Shooting the Messenger

Shooting the Messenger is an essential read for anyone interested in what generals and politicians are doing to shape and restrict good war reporting. Paul L. Moorcraft and Philip M. Taylor give us the big historical picture as well as the small anecdotal and entertaining details that make this book a great read. These two academics have hammered out a text that catalogues both the manipulations of powers that be and the mishapsand misreportingof foolish war correspondents. It is reassuring to know that someone is keeping tabs on both the messengers and their masters.Philip Smucker, author of Al Qaedas Great Escape: The Military and the Media on Terror's Trail Shooting the Messenger is a crisp, provocative history that dispels many of the myths about war reporting. Moorcraft and Taylor understand the harsh realities of covering combat and dealing with political responses to that coverage.Philip Seib, professor of journalism and public diplomacy, University of Southern California, and author of The Al Jazeera Effect: How the New Global Media are Reshaping Global Politics A penetrating look at the complex issues surrounding war reporting.Mark Kukis, Baghdad correspondent, Time Magazine, and author of "My Heart Became Atached": The Strange Journey of John Walker Lindh [A]n interesting, compelling book. Highly recommended."Choice "Shooting the Messenger is a cracking history of war reporting and its political impact, unreservedly recommended reading for practitioners, scholars, and journalists alike."RUSI Journal Will prove an invaluable title for any collection strong in either military history, military issues, or journalism studies.Midwest Book Review

Paul L. Moorcraft directs Londons Centre for Foreign Policy Analysis and is a visiting professor at Cardiff Universitys School of Journalism, Media, and Cultural Studies. He has been a war correspondent; a military affairs expert for the BBC, Sky, and Al-Jazeera; and an editor of security and foreign policy magazines. He lives in the United Kingdom. Philip M. Taylor, now deceased, was Professor of International Communications at the University of Leeds and acknowledged as one of the foremost authorities in propaganda history and public diplomacy.