Unreliable Sources

How the Twentieth Century Was Reported

By: John Simpson

Narrated by: John Simpson

Through many decades of groundbreaking journalism, John Simpson has become not only one of the most recognisable and trusted British personalities, but has transferred his skill to books with multiple bestselling success. With this book he turns his eye to how Great Britain has been transformed by its free press down the years. He shows how, while the press likes to pretend it's independent, they have enjoyed the power they have over the events they report and have at times exercised it irresponsibly.

He examines how it changed the world and changed itself over the course of the last hundred years, from the creation of the Daily Mail and the first stokings of anti-German sentiment in the years leading up to the First World War, to the Sun's propping up of the Thatcher government, and beyond. In this self-analysis from one of the pillars of modern journalism some searching questions are asked, including whether the press can ever be truly free and whether we would desire it to be so.

Always incisive, brilliantly compelling and never shy of controversy, Unreliable Sources sees John Simpson at the height of his game as one of Britain's foremost commentators.

©2010 John Simpson (P)2021 Macmillan Publishers International Limited

The great John Simpson

Very incisive storytelling by one of the Britain’s best veteran journalists. While more heavy on details for the early part of the 20th century it is a solid overview of the dynamics of journalism and war in recent British history.