Solid three star-I liked it. It's just long enough.
Hersh is a tough bulldog reporter. Proud and fearless, his writing is purposeful. He sharpens the arrowhead on each sentence and lets fly. He has lots of axes to grind.
Hersh, the quintessential iconoclast, pulls back the curtain on the major news events of the past 60 years. There is personal reflection as well. Some of my favorite passages are of his upbringing in Chicago's Austin neighborhood, toiling, stocking shelves in a Walgreens.
I salute his dedication to unearthing the facts.
Hersh is a tough bulldog reporter. Proud and fearless, his writing is purposeful. He sharpens the arrowhead on each sentence and lets fly. He has lots of axes to grind.
Hersh, the quintessential iconoclast, pulls back the curtain on the major news events of the past 60 years. There is personal reflection as well. Some of my favorite passages are of his upbringing in Chicago's Austin neighborhood, toiling, stocking shelves in a Walgreens.
I salute his dedication to unearthing the facts.
May 6, 2023
A memoir by one of my favorite journalists. This guy is 86 years old so he鈥檚 been around for like鈥� a hundred years and he鈥檚 still giving us unrivalled quality journalism, recently in 2023 about a US and Norway鈥檚 secret joint operation about blowing up the Nord Stream pipelines. He鈥檚 been consistently producing top notch long-form stories for all his career, valuing truth above all else while being defiant towards the dishonest, manipulative, power-hungry side of the US and other governments and their propaganda. This man is a global treasure and I鈥檓 glad he鈥檚 been alive and active for this long.
One of the things I learned from his story is the degree to which most journalists are government mouth-pieces and sell-outs. The widespread state influence over the (mainstream) media is really quite scary so journalists like Hersh are invaluable to get the real truth and a genuine understanding of major events. This is why I largely avoid the news. Long-form stories and books go a lot further in providing a more truthful view of the world.
Hersh has his biases but his views don鈥檛 really matter since they don鈥檛 affect the quality of his stories. This is how journalism should be, not a bunch of moralizing, trendy garbage by activists posing as journalists.
One of the things I learned from his story is the degree to which most journalists are government mouth-pieces and sell-outs. The widespread state influence over the (mainstream) media is really quite scary so journalists like Hersh are invaluable to get the real truth and a genuine understanding of major events. This is why I largely avoid the news. Long-form stories and books go a lot further in providing a more truthful view of the world.
Hersh has his biases but his views don鈥檛 really matter since they don鈥檛 affect the quality of his stories. This is how journalism should be, not a bunch of moralizing, trendy garbage by activists posing as journalists.
November 14, 2018
Seymour Hersh is an honored investigative reporter that I've long admired. I enjoyed listening to his life story. Reminiscing about the past presidential administrations and the people who advised those presidents. He developed meaningful relationships and was known as a straight shooter.
One caveat, the narrator mispronounced several names.
One caveat, the narrator mispronounced several names.
May 30, 2019
Must read memoir by the legendary reporter. Worth reading in its entirety but the section on William Calley is absolutely outstanding. And don't miss his side-splitting account of the failing NY TIMES dismissing him as "loud, insistent, and charmless." I think they meant to say "pushy!"
August 12, 2019
A very good book, primarily about how Sy did his work, then about some of the specific projects, such as My Lai, Watergate, the CIA domestic spying and on to Abu Ghraib.
As part of this, Hersh reveals how he landed at the NYT, why he moved on, how he landed for his second and main stint at the New Yorker, why he left (he thought Remnick writing a bio of Obama was an ethical bright line), and bits of how he landed at the London Review of Books and then moved past it to Die Welt. With LRB, it wasn't fact-checking as the deal-breaker; he says he thought he was being asked for facts that were trivial or irrelevant to the story he had produced.
That said, he more than once appreciates the work of Remnick in particular and editors in general. He admits they've helped him, on suggesting specific additional information, getting people to go on the record rather than just background, and on tightening things up. (He indirectly indicates that his writing tends to wander at times and so he needs that type of editing help as well.) At the New Yorker and LRB, he also says he appreciates the degree of fact-checking work.
It's a shame that his Cheney bio was derailed. Hersh, presumably as a good protector of sources, doesn't shed more light on that.
But, we get this instead.
For long-time readers of him, there's not a lot of new spill the beans stuff. (I can see voting it 4 stars instead of 5 because of this, but 3? No.)
He does mention that Clean Gene McCarthy was a CIA bagman for JFK; he may have mentioned that in Dark Side of Camelot, but it's been a long time since I read that. He also mentions three documented instances of Dick Nixon hitting Pat, the first when he lost the Cal governor's race, the second in the White House and the third just after arriving in San Clemente after his resignation. Hersh says he heard about the third in real time, then, working sources, got info about the other two.
Obviously, he didn't report it. He mentioned it to the public for the first time at a 1998 Harvard event, and was rightly called out by many women in attendance as domestic violence is a crime.
One thing that is missing, other than the broadest of overviews about the Trump Administration, is Ed Butowsky's attempt to entangle Hersh in the Seth Rich conspiracy theory. Hersh didn't bite on Rich being murdered as a coverup, but he did appear to believe then that Rich stole the emails. (Confession: As I blogged at the time , so did I, but I backed away from that within six months. I don't know where Sy is, and if he's not commented further on advice of counsel given all the lawsuits involved here.)
As part of this, Hersh reveals how he landed at the NYT, why he moved on, how he landed for his second and main stint at the New Yorker, why he left (he thought Remnick writing a bio of Obama was an ethical bright line), and bits of how he landed at the London Review of Books and then moved past it to Die Welt. With LRB, it wasn't fact-checking as the deal-breaker; he says he thought he was being asked for facts that were trivial or irrelevant to the story he had produced.
That said, he more than once appreciates the work of Remnick in particular and editors in general. He admits they've helped him, on suggesting specific additional information, getting people to go on the record rather than just background, and on tightening things up. (He indirectly indicates that his writing tends to wander at times and so he needs that type of editing help as well.) At the New Yorker and LRB, he also says he appreciates the degree of fact-checking work.
It's a shame that his Cheney bio was derailed. Hersh, presumably as a good protector of sources, doesn't shed more light on that.
But, we get this instead.
For long-time readers of him, there's not a lot of new spill the beans stuff. (I can see voting it 4 stars instead of 5 because of this, but 3? No.)
He does mention that Clean Gene McCarthy was a CIA bagman for JFK; he may have mentioned that in Dark Side of Camelot, but it's been a long time since I read that. He also mentions three documented instances of Dick Nixon hitting Pat, the first when he lost the Cal governor's race, the second in the White House and the third just after arriving in San Clemente after his resignation. Hersh says he heard about the third in real time, then, working sources, got info about the other two.
Obviously, he didn't report it. He mentioned it to the public for the first time at a 1998 Harvard event, and was rightly called out by many women in attendance as domestic violence is a crime.
One thing that is missing, other than the broadest of overviews about the Trump Administration, is Ed Butowsky's attempt to entangle Hersh in the Seth Rich conspiracy theory. Hersh didn't bite on Rich being murdered as a coverup, but he did appear to believe then that Rich stole the emails. (Confession: As I blogged at the time , so did I, but I backed away from that within six months. I don't know where Sy is, and if he's not commented further on advice of counsel given all the lawsuits involved here.)
August 21, 2020
Seymour Hersh's "Reporter: A Memoir," is nothing less than a masterclass in journalism. In his taut-but-engaging prose, the best investigative reporter of our time details some of his biggest scoops and the government incompetence surrounding them, ranging from the My Lai massacre in Vietnam to Watergate to the torture of American-held Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib. Hersh shows the importance of hard-nosed journalism in holding officials accountable and helping our democracy function. With blogs, opinion screed and Fake News such as Bretibart and Fox News on the ascendancy, I worry about our country's future, as does Hersh.
May 1, 2021
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賲乇賵乇丕賸 亘毓卮乇丕鬲 丕賱賯氐氐 丕賱賲孬賷乇丞 毓賳 毓賲賱賷丕鬲 丕賱賲禺丕亘乇丕鬲 丕賱兀賲乇賷賰賷丞 丕賱賯匕乇丞 賵 禺亘丕賷丕 丕賱亘賷鬲 丕賱兀亘賷囟 賵 丕賱賰賵賳噩乇爻 賵 丕賱亘賳鬲丕噩賵賳 賵 丕賱毓丿丕賵丕鬲 丕賱卮禺氐賷丞 丕賱賰孬賷乇丞 丕賱鬲賷 噩賲毓賴丕 爻丕賷 亘毓丿 賰賱 鬲丨賯賷賯 兀賵 賲賯丕賱丞 賷賰鬲亘賴丕
胤亘毓丕賸 賯丕卅賲丞 丕賱毓丿丕賵丕鬲 鬲亘丿兀 亘丕賱乇卅賷爻 賳賷賰爻賵賳 賵 賵夭賷乇賴 丕賱兀卮賴乇 賴賳乇賷 賰爻賷賳噩乇 賵賱丕 鬲賳鬲賴賷 亘丿賷賰 卮賷賳賷 賵 乇丕賲爻賮賷賱丿 賵 毓卮乇丕鬲 睾賷乇賴賲 賲賳 賵夭乇丕亍 丕賱丿賮丕毓 賵 丕賱禺丕乇噩賷丞 賵 乇丐爻丕亍 丕賱賲禺丕亘乇丕鬲 賵胤亘毓丕賸 夭賲賱丕亍 丕賱賲賴賳丞 丕賱兀賱丿丕亍 毓賱賶 丕賱丿賵丕賲.
賱丕賷賲賰賳賳賷 丕賱丨丿賷孬 亘賲賵囟賵毓賷丞 毓賳 賰鬲丕亘 賰賴匕丕 賵 賱丕 丕噩丿 丕賱噩乇兀丞 賱丕賯鬲亘丕爻 兀賷 賲賳 賯氐氐賴 丕賱賰孬賷乇丞 賵丕賱賲孬賷乇丞 賱爻亘亘 亘爻賷胤 賴賵 兀賳 兀賷 丕賯鬲亘丕爻 爻賷卮毓乇賳賷 亘丕賱廿爻丕亍丞 賱鬲賱賰 丕賱賯氐丞 賵丕賱毓賲賱 丕賱亘胤賵賱賷 賵乇丕亍賴丕 賵 丕賱鬲賮丕氐賷賱 丕賱賲孬賷乇丞 丕賱鬲賷 鬲禺賱賱鬲賴丕 賵 丕賱鬲賷 鬲噩亘乇賰 毓賱賶 丕丨鬲乇丕賲 丕賱賲噩賴賵丿 丕賱賰亘賷乇 賵 賲賳 賯亘賱賴 丕賱賯賷賲 丕賱毓賲賷賯丞 丕賱鬲賷 賷丨賲賱賴丕 賴匕丕 丕賱乇噩賱 亘賷賳 噩賳亘賷賴. 賷賰賮賷 賮賯胤 兀賳 兀卮賷乇 賱丨丕丿孬丞 氐睾賷乇丞 鬲丿賱賱 毓賱賶 賲丕 兀賯賵賱貙 賷丨賰賷 爻丕賷 兀賳賴 賰丕賳 亘氐丿丿 丕賱鬲丨賯賷賯 毓賳 賮爻丕丿 卮乇賰丞 賲賳 丕賱卮乇賰丕鬲 丕賱毓賲賱丕賯丞 賵 兀丨丿 賰亘丕乇 賲爻丕賴賲賷賴丕 賵禺賱丕賱 鬲丨賯賷賯丕鬲賴 丕賰鬲卮賮 兀賳 賴匕丕 丕賱卮禺氐 賯丿 兀禺匕 賯乇囟丕賸 亘賮丕卅丿丞 賱丕鬲匕賰乇 賲賳 丕賱卮乇賰丞 亘賲賵丕賮賯丞 賲噩賱爻 丕賱廿丿丕乇丞 賲賲丕 賷毓丿 卮亘賴丞 賮爻丕丿貙 賵賱賰賳賴 鬲乇賷孬 賯亘賱 丕賱賳卮乇 賵兀禺匕 賷亘丨孬 毓賳 兀丨丿丕孬 賲賲丕孬賱丞 賮賷 賲丐爻爻丕鬲 賵卮乇賰丕鬲 兀禺乇賶 賮賮賵噩卅 亘兀賳 乇卅賷爻賴 賮賷 噩乇賷丿丞 丕賱鬲丕賷賲夭 賯丿 丨氐賱 毓賱賶 賯乇囟 賲卮丕亘賴 賲賳 賲噩賱爻 廿丿丕乇丞 丕賱噩乇賷丿丞貙 賮賲丕 賰丕賳 賲賳賴 廿賱丕 兀賳 丕賳賮毓賱 賵丿禺賱 毓賱賷賴 丕賱賲賰鬲亘 氐丕卅丨丕賸 賱賯丿 兀賮爻丿鬲 鬲賯乇賷乇賷 亘爻亘亘 噩卮毓賰 賵亘爻亘亘賰 賱賳 兀爻鬲胤賷毓 賳卮乇 賲丕 鬲賵氐賱鬲 兀賱賷賴 賵 兀賱賯賶 兀賲丕賲 乇卅賷爻賴 丕賱兀賵乇丕賯 丕賱鬲賷 丨氐賱 毓賱賷賴丕 賮爻兀賱賴 乇卅賷爻賴 賲賳丿賴卮丕賸 賵賴賱 賰賳鬲 鬲丨賯賯 賮賷 禺賱賮賷鬲賷 丕賱賲丕賱賷丞貙 賮兀噩丕亘賴 亘賳毓賲 賵 禺乇噩.
丕賱賲丿賴卮 兀賳 乇卅賷爻賴 賵 乇睾賲 鬲亘乇賷乇賴 賱賲賵賯賮賴 亘兀賳賴 賯丕賳賵賳賷 鬲賲丕賲丕賸 廿賱丕 兀賳賴 兀乇爻賱 賱爻賷賲賵乇 賴賷乇卮 亘毓丿 兀爻丕亘賷毓 賲馗乇賵賮丕賸 爻賲賷賰丕賸 賷丨鬲賵賷 毓賱賶 賵孬丕卅賯 鬲亘賷賳 兀賳賴 賯丿 鬲禺賱賶 毓賳 賯乇囟 丕賱噩乇賷丿丞 賵丕爻鬲亘丿賱賴 亘賯乇囟 丌禺乇 賲賳 亘賳賰 賲丨賱賷
賵賰兀賳賴 賷賯賵賱 賱賴 亘丿賵賳 賰賱賲丕鬲 兀賳 賱丕卮賷亍 賷爻丕賵賷 賳夭丕賴丞 賵賳氐丕毓丞 爻賲毓丞 丕賱氐丨賮賷 丕賱丨賯賷賯賷.
孬賲丞 賲賱丕丨馗丞 噩丿賷乇丞 亘丕賱丕賳鬲亘丕賴 賵賴賷 兀賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賲賱賷亍 亘丕賱鬲賮丕氐賷賱 賵 丕賱兀爻賲丕亍 賵丕賱鬲賵丕乇賷禺 賵 丕賱賲丐賱賮 賱丕 賷噩丿 丨乇噩丕賸 賮賷 廿睾乇丕賯賰 賮賷 鬲賮丕氐賷賱 賵兀爻賲丕亍 賰孬賷乇丞 賱賰賱 賯氐丞 賷乇賵賷賴丕貙 賲賲丕 賷卮毓乇賰 亘丕賱囟賷丕毓 賮賷 亘毓囟 丕賱兀賵賯丕鬲 賲丕賱賲 鬲賰賳 丨丕囟乇 丕賱匕賴賳 賵兀賳鬲 鬲賯乇兀 丕賱賯氐氐 丕賱賲孬賷乇丞
賴匕丕 丕賱乇噩賱 賴賵 丕賱賳賲賵匕噩 丕賱兀禺賷乇 丕賱亘丕賯賷 賱賲丕鬲毓賳賷賴 丕賱氐丨丕賮丞 亘賲毓賳丕賴丕 丕賱丨賯賷賯賷 丕賱賲噩乇丿貙 丕賱爻賱胤丞 丕賱乇丕亘毓丞 丕賱丨賯賷賯賷丞 丕賱鬲賷 鬲爻鬲賯氐賷 賵 鬲賲丨氐 賵 鬲丨賯賯 賵鬲賮囟丨 丕賱兀賰丕匕賷亘貙 兀賰丕匕賷亘 乇噩丕賱 丕賱賲丕賱 賵 丕賱爻賱胤丞 賵 丕賱噩賷卮 賵 兀賷 噩賴丞 匕丕鬲 賳賮賵匕 鬲丨丕賵賱 兀賳 鬲囟賱賱 兀賵 鬲夭賷賮 賵毓賷 丕賱賳丕爻
丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賲賱賷亍 亘丕賱賯氐氐 丕賱兀賯乇亘 廿賱賶 丕賱禺賷丕賱 賵 丕賱賲賲鬲丿丞 毓亘乇 毓丿丞 毓賯賵丿 賲賳匕 丨乇亘 賮賷鬲賳丕賲 賵 賮囟賷丨丞 賲匕亘丨丞 賲丕賷賱丕賷 賵 丨鬲賶 爻噩賳 兀亘賵 睾乇賷亘 賵丕睾鬲賷丕賱 亘賳 賱丕丿賳
賲乇賵乇丕賸 亘毓卮乇丕鬲 丕賱賯氐氐 丕賱賲孬賷乇丞 毓賳 毓賲賱賷丕鬲 丕賱賲禺丕亘乇丕鬲 丕賱兀賲乇賷賰賷丞 丕賱賯匕乇丞 賵 禺亘丕賷丕 丕賱亘賷鬲 丕賱兀亘賷囟 賵 丕賱賰賵賳噩乇爻 賵 丕賱亘賳鬲丕噩賵賳 賵 丕賱毓丿丕賵丕鬲 丕賱卮禺氐賷丞 丕賱賰孬賷乇丞 丕賱鬲賷 噩賲毓賴丕 爻丕賷 亘毓丿 賰賱 鬲丨賯賷賯 兀賵 賲賯丕賱丞 賷賰鬲亘賴丕
胤亘毓丕賸 賯丕卅賲丞 丕賱毓丿丕賵丕鬲 鬲亘丿兀 亘丕賱乇卅賷爻 賳賷賰爻賵賳 賵 賵夭賷乇賴 丕賱兀卮賴乇 賴賳乇賷 賰爻賷賳噩乇 賵賱丕 鬲賳鬲賴賷 亘丿賷賰 卮賷賳賷 賵 乇丕賲爻賮賷賱丿 賵 毓卮乇丕鬲 睾賷乇賴賲 賲賳 賵夭乇丕亍 丕賱丿賮丕毓 賵 丕賱禺丕乇噩賷丞 賵 乇丐爻丕亍 丕賱賲禺丕亘乇丕鬲 賵胤亘毓丕賸 夭賲賱丕亍 丕賱賲賴賳丞 丕賱兀賱丿丕亍 毓賱賶 丕賱丿賵丕賲.
賱丕賷賲賰賳賳賷 丕賱丨丿賷孬 亘賲賵囟賵毓賷丞 毓賳 賰鬲丕亘 賰賴匕丕 賵 賱丕 丕噩丿 丕賱噩乇兀丞 賱丕賯鬲亘丕爻 兀賷 賲賳 賯氐氐賴 丕賱賰孬賷乇丞 賵丕賱賲孬賷乇丞 賱爻亘亘 亘爻賷胤 賴賵 兀賳 兀賷 丕賯鬲亘丕爻 爻賷卮毓乇賳賷 亘丕賱廿爻丕亍丞 賱鬲賱賰 丕賱賯氐丞 賵丕賱毓賲賱 丕賱亘胤賵賱賷 賵乇丕亍賴丕 賵 丕賱鬲賮丕氐賷賱 丕賱賲孬賷乇丞 丕賱鬲賷 鬲禺賱賱鬲賴丕 賵 丕賱鬲賷 鬲噩亘乇賰 毓賱賶 丕丨鬲乇丕賲 丕賱賲噩賴賵丿 丕賱賰亘賷乇 賵 賲賳 賯亘賱賴 丕賱賯賷賲 丕賱毓賲賷賯丞 丕賱鬲賷 賷丨賲賱賴丕 賴匕丕 丕賱乇噩賱 亘賷賳 噩賳亘賷賴. 賷賰賮賷 賮賯胤 兀賳 兀卮賷乇 賱丨丕丿孬丞 氐睾賷乇丞 鬲丿賱賱 毓賱賶 賲丕 兀賯賵賱貙 賷丨賰賷 爻丕賷 兀賳賴 賰丕賳 亘氐丿丿 丕賱鬲丨賯賷賯 毓賳 賮爻丕丿 卮乇賰丞 賲賳 丕賱卮乇賰丕鬲 丕賱毓賲賱丕賯丞 賵 兀丨丿 賰亘丕乇 賲爻丕賴賲賷賴丕 賵禺賱丕賱 鬲丨賯賷賯丕鬲賴 丕賰鬲卮賮 兀賳 賴匕丕 丕賱卮禺氐 賯丿 兀禺匕 賯乇囟丕賸 亘賮丕卅丿丞 賱丕鬲匕賰乇 賲賳 丕賱卮乇賰丞 亘賲賵丕賮賯丞 賲噩賱爻 丕賱廿丿丕乇丞 賲賲丕 賷毓丿 卮亘賴丞 賮爻丕丿貙 賵賱賰賳賴 鬲乇賷孬 賯亘賱 丕賱賳卮乇 賵兀禺匕 賷亘丨孬 毓賳 兀丨丿丕孬 賲賲丕孬賱丞 賮賷 賲丐爻爻丕鬲 賵卮乇賰丕鬲 兀禺乇賶 賮賮賵噩卅 亘兀賳 乇卅賷爻賴 賮賷 噩乇賷丿丞 丕賱鬲丕賷賲夭 賯丿 丨氐賱 毓賱賶 賯乇囟 賲卮丕亘賴 賲賳 賲噩賱爻 廿丿丕乇丞 丕賱噩乇賷丿丞貙 賮賲丕 賰丕賳 賲賳賴 廿賱丕 兀賳 丕賳賮毓賱 賵丿禺賱 毓賱賷賴 丕賱賲賰鬲亘 氐丕卅丨丕賸 賱賯丿 兀賮爻丿鬲 鬲賯乇賷乇賷 亘爻亘亘 噩卮毓賰 賵亘爻亘亘賰 賱賳 兀爻鬲胤賷毓 賳卮乇 賲丕 鬲賵氐賱鬲 兀賱賷賴 賵 兀賱賯賶 兀賲丕賲 乇卅賷爻賴 丕賱兀賵乇丕賯 丕賱鬲賷 丨氐賱 毓賱賷賴丕 賮爻兀賱賴 乇卅賷爻賴 賲賳丿賴卮丕賸 賵賴賱 賰賳鬲 鬲丨賯賯 賮賷 禺賱賮賷鬲賷 丕賱賲丕賱賷丞貙 賮兀噩丕亘賴 亘賳毓賲 賵 禺乇噩.
丕賱賲丿賴卮 兀賳 乇卅賷爻賴 賵 乇睾賲 鬲亘乇賷乇賴 賱賲賵賯賮賴 亘兀賳賴 賯丕賳賵賳賷 鬲賲丕賲丕賸 廿賱丕 兀賳賴 兀乇爻賱 賱爻賷賲賵乇 賴賷乇卮 亘毓丿 兀爻丕亘賷毓 賲馗乇賵賮丕賸 爻賲賷賰丕賸 賷丨鬲賵賷 毓賱賶 賵孬丕卅賯 鬲亘賷賳 兀賳賴 賯丿 鬲禺賱賶 毓賳 賯乇囟 丕賱噩乇賷丿丞 賵丕爻鬲亘丿賱賴 亘賯乇囟 丌禺乇 賲賳 亘賳賰 賲丨賱賷
賵賰兀賳賴 賷賯賵賱 賱賴 亘丿賵賳 賰賱賲丕鬲 兀賳 賱丕卮賷亍 賷爻丕賵賷 賳夭丕賴丞 賵賳氐丕毓丞 爻賲毓丞 丕賱氐丨賮賷 丕賱丨賯賷賯賷.
孬賲丞 賲賱丕丨馗丞 噩丿賷乇丞 亘丕賱丕賳鬲亘丕賴 賵賴賷 兀賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賲賱賷亍 亘丕賱鬲賮丕氐賷賱 賵 丕賱兀爻賲丕亍 賵丕賱鬲賵丕乇賷禺 賵 丕賱賲丐賱賮 賱丕 賷噩丿 丨乇噩丕賸 賮賷 廿睾乇丕賯賰 賮賷 鬲賮丕氐賷賱 賵兀爻賲丕亍 賰孬賷乇丞 賱賰賱 賯氐丞 賷乇賵賷賴丕貙 賲賲丕 賷卮毓乇賰 亘丕賱囟賷丕毓 賮賷 亘毓囟 丕賱兀賵賯丕鬲 賲丕賱賲 鬲賰賳 丨丕囟乇 丕賱匕賴賳 賵兀賳鬲 鬲賯乇兀 丕賱賯氐氐 丕賱賲孬賷乇丞
October 17, 2023
Great start to the book. Hersh managed to make his upbringing and early career interesting, funny and engaging. I often find this to be the necessary foundational material that I just want to get though on my way to the good stuff. (An early story about his self-censorship of a race-related police shooting while working as a new reporter for a weekly paper was potent and deflating.) But for me the early chapters were the high point, which felt like a missed opportunity.
I was far less interested in his work breaking the big stories about Vietnam, political corruption and intelligence agency abuses. As much as I admired his drive to report difficult truths I got tired of reading about the people he golfed and lunched with and his never ending battles with his editors. And when I lost interest in the stories the various names and facts became a long and distracting jumble.
If he had written this book more in the style of - mostly how the story was developed and less about interpersonal gripes and favorable reviews of his books - the end product would have been much better.
I'm interested to read one of Hersh's investigative books but I'm not in any particular rush.
I was far less interested in his work breaking the big stories about Vietnam, political corruption and intelligence agency abuses. As much as I admired his drive to report difficult truths I got tired of reading about the people he golfed and lunched with and his never ending battles with his editors. And when I lost interest in the stories the various names and facts became a long and distracting jumble.
If he had written this book more in the style of - mostly how the story was developed and less about interpersonal gripes and favorable reviews of his books - the end product would have been much better.
I'm interested to read one of Hersh's investigative books but I'm not in any particular rush.
November 28, 2022
鬲亘丿賵 氐丨丕賮丞 爻賷賲賵乇 賴賷乇卮 賰賲丕 賱賵 兀賳賴丕 毓丕賱賲 禺賷丕賱賷 賱丕 賷賲鬲 丕賱賷 賲丕 兀賱賮賳丕賴 賲賳 氐丨丕賮鬲賳丕 丕賱毓乇亘賷丞 丕賱賲噩賷丿丞 亘氐賱丞! 丕賱乇噩賱 氐丕丨亘 丕賱丕爻賲 丕賱賱丕賲毓 賮賷 丕賱氐丨丕賮丞 丕賱丕爻鬲賯氐丕卅賷丞. 賵丕賱匕賷 賰丕賳 亘胤賱丕賸 賱賱賰孬賷乇 賲賳 賮囟丕卅丨 丕賱廿丿丕乇丕鬲 丕賱兀賲乇賷賰賷丞 丕賱賲鬲毓丕賯亘丞 亘丿亍丕賸 賲賳 賲賯丕賱丞 丕賱賯賳亘賱丞 毓賳 賲匕亘丨丞 (賲丕賷 賱丕賷 ) 丕賱鬲賷 賰卮賮 丕賳 賵丨丿丞 丕賲乇賷賰賷丞 賯丕賲鬲 亘鬲噩賲賷毓 丨賵丕賱賷 500 賮乇丿 賲賳 卮賷賵禺 賵兀胤賮丕賱 賯乇賷丞 賲丕賷 賱丕賷 孬賲 賯鬲賱鬲賴賲 亘丿賲 亘丕乇丿, 賵賴賵 丕賱賲賯丕賱 賵丕賱匕賷 毓賻噩賸賱 亘丕賳鬲賴丕亍 丕賱丨乇亘 賵丕賳爻丨丕亘 兀賲乇賷賰丕 丕賱賲禺購夭賷, 賲乇賵乇賸丕 亘丿賵乇賴 賮賶 賮囟賷丨丞 賵賵鬲乇 噩賷鬲 丕賱鬲賷 兀夭丕丨鬲 丕賱乇卅賷爻 賳賷賰爻賵賳 賲賳 丕賱丨賰賲 賵兀賷囟丕 賰鬲丕亘賴 丕賱卮噩丕毓 (丕賱禺賷丕乇 卮賲卮賵賳) 丕賱匕賷 賮囟丨 丕賱亘乇賳丕賲噩 丕賱賳賵賵賷 丕賱廿爻乇丕卅賷賱賷 賵丕賱丿賵乇 丕賱兀賲乇賷賰賷 丕賱賲禺夭賷 賮 丕賱鬲睾胤賷丞 賵鬲賵丕胤卅 丕賱廿丿丕乇丕鬲 丕賱兀賲乇賷賰賷丞 丕賱賲鬲毓丕賯亘丞 毓賳 賲丨丕爻亘丞 丕爻乇丕卅賷賱 賮賶 丕賱賵賯鬲 丕賱匕賷 鬲賯賮 亘丕賱賲乇氐丕丿 賵丕賱毓賯賵亘丕鬲 賱兀賷 丿賵賱丞 丕禺乇賷 鬲賮賰乇 賮賶 亘賳丕亍 賯賳亘賱丞 賳賵賵賷丞, 賰卮賮 賴賷乇卮 兀賷囟丕賸 毓賳 兀賰丕匕賷亘 丕賱賯賷丕丿丞 丕賱兀賲乇賷賰賷丞 賮賶 賲爻丕賱丞 睾夭賵 丕賱毓乇丕賯 賵 賰賷賮 賰匕亘 亘賵卮 賵鬲卮賷賳賷 毓賱賶 丕賱毓丕賱賲 亘禺氐賵氐 丕賲鬲賱丕賰 亘乇賳丕賲噩 賳賵賵賷 爻乇賷 賵兀賷囟丕賸 丕賱賯氐丞 丕賱賲禺鬲賱賯丞 毓賳 賯鬲賱 亘賳丕亍 賱丕丿賳, 賵睾賷乇賴丕
丕賳賴丕 爻賷乇丞 氐丨丕賮丞 丨賯賷賯賷丞 賲賮毓賲丞 亘丕賱賲亘丿兀 丕賱兀爻丕爻賷 賱賱氐丨丕賮丞 賵賴賷 丕賱亘丨孬 毓賳 丕賱丨賯賷賯賷丞 丕賱毓丕乇賷丞 丕賱賲噩乇丿丞 賲賳 丕賱丨爻丕亘丕鬲 丕賱爻賷丕爻賷丞 賵丕賱氐賮賯丕鬲 丕賱賲卮亘賵賴丞.
賵丕賱兀賰孬乇 亘毓孬賸丕 賱賱丨夭賳 丕賳 丕賱氐丨賮賷 丕賱匕賷 賰丕賳 毓丿賵丕賸 賱賰賱 丕賱廿丿丕乇丕鬲 賱賲 賷賲爻 兀賵 賷爻噩賳 兀賵 賷購賱賯賷 賮賷 睾賷丕亘丕鬲 爻噩賳 亘鬲賴賲 賵丕賴賷丞 兀賵 賲賱賮賯丞, 賱丕 賷夭丕賱 丕賱氐丨賮賷 丕賱毓賳賷丿 賷賲丕乇爻 賲賴賳鬲賴 丕賱賲丨亘丞 賵賷爻鬲賯氐賷 毓賳 丕賱丨賯賷賯丞 賮賶 乇賰丕賲 兀賰丕匕賷亘 丕賱爻賷丕爻丞.
丕賳賴丕 爻賷乇丞 氐丨丕賮丞 丨賯賷賯賷丞 賲賮毓賲丞 亘丕賱賲亘丿兀 丕賱兀爻丕爻賷 賱賱氐丨丕賮丞 賵賴賷 丕賱亘丨孬 毓賳 丕賱丨賯賷賯賷丞 丕賱毓丕乇賷丞 丕賱賲噩乇丿丞 賲賳 丕賱丨爻丕亘丕鬲 丕賱爻賷丕爻賷丞 賵丕賱氐賮賯丕鬲 丕賱賲卮亘賵賴丞.
賵丕賱兀賰孬乇 亘毓孬賸丕 賱賱丨夭賳 丕賳 丕賱氐丨賮賷 丕賱匕賷 賰丕賳 毓丿賵丕賸 賱賰賱 丕賱廿丿丕乇丕鬲 賱賲 賷賲爻 兀賵 賷爻噩賳 兀賵 賷購賱賯賷 賮賷 睾賷丕亘丕鬲 爻噩賳 亘鬲賴賲 賵丕賴賷丞 兀賵 賲賱賮賯丞, 賱丕 賷夭丕賱 丕賱氐丨賮賷 丕賱毓賳賷丿 賷賲丕乇爻 賲賴賳鬲賴 丕賱賲丨亘丞 賵賷爻鬲賯氐賷 毓賳 丕賱丨賯賷賯丞 賮賶 乇賰丕賲 兀賰丕匕賷亘 丕賱爻賷丕爻丞.
June 21, 2018
Seymour Hersh is probably not everyone's favorite colleague, but he's a damn fine investigative journalist.
In our current era where even bloggers fancy themselves as serious journalist, it was fascinating to read about Hersh's rise in the ranks of journalism from cub reporter to breaking stories nobody wanted to publish at first---particularly his Pulitzer prize winning piece regarding the My Lai massacre which was rejected repeatedly. Anyone fascinated with mid-to late twentieth-century histor would enjoy this one and it's a must for anyone interested in investigative journalism.
In our current era where even bloggers fancy themselves as serious journalist, it was fascinating to read about Hersh's rise in the ranks of journalism from cub reporter to breaking stories nobody wanted to publish at first---particularly his Pulitzer prize winning piece regarding the My Lai massacre which was rejected repeatedly. Anyone fascinated with mid-to late twentieth-century histor would enjoy this one and it's a must for anyone interested in investigative journalism.
July 25, 2019
Somewhere between annoying and disappointing.
Maybe it's because I expected so much better from someone who, as the titular successor to the remarkable Izzy Stone, broke so many seminal stories over a truly remarkable career.
Far too much time spent on grudge-settling, blatant self-aggrandizement and lame "humor" parading as false modesty.
While this tome shouldn't detract from the incredible work Sy did over the decades, you're better off reading the actual reporting than this rambling meander.
Maybe it's because I expected so much better from someone who, as the titular successor to the remarkable Izzy Stone, broke so many seminal stories over a truly remarkable career.
Far too much time spent on grudge-settling, blatant self-aggrandizement and lame "humor" parading as false modesty.
While this tome shouldn't detract from the incredible work Sy did over the decades, you're better off reading the actual reporting than this rambling meander.
March 26, 2020
Ah to have been a reporter for the NYT. That is something. Hersh scooped My Lai, Watergate, the CIA's domestic spying programme and a host of other stories until the death of journalism in the time of Trump. This is a great read told with a certain amount of bragging and large doses of modesty. The search for the truth can be all consuming and it is a testament to Hersh's balance that he kept it all together.
wish-list
June 6, 2018The reporter who exposed the My Lai massacre and the CIA鈥檚 illegal domestic spying in the 1970s continues to be a rebel outsider
November 20, 2018
Spanning over five decades and earning numerous prestigious awards, Seymour Hersh's career in investigative journalism is an impressive achievement. Unsurprisingly, this memoir, looking back on its entirety to date, makes for a fascinating read.
August 14, 2018
It's undeniable that those who possess wealth and power will defend that wealth and power and too often at the expense of truth. It's also undeniable that there is a human tendency to think of oneself in a positive light that can have little or nothing to do with reality.
The more wealth and power one has, the probability increases that there will be little connection with those less fortunate even as one's power over them increases. Combine this with the praise and submission of these with whom one does have daily contact and it's easy to understand how a person can feel both superior to others and fully deserving of power and position over them.
This explains why it is a necessity to have regulation and restraint. In 2018, the American people are standing by as their president eases regulation and restraint on wealth/power right in front of their eyes with no apology.
Traditionally, journalism has been the investigator of wealth and power, in America providing a shining example of it during the Vietnam War. Even though major newspapers have always been owned by the wealthy, there has been a sense of obligation to the truth and the profession that has been an invaluable boon to the American people. Now, with the collapse of newspapers and the rise of cable news with its dangerous pairing of simplistic emotional presentation and brevity, we the people are poorly served.
Seymour Hersh says that he was born to be a reporter. This book is his testimony to what an insatiable curiosity and a desire to know the truth can do when supported by employers who have the courage to stand behind truth telling. From his early years working for a newspaper pool in Chicago through his time dealing with My Lai, Watergate, the CIA and the capture of bin Laden, Hersh provides an adventure we can all enjoy while at the same time learning new bits of truth along the way. You can feel his exhilaration.
As you'd expect, Hersh blows his own horn, but usually in a humorous way and with his accomplishments who can deny him the pleasure? His unwavering dedication to the confidentiality of his sources paired with his skill at making a case for publication to his superiors make him the go-to guy for whistle-blowers, particularly retirees from government service. As he says, there is no shortage of conscientious, dedicated people in the services and government that chafe under what they see being done to deceive or deny information to the public.
Hersh digs out sources, finds an address or a phone number and goes right to the person he wants to hear from, willing to risk rejection on the outside chance that he will get an interview. As time goes on and his reputation builds this process becomes easier. He holds himself to a standard, keeping his own political views separate from the story his interviewees have to tell. His pursuit of Lt. Calley of My Lai fame is epic.
Reporter moves rapidly, but I dare anyone to read it without being attracted (distracted?) by articles, let alone books Hersh has written that he mentions along the way. In particular, I recommend the piece he wrote for the London Review of Books on . See if, like me, you had been under a false impression of what happened in that event.
There is plenty of inspiration here for those who want to work in journalism. Learning about Hersh's modus operandi not the least of it. My hope is young people will read this book and get excited about what a reporter can do if motivated and fearless. We sorely need many more hard working messengers like Seymour Hersh, who, by the way, is not done yet. He's working on a book about Dick Cheney but took time out to do this book as the words of people key to the Cheney book are still in power. As Reporter will inform you, the retirement or death of witnesses can work well for a reporter who needs the testimony of people afraid for their careers should the truth be known.
The more wealth and power one has, the probability increases that there will be little connection with those less fortunate even as one's power over them increases. Combine this with the praise and submission of these with whom one does have daily contact and it's easy to understand how a person can feel both superior to others and fully deserving of power and position over them.
This explains why it is a necessity to have regulation and restraint. In 2018, the American people are standing by as their president eases regulation and restraint on wealth/power right in front of their eyes with no apology.
Traditionally, journalism has been the investigator of wealth and power, in America providing a shining example of it during the Vietnam War. Even though major newspapers have always been owned by the wealthy, there has been a sense of obligation to the truth and the profession that has been an invaluable boon to the American people. Now, with the collapse of newspapers and the rise of cable news with its dangerous pairing of simplistic emotional presentation and brevity, we the people are poorly served.
Seymour Hersh says that he was born to be a reporter. This book is his testimony to what an insatiable curiosity and a desire to know the truth can do when supported by employers who have the courage to stand behind truth telling. From his early years working for a newspaper pool in Chicago through his time dealing with My Lai, Watergate, the CIA and the capture of bin Laden, Hersh provides an adventure we can all enjoy while at the same time learning new bits of truth along the way. You can feel his exhilaration.
As you'd expect, Hersh blows his own horn, but usually in a humorous way and with his accomplishments who can deny him the pleasure? His unwavering dedication to the confidentiality of his sources paired with his skill at making a case for publication to his superiors make him the go-to guy for whistle-blowers, particularly retirees from government service. As he says, there is no shortage of conscientious, dedicated people in the services and government that chafe under what they see being done to deceive or deny information to the public.
Hersh digs out sources, finds an address or a phone number and goes right to the person he wants to hear from, willing to risk rejection on the outside chance that he will get an interview. As time goes on and his reputation builds this process becomes easier. He holds himself to a standard, keeping his own political views separate from the story his interviewees have to tell. His pursuit of Lt. Calley of My Lai fame is epic.
Reporter moves rapidly, but I dare anyone to read it without being attracted (distracted?) by articles, let alone books Hersh has written that he mentions along the way. In particular, I recommend the piece he wrote for the London Review of Books on . See if, like me, you had been under a false impression of what happened in that event.
There is plenty of inspiration here for those who want to work in journalism. Learning about Hersh's modus operandi not the least of it. My hope is young people will read this book and get excited about what a reporter can do if motivated and fearless. We sorely need many more hard working messengers like Seymour Hersh, who, by the way, is not done yet. He's working on a book about Dick Cheney but took time out to do this book as the words of people key to the Cheney book are still in power. As Reporter will inform you, the retirement or death of witnesses can work well for a reporter who needs the testimony of people afraid for their careers should the truth be known.
August 31, 2018
It's hard not to read this book as an elegy for investigative journalism. Highly recommended, especially if you're too young to remember the days when ensuring access and sucking up to those in power were considered unprincipled. The kind of journalism that Sy Hersh practices is going to be extinct soon, if it isn't already. I wonder how many My Lai-style massacres have gone ignored because no one has the budget or the dogged bravery to keep rooting out the lies and propaganda.
By the way, if you don't thoroughly loathe the lying, murderous mercenary hack Henry Kissinger, you will by the time you have finished reading this book.
My only complaint is that Seymour Hersh didn't read the audiobook himself. The narrator did a decent job and even seems to have a similar accent and intonation, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if the book were read in Hersh's own voice. Others have noted that the memoir is oddly impersonal in many ways--we know he loves his wife and kids, but he provides only the barest details about his domestic situation, for instance--but I dgaf, as the kids type, because Hersh is always all about the story. I have known reporters like him, reporters who seem to be truly alive only when they're following a lead. I'm not one of them, but I respect the tribe. He should feel proud of all the critical news stories that he has broken, and we should all feel outraged that the kind of journalism he practices is all but dead now. So he gloats a little while quoting his admirers. He's entitled. Besides, many of us sincerely enjoy reading about how leads turn into sources and sources turn into whistleblowers.
I'm glad that Hersh has enjoyed such a long and productive career. He gets to look back now, but I hope he keeps writing. It really bums me out that The New Yorker doesn't seem to value his contributions as much as it used to, but what do I know about paying for real journalism? All I know is that the guy who covered Abu Ghraib for them deserves to have more of a presence in the magazine.
By the way, if you don't thoroughly loathe the lying, murderous mercenary hack Henry Kissinger, you will by the time you have finished reading this book.
My only complaint is that Seymour Hersh didn't read the audiobook himself. The narrator did a decent job and even seems to have a similar accent and intonation, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if the book were read in Hersh's own voice. Others have noted that the memoir is oddly impersonal in many ways--we know he loves his wife and kids, but he provides only the barest details about his domestic situation, for instance--but I dgaf, as the kids type, because Hersh is always all about the story. I have known reporters like him, reporters who seem to be truly alive only when they're following a lead. I'm not one of them, but I respect the tribe. He should feel proud of all the critical news stories that he has broken, and we should all feel outraged that the kind of journalism he practices is all but dead now. So he gloats a little while quoting his admirers. He's entitled. Besides, many of us sincerely enjoy reading about how leads turn into sources and sources turn into whistleblowers.
I'm glad that Hersh has enjoyed such a long and productive career. He gets to look back now, but I hope he keeps writing. It really bums me out that The New Yorker doesn't seem to value his contributions as much as it used to, but what do I know about paying for real journalism? All I know is that the guy who covered Abu Ghraib for them deserves to have more of a presence in the magazine.
December 22, 2019
The title of Seymour Hersh鈥檚 memoir is simply 'Reporter'. It鈥檚 what he did and what he does: dig out and report important facts that need to be seen in the daylight, no matter how much the CIA, a US vice-president or secretary of state, or a mafia boss, may want to keep them hidden. Hersh, as the editor of the New Yorker says on the book鈥檚 cover, is 鈥榪uite simply the greatest investigative journalist of his era鈥�.
It was Hersh who uncovered the facts of the My Lai massacre that occurred in Vietnam in 1968, and revealed not only the full horror of what took place but also that the officer named as the culprit, Lieutenant William Calley, was operating in a context where such treatment of Vietnamese civilians was tolerated and even expected. Hersh was the reporter whom The New York Times belatedly sent in to investigate Watergate after the pioneering exposures made by Woodward and Bernstein at the Washington Post. His book on Henry Kissinger told the truth about many of the latter鈥檚 outright lies and illegal activities. He exposed the fact that the CIA was 鈥� contrary to the law 鈥� conducting massive surveillance of anti-war movements in the United States.
Later, he showed the falsity of the case for the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and went on to expose the disgraceful torture of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib. As one official told him, 鈥榯he rules are: 鈥滸rab whom you must. Do what you want.鈥� The US had resumed the assassination or attempted assassination of its enemies, despite its illegality. As Hersh had shown much earlier in his career, John Kennedy had directly authorised attempts to kill Fidel Castro; in the 1980s the US had financed death squads in El Salvador (whose victims at different times included Bishop Romero as well as US citizens), and now US agents were killing with even less discrimination in the Middle East. When, much more recently, the Obama government tracked down and killed Osama Bin Laden, Hersh was able to show that 鈥� far from being a heroic solo effort by the US forces involved 鈥� the action required close collaboration with Pakistani intelligence who effectively had the target and his family trapped in their compound before the attack took place (I was able to hear an affable Seymour Hersh give his account of this investigation in a talk at the London Review of Books).
Towards the end of his memoir, Hersh bemoans the demise of the kind of journalism that became his hallmark. As he puts it: 鈥業 watched over the next years as the American media, overwhelmed by twenty-four-hour news, would increasingly rely in a crisis on the immediate claims of a White House and a politically compliant intelligence community. Skepticism, the instinct that drives much investigative reporting, would diminish even more after Barack Obama, full of hope and promise, took office in early 2009.鈥�
Nowhere has this assessment been truer than in the coverage by the media of events in Latin America. Where now are reporters of the ilk of Gary Webb, who uncovered the drug trafficking that financed the US-sponsored Contra attacks against Nicaragua鈥檚 Sandinista government in the 1980s, struggled to get into print with his revelations, and was eventually described by The New York Times as a journalist 鈥榖etrayed鈥� by his own calling鈥�? Who is exposing the actions of the US government in propping up despotic governments in Honduras and Haiti (where, as one of Hersh鈥檚 government contacts put it, the US works on the side of the torturers 鈥� or 鈥榯he nail pullers,鈥� as the informant graphically describes them). Who is exposing the clandestine operations of the CIA and other US agencies in Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua and the other countries that are trying to follow a different path from US-imposed neoliberalism?
The answer is that it is no longer The New York Times or the Washington Post (both newspapers put the blame on Evo Morales for the coup in Bolivia, exactly as the Trump administration would have wanted). Only rarely in the UK is it The Guardian, for example some of the freelance work by Nina Lakhani. Instead, the burden of scepticism has been adopted by online media such as The Intercept, Mintpress or The Grayzone, where inevitably it is more easily disregarded. These and larger outlets such as Telesur can also be dismissed by traditional media as being partisan, rather than being straightforward seekers of truth in the Hersh mould. The reality is that deeply researched, balanced and incisive commentary is in very short supply, and too often the interested observer has to triangulate between right-wing and left-wing viewpoints in the hope of arriving at something close to the truth.
Nicaragua provides many recent examples of the demise of investigative journalism. One comes from the New Yorker, where Seymour Hersh was once its most distinguished reporter. Jon Lee Anderson, a writer on Latin America who should know better, eulogised Nicaraguan journalist and leading opponent of the Nicaraguan government, Carlos Chamorro, in a lengthy piece for the magazine. 鈥淥nce again,鈥� Chamorro told him, 鈥渏ournalists are on the front lines.鈥� Written at the start of the crisis in April 2018, an investigative piece by Anderson could have encouraged more balanced reporting about the attempt to overthrow the Ortega government that was then underway. But not only does he accept what Chamorro tells him, he makes no apparent attempt to investigate who is funding him nor to check whether his interpretation is correct. His piece largely repeats what opposition sources told him. Months later, the title of another Anderson piece for the New Yorker refers sardonically to the 鈥榝ake news鈥� he was warned against by one government supporter, but instead of checking whether what he was told about Masaya (the city where I live) was accurate, he does indeed repeat the fake news that the protestors there were armed only with 鈥榟omemade mortars and slingshots鈥�. How then did they hold the police station under siege for several weeks, making nightly attacks that killed three policemen and injured many others?
Seymour Hersh often refers to the rigour with which his articles were fact-checked, especially those he wrote for the New Yorker. I don鈥檛 know how if he paid much attention to last year鈥檚 events in Nicaragua, but I suspect that if he did he would question whether any 鈥榠nvestigative journalism鈥� took place at all. As he nears retirement, he and his peers are sadly missed.
It was Hersh who uncovered the facts of the My Lai massacre that occurred in Vietnam in 1968, and revealed not only the full horror of what took place but also that the officer named as the culprit, Lieutenant William Calley, was operating in a context where such treatment of Vietnamese civilians was tolerated and even expected. Hersh was the reporter whom The New York Times belatedly sent in to investigate Watergate after the pioneering exposures made by Woodward and Bernstein at the Washington Post. His book on Henry Kissinger told the truth about many of the latter鈥檚 outright lies and illegal activities. He exposed the fact that the CIA was 鈥� contrary to the law 鈥� conducting massive surveillance of anti-war movements in the United States.
Later, he showed the falsity of the case for the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and went on to expose the disgraceful torture of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib. As one official told him, 鈥榯he rules are: 鈥滸rab whom you must. Do what you want.鈥� The US had resumed the assassination or attempted assassination of its enemies, despite its illegality. As Hersh had shown much earlier in his career, John Kennedy had directly authorised attempts to kill Fidel Castro; in the 1980s the US had financed death squads in El Salvador (whose victims at different times included Bishop Romero as well as US citizens), and now US agents were killing with even less discrimination in the Middle East. When, much more recently, the Obama government tracked down and killed Osama Bin Laden, Hersh was able to show that 鈥� far from being a heroic solo effort by the US forces involved 鈥� the action required close collaboration with Pakistani intelligence who effectively had the target and his family trapped in their compound before the attack took place (I was able to hear an affable Seymour Hersh give his account of this investigation in a talk at the London Review of Books).
Towards the end of his memoir, Hersh bemoans the demise of the kind of journalism that became his hallmark. As he puts it: 鈥業 watched over the next years as the American media, overwhelmed by twenty-four-hour news, would increasingly rely in a crisis on the immediate claims of a White House and a politically compliant intelligence community. Skepticism, the instinct that drives much investigative reporting, would diminish even more after Barack Obama, full of hope and promise, took office in early 2009.鈥�
Nowhere has this assessment been truer than in the coverage by the media of events in Latin America. Where now are reporters of the ilk of Gary Webb, who uncovered the drug trafficking that financed the US-sponsored Contra attacks against Nicaragua鈥檚 Sandinista government in the 1980s, struggled to get into print with his revelations, and was eventually described by The New York Times as a journalist 鈥榖etrayed鈥� by his own calling鈥�? Who is exposing the actions of the US government in propping up despotic governments in Honduras and Haiti (where, as one of Hersh鈥檚 government contacts put it, the US works on the side of the torturers 鈥� or 鈥榯he nail pullers,鈥� as the informant graphically describes them). Who is exposing the clandestine operations of the CIA and other US agencies in Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua and the other countries that are trying to follow a different path from US-imposed neoliberalism?
The answer is that it is no longer The New York Times or the Washington Post (both newspapers put the blame on Evo Morales for the coup in Bolivia, exactly as the Trump administration would have wanted). Only rarely in the UK is it The Guardian, for example some of the freelance work by Nina Lakhani. Instead, the burden of scepticism has been adopted by online media such as The Intercept, Mintpress or The Grayzone, where inevitably it is more easily disregarded. These and larger outlets such as Telesur can also be dismissed by traditional media as being partisan, rather than being straightforward seekers of truth in the Hersh mould. The reality is that deeply researched, balanced and incisive commentary is in very short supply, and too often the interested observer has to triangulate between right-wing and left-wing viewpoints in the hope of arriving at something close to the truth.
Nicaragua provides many recent examples of the demise of investigative journalism. One comes from the New Yorker, where Seymour Hersh was once its most distinguished reporter. Jon Lee Anderson, a writer on Latin America who should know better, eulogised Nicaraguan journalist and leading opponent of the Nicaraguan government, Carlos Chamorro, in a lengthy piece for the magazine. 鈥淥nce again,鈥� Chamorro told him, 鈥渏ournalists are on the front lines.鈥� Written at the start of the crisis in April 2018, an investigative piece by Anderson could have encouraged more balanced reporting about the attempt to overthrow the Ortega government that was then underway. But not only does he accept what Chamorro tells him, he makes no apparent attempt to investigate who is funding him nor to check whether his interpretation is correct. His piece largely repeats what opposition sources told him. Months later, the title of another Anderson piece for the New Yorker refers sardonically to the 鈥榝ake news鈥� he was warned against by one government supporter, but instead of checking whether what he was told about Masaya (the city where I live) was accurate, he does indeed repeat the fake news that the protestors there were armed only with 鈥榟omemade mortars and slingshots鈥�. How then did they hold the police station under siege for several weeks, making nightly attacks that killed three policemen and injured many others?
Seymour Hersh often refers to the rigour with which his articles were fact-checked, especially those he wrote for the New Yorker. I don鈥檛 know how if he paid much attention to last year鈥檚 events in Nicaragua, but I suspect that if he did he would question whether any 鈥榠nvestigative journalism鈥� took place at all. As he nears retirement, he and his peers are sadly missed.
May 30, 2020
Seymour Hersh 茅 sens铆vel, 茅tico e um grande rep贸rter e escritor. Durante todo o livro, a impress茫o que fica 茅 que estamos tomando um longo caf茅 da tarde juntos, enquanto ele conta suas hist贸rias (impressionantes). Ferrenho defensor dos fatos e da verdade, acredita que o trabalho do rep贸rter 茅 passar a informa莽茫o adiante e que as duas palavras mais mortais do mundo da imprensa s茫o 鈥渆u acho鈥�. S贸 posso concordar.
Hersh (sinto que j谩 estamos 铆ntimos depois da 358 p谩ginas que passamos tomando caf茅 juntos) nos guia pela sua carreira jornal铆stica, marcada por grandes eventos da hist贸ria dos EUA, como a Guerra do Vietn茫, o esc芒ndalo de Watergate e o onze de setembro. Ainda que o livro seja sobre suas mem贸rias e que ele tenha uma certa tend锚ncia 脿 arrog芒ncia (o que ele abertamente confessa), achei que ele encontrou o equil铆brio perfeito entre descrever a sua vida e nos contar o que descobriu sobre a hist贸ria.
No in铆cio, temi que o livro fosse ser dif铆cil de ler, justamente porque n茫o conhe莽o muito da hist贸ria dos EUA, mas se provou um medo injustificado. Seymour (ser谩 que pelo primeiro nome 茅 intimidade demais?) torna a hist贸ria palp谩vel, detalhando bem todo o contexto e background de cada uma das pessoas que aparecem no livro, mais de uma vez quando necess谩rio. A sensa莽茫o 茅 que voc锚 poderia come莽ar o livro de qualquer cap铆tulo e l锚-lo em qualquer ordem e, ainda assim, nenhuma informa莽茫o te faltaria.
Em alguns momentos a leitura 茅 dif铆cil: a crueldade dos EUA e de seus governantes 茅 exposta, em alguns momentos em detalhes. Parei para respirar e refletir in煤meras vezes, recuperando f么lego e est么mago para continuar a conhecer o lado mais sombrio da hist贸ria. Um ponto que tamb茅m ficou na minha cabe莽a por muito tempo foi o perigo da divulga莽茫o de informa莽玫es, a prote莽茫o das suas fontes. Ainda que entenda a necessidade, confesso que n茫o sei se teria a for莽a de vontade necess谩ria para segurar fatos que deveriam ser p煤blicos para prote莽茫o de cargos ou reputa莽玫es.
Seymour Hersh me conquistou no seu bom-humor e na sua cren莽a no bom trabalho e na verdade. Sua hist贸ria de vida, passando de cont铆nuo em Chicago a um dos maiores nomes do jornalismo investigativo, e sua participa莽茫o nA Hist贸ria s茫o absolutamente fascinantes e muito bem escritas, tornando fatos tristes e at茅 assustadores f谩ceis de ler (mas n茫o de digerir). Terminei nosso caf茅 sorrindo, abra莽ada no livro, quase arrependida de n茫o ter seguido o jornalismo investigativo como profiss茫o.
Hersh (sinto que j谩 estamos 铆ntimos depois da 358 p谩ginas que passamos tomando caf茅 juntos) nos guia pela sua carreira jornal铆stica, marcada por grandes eventos da hist贸ria dos EUA, como a Guerra do Vietn茫, o esc芒ndalo de Watergate e o onze de setembro. Ainda que o livro seja sobre suas mem贸rias e que ele tenha uma certa tend锚ncia 脿 arrog芒ncia (o que ele abertamente confessa), achei que ele encontrou o equil铆brio perfeito entre descrever a sua vida e nos contar o que descobriu sobre a hist贸ria.
No in铆cio, temi que o livro fosse ser dif铆cil de ler, justamente porque n茫o conhe莽o muito da hist贸ria dos EUA, mas se provou um medo injustificado. Seymour (ser谩 que pelo primeiro nome 茅 intimidade demais?) torna a hist贸ria palp谩vel, detalhando bem todo o contexto e background de cada uma das pessoas que aparecem no livro, mais de uma vez quando necess谩rio. A sensa莽茫o 茅 que voc锚 poderia come莽ar o livro de qualquer cap铆tulo e l锚-lo em qualquer ordem e, ainda assim, nenhuma informa莽茫o te faltaria.
Em alguns momentos a leitura 茅 dif铆cil: a crueldade dos EUA e de seus governantes 茅 exposta, em alguns momentos em detalhes. Parei para respirar e refletir in煤meras vezes, recuperando f么lego e est么mago para continuar a conhecer o lado mais sombrio da hist贸ria. Um ponto que tamb茅m ficou na minha cabe莽a por muito tempo foi o perigo da divulga莽茫o de informa莽玫es, a prote莽茫o das suas fontes. Ainda que entenda a necessidade, confesso que n茫o sei se teria a for莽a de vontade necess谩ria para segurar fatos que deveriam ser p煤blicos para prote莽茫o de cargos ou reputa莽玫es.
Seymour Hersh me conquistou no seu bom-humor e na sua cren莽a no bom trabalho e na verdade. Sua hist贸ria de vida, passando de cont铆nuo em Chicago a um dos maiores nomes do jornalismo investigativo, e sua participa莽茫o nA Hist贸ria s茫o absolutamente fascinantes e muito bem escritas, tornando fatos tristes e at茅 assustadores f谩ceis de ler (mas n茫o de digerir). Terminei nosso caf茅 sorrindo, abra莽ada no livro, quase arrependida de n茫o ter seguido o jornalismo investigativo como profiss茫o.
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