Unreliable Sources

'Informative, amusing, sometimes shocking' – Giles Foden, The Guardian

A critical examination of the British press over the last century, from legendary foreign correspondent John Simpson.

Through many decades of groundbreaking journalism across the globe, John Simpson has become one of the most recognisable and trusted British reporters. In Unreliable Sources, he draws upon this extensive experience to trace the history of the press in the UK, and explore the complex relationship between the media and the events they report.

He shows how, while the press likes to pretend it's independent, it also enjoys wielding its power and has at times exercised it irresponsibly. He examines the relationship between British society and the media, from the Daily Mail's influence on anti-German sentiment 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.

Authoritative, brilliantly readable and not shying away from controversy, Unreliable Sources is a fascinating piece of self-analysis from one of the pillars of modern journalism. Can the press ever be truly free and would we want it to be?