Truth in Our Times, David E. McCraw
Truth in Our Times, David E. McCraw
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
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Truth in Our Times
Inside the Fight for Press Freedom in the Age of Alternative Facts

Author: David E. McCraw

Narrator: David E. McCraw, Stephen Graybill

Unabridged: 10 hr 2 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/12/2019


Synopsis

“[Truth in Our Times] is spirited and hopeful and even, at times, lighthearted. It is, in a way, a love letter to the First Amendment." — The New York Times Book Review

This program includes an introduction read by the author.

David E. McCraw recounts his experiences as the top newsroom lawyer for the New York Times during the most turbulent era for journalism in generations.

In October 2016, when Donald Trump's lawyer demanded that The New York Times retract an article focused on two women that accused Trump of touching them inappropriately, David McCraw's scathing letter of refusal went viral and he became a hero of press freedom everywhere. But as you'll see in Truth in Our Times, for the top newsroom lawyer at the paper of record, it was just another day at the office.

McCraw has worked at the Times since 2002, leading the paper's fight for freedom of information, defending it against libel suits, and providing legal counsel to the reporters breaking the biggest stories of the year. In short: if you've read a controversial story in the paper since the Bush administration, it went across his desk first. From Chelsea Manning's leaks to Trump's tax returns, McCraw is at the center of the paper's decisions about what news is fit to print.

In Truth in Our Times, McCraw recounts the hard legal decisions behind the most impactful stories of the last decade with candor and style. The audiobook is simultaneously a rare peek behind the curtain of the celebrated organization, a love letter to freedom of the press, and a decisive rebuttal of Trump's fake news slur through a series of hard cases. It is an absolute must-have for any dedicated fan of The New York Times.

About David E. McCraw

DAVID E. MCCRAW is Deputy General Counsel at The New York Times, where he has worked since 2002. He provides legal counsel to the newsroom regarding libel, freedom of information, court access, litigation and news-gathering. Previously, he was Deputy General Counsel of The New York Daily News. He conducts workshops and performs pro bono work for freedom of press and information around the world. He is an adjunct professor at the NYU School of Law and a visiting lecturer at Harvard Law School.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Will

The war over press freedom was not going to be a fight about changing America’s laws. It was going to be a fight about the very nature of truth…I should have seen it coming. In a decade and a half at The Times I had had my moments with Trump and his lawyers. I knew how they played the game.All......more

Goodreads review by Jean

David E. McCraw is an attorney. He has spent the past fifteen years as the deputy general counsel for the New York Times. The book is a combination of a memoir, politics and history. McCraw discusses his perceived threats to the first amendment. He also goes into legal cases such as New York Times C......more

Goodreads review by Trish

This book is written in spirit of an old-time newspaper man regaling cackling, amused, red-nosed patrons in a smoke-filled, dimly-lit bar with personal and singular stories of powerful forces arrayed against a humble man who plays it as though his power is negligible. David E. McCraw may be a down-h......more

Goodreads review by Ian

A good quote by Solzhenitsyn sets the theme: Woe to that nation whose literature is disturbed by the intervention of power. Because that is not just a violation against freedom of print, it is a closing down of the heart of the nation, a slashing to pieces of its memory. The nation ceases to be mind......more