by Seth Mnookin
My two mentors in publishing, Marysue Rucci and Geoff Kloske, have been patient and helpful for years and have always offered advice and reassurance whenever I’ve needed it. Kurt Andersen has been a personal Yoda; he sagely told me the only reason not to write this book was a fear of failure—and that that was the best reason to move ahead with the project. Hunter S. Thompson is the person who made me decide at age fourteen that I wanted to become a journalist. Today he remains an inspiration, and has also become a friend.
At Random House, Dan Menaker was enthusiastic and encouraging about this project from the word go; his support, advice, and editing made this book what it is today. Veronica Windholz ensured that I had a truly inspiring team to work with. Stephanie Higgs was forever patient in dealing with my neuroses, Sona Vogel made the manuscript better with every mark of her red pencil, and Laura Goldin, who in her capacity as my onetime babysitter wouldn’t let me eat M&M’s before bedtime, has been an excellent lawyer and a careful reader. Gina Centrello has been everything a writer dreams of having in a publisher—warm, supportive, and editorially savvy. Late in the game, the miraculous Timothy Mennel swooped in with a jaw-droppingly astute final read. David McCormick is simply a great agent: tireless, enthusiastic, imaginative, and patient.
Finally, thanks to Pamela Hamer for her always spot-on suggestions and caring support. Thanks to my sister and brother, Abby and Jake Mnookin, and to my grandparents, Si and Marjorie Miller, for their love, friendship, and support. And (take that, Mom!) thanks to Miss Kitty for her enduring companionship and devotion.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
SETH MNOOKIN is a former media writer for Newsweek, where he also covered politics, crime, and popular culture. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, Slate, Spin, and elsewhere. A 2004 Shorenstein Fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School, he lives in New York City. For more information, go to www.sethmnookin.com.
Copyright © 2004 by Seth Mnookin
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Random House, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.
RANDOM HOUSE and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Mnookin, Seth.
Hard news : the scandals at the New York times and the future of American media / Seth Mnookin.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
1. New York times. 2. Press—United States—History—21st century. 3. Journalism—United States—History—21st century. I. Title.
PN4899.N42M66 2004
071’.471—dc22
2004051250
Random House website address: www.atrandom.com
eISBN: 978-1-58836-418-0
v3.0