Synopses & Reviews
Crusading journalists from Sinclair Lewis to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein have played a central role in American politics: checking abuses of power, revealing corporate misdeeds, and exposing government corruption. Muckraking journalism is part and parcel of American democracy. But how many people know about the role that muckraking has played around the world?
This groundbreaking new book presents the most important examples of world-changing journalism, spanning one hundred years and every continent. Carefully curated by prominent international journalists working in Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East, Global Muckraking includes Ken Saro-Wiwas defense of the Ogoni people in the Niger Delta; Horacio Verbitsky's uncovering of the gruesome disappearance of political detainees in Argentina; Gareth Joness coverage of the Ukraine famine of 193233; missionary newspapers coverage of Chinese foot binding in the nineteenth century; Dwarkanath Gangulis exposé of the British "coolie" trade in nineteenth-century Assam, India; and many others.
Edited by the noted author and journalist Anya Schiffrin, Global Muckraking is a sweeping introduction to international journalism that has galvanized the worlds attention. In an era when human rights are in the spotlight and the fate of newspapers hangs in the balance, here is both a riveting read and a sweeping argument for why the world needs long-form investigative reporting.
Review
Praise for Bad News, edited by Anya Schiffrin:
"Bad News shows why we need our media to give us more biopsies and fewer autopsies."
Arianna Huffington
"A sort of All the President's Men for our time.”
Kirkus
"Thorough, hard-hitting, and admirably balanced. It should be required reading for … anyone who believes that solid reporting on the business and financial world is important to democracy.”
James Ledbetter, Editor in Charge, Reuters.com
"Smart, deeply considered … fascinating read."
Robert W. McChesney, co-author, The Death and Life of American Journalism
Review
"The incredible amount of work that Schiffrin put into the selection of the articles and those who explain them makes this a top-notch anthology of significant journalism."
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Review
"Schiffrin's impressive survey of the crusading media is essential for those concerned with the business of news and its bold history of courageous messengers."
—Publishers Weeky
"The incredible amount of work that Schiffrin put into the selection of the articles and those who explain them makes this a top-notch anthology of significant journalism."
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
About the Author
Anya Schiffrin is the director of the media and communications program at Columbia Universitys School of International and Public Affairs. She spent ten years working overseas as a journalist in Europe and Asia. She lives in New York City.