The Powers That Be

By David Halberstam,

Book cover of The Powers That Be

Book description

Crackling with the personalities, conflicts, and ambitions that transformed the media from something that followed the news to something that formed it, The Powers That Be is David Halberstam's forceful account of the rise of modern media as an instrument of political power, published here with a new introduction by…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Powers That Be as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This is the book that made me want to become a journalism historian. Halberstam, a legendary journalist himself, serves up a delicious mix of the petty power struggles within news organizations and the weighty decisions they make. Takes you inside CBS News, Time Inc., the Washington Post, and the LA Times at the height of their influence.

It’s reporters vs. editors, journalists vs. politicians, and the competing drives of ambition, patriotism, and professional values playing out behind the scenes. Some people think it’s too long, but I devoured every page.

From Matthew's list on power of the press to shape history.

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