Customer Reviews

News Junkie

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a scary book. Jason Leopold was not a nice guy. He was a creep who would screw over anyone for drugs first, then news "scoops" later.

This is a story of a guy whose misdirected intelligence and passion totally screw him up for a number of years. Finally, he starts to get on a path where he's doing some good, but he's still stuck with some very nasty habits that get him in trouble and keep him sabotaging himself, in spite of becoming a serial award winning reporter.

As a writer I found Jason's book very inspiring. Not the nasty stuff-- but Jason describes the creative and energetic ways he went after stories. I've written for national magazines, with my own share of cover stories, and I've done some investigative leg and phone work. But Jason's descriptions of his efforts have already inspired me to go the extra distance to dig further into articles. The first article I applied this to rose to the top five articles of the month on my website, where we've published at least 400 articles so far this month.

Jason writes about how he was tough on his reporters, as an editor. insisting that they go out on the street, covering their beat, not waiting for news to come to them. That's inspired me to take a similar approach in my own writing.

If you're a reporter, this book is different than any I've seen. It's wild and wooly and while a bit apologetic, brutally honest.


Recently, post the writing of this book, Jason reported that Karl Rove was about to be indicted by Patrick Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor investigating the Plame CIA case. It didn't happen. Rove was never indicted. Now you could just write Jason off as an incompetent. But you could also wonder whether Rove got to Fitzgerald, or, that someone fed Jason bad info that was designed to set him up, because he was getting too close to the truth. I don't know what the answer is. Frankly, having published his report, I was embarassed by the article being wrong. When I got the word, I headlined the article. It didn't feel very good. But maybe that's what was supposed to happen-- what was intended by the people who set him up. I'm not apologizing for him. But I'm keeping my mind open to the possibility that the people who brought us the threat of WMDs in Iraq, who pulled one over on Colin Powell, the majority of the senate and most of the US could have also pulled one over on this news junkie.

I see Jason as a man who can make a difference. I'm glad he's working for the progressive cause now. The right wing fights very, very dirty. They lie, cheat, and since they run the mainstream media, they propagandize, cover up and gloss over news that should be covered that isn't.

We need more Jason Leopolds who are willing to do what it takes to dig up the truth. And we should expect that when he uses his enormous cojones to take on incredibly powerful, influential and wealthy players, he will occasionally be set up,occasionally stabbed in the back by editors, occasionally made to look bad, so his good work is questioned.

Bottom line, this gritty autobiography tells a tale of a man who becomes a drug addicted, dealing, thieving criminal who quits abusing, cleans up his act and really achieves some significant successes in his life, not leaving all his flaws behind, but steadily making progress.

It's a great read.

About the inspiring part-- one must be selective about what one is inspired by. I chose to be inspired by his creative, energetic approach to digging up stories. [...].

I find it interesting and extremely unusual that there are, at the writing of this review, a dozen reviews, most of the positive. All the positive, four or five star reviews have been rated as unhelpful by two to one. My guess is that some of the right wingers who have been attacking the author in the blogoverse have decided to "tar" the positive reviews. I expect the same will happen to this one. The fact is, I doubt that these review commenters have read the book, or care to. It is dishonest to take this approach.

"News Junkie" isn't just a memoir about addiction, though it captures that experience masterfully and compassionately. It examines, through the author's harrowing personal story, the line between passion and obsession, drive and compulsion. Any reader who has ever become attached to something to the point of obsession (that is, probably, every reader) will identify, regardless of whether they know what cocaine feels like. "News Junkie" is also a book about secrets, and Jason Leopold delivers those secrets--even his most carefully guarded ones--with astonishingly candid grace.

This book is a page-turner in the most accomplished sense. There are no cheap tricks or manufactured plot twists here; the suspense is generated by Leopold's empathy and honesty, his ability to bring readers straight into the heart of his story. This is a magnificent book.

I liked News Junkie a lot. The writing style give the reader a sense of time and place. You feel as if you are in the newsroom with Leopold.

Jason Leopold is complex and a contradition. You like him and root for him, yet cringe at some of his actions. You wish the unfinished chapters of his life will bring happiness.

You don't have to read the paper or even watch the news to appreciate this well written book. Sure, it centers around a fantastic journalistic story. It is also a story of addiction/sobriety, overcoming child abuse and a love story. It is a dark and gritty book that is hard to put down.

Leopold is a tough guy to like. He is a drug addict, a thief, and incredibly self-loathing. He is also a chronic complainer, believing that life has dealt him a terrible hand. Even when things in his life are going well, he manages to sabotage everything around him, almost losing his wife and career. Leopold's instability and ongoing war with himself make for incredibly entertaining stories.

I bought this book having never heard of Jason Leopold prior to opening it. This was one of the best book purchases I have made. News Junkie is exactly what the name implies.

Jason Leopold is the quintessential "junkie." Whether it is cocaine or breaking a story he has to have his fix. In his book he discusses in detail the darkest moments of his life and career. From petty theft as a child to grand-theft as an adult. From battling his cocaine addiction to being blacklisted by the journalist community. Jason provides us with a looking glass into the world he has created for himself.

I highly recommend this book for everyone. Addicts, Journalists, and college kids alike. I promise two things with this purchase. You will learn from his experiences and you won't be able to put it down.

News Junkie is the engaging memoir and personally revealing story of Jason Leopold and his willingness to risk an unhealthy and destructive life in exchange as an investigative reporter. An incredible autobiography of a genuinely hazardous career that came to involve selling drugs and stolen goods, News Junkie carries readers through the riveting true-life tale of a reporter's daily job dedicated to exposing corporate-crooks and politician, facing his own illegal behavior brought about by his own felonious behavior, his pressing need for regaining personal sobriety, and the impact upon his emotional well being of what he had been continuously confronted with while in the pursuit of his profession. With its superbly presented candor, News Junkie is very highly recommended reading both as a memoir offering unique insights into the mind and life of an investigative journalist, and as a "slice of life" window into the stories and personalities behind headline stories of corruption and crime.

I usually don't like this type of book, but after thumbing through the first few pages, I decided to get it. I like the style of writing; like the author is talking directly to me. I could feel the love he has for his wife, which was heartwarming, and yet his struggles were so sad. I'm not explaining myself well, but as I was reading the reviews, I became a bit irate with the reviewer below and thought I'd chime in (being that I *have* reviewed things on Amazon before). I just thought it was an all around good book and will be suggesting it to my friends.

I can assure the "suspicious" reviewer that I am not Jason Leopold!

Jason's story about his life and reporting is indeed a page-turner. It's not always pleasant, but it is honest. He tells you up front about his crimes and questionable behavior. He admits that as a reporter he lives for the scoop. Jason has been in the news recently (Rove indictment) and is once again receiving a lot of criticism.

Does he try too hard for the scoop at the expense of accuracy? We'll eventually know whether Rove is indicted or not. But it is worth noting that New York Daily News just now reported a story (Libby talked to CIA agents about Plame in 2003) that Jason broke two months ago.

I have never reviewed a book before but felt so strongly about NEWS JUNKIE that I am compelled to share my experience with other potential readers.

I loved this book. I was moved by the author's deeply personal and painful revelations about his own life and gratified at how he was able to overcome the major issues through luck, force of will and "Lisa." While I often find stories about a person's private life to be more than a little voyeuristic, Leopold was in the eye of the storm for some important recent events in our national life and relates those events from a first-hand perspective. The way he interweaves his own story and his reporting of the news with his own internal dialogue and struggles makes this book stand out from the pack. Jason Leopold is a fantastic writer and, while his writing may inflame some, he really appears to tell it like it is in a voice that is all his own.