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The Journalist And The Murderer Hardcover – March 5, 1990

by Janet Malcolm (Author)

46 customer reviews

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In two previous books, Janet Malcolm explored the hidden sides of, respectively, institutional psychoanalysis and Freudian biography. In this book, she examines the psychopathology of journalism. Using a strange and unprecedented lawsuit as her larger-than-life example -- the lawsuit of Jeffrey MacDonald, a convicted murderer, against Joe McGinniss, the author of Fatal Vision, a book about the crime -- she delves into the always uneasy, sometimes tragic relationship that exists between journalist and subject. In Malcolm's view, neither journalist nor subject can avoid the moral impasse that is built into the journalistic situation. When the text first appeared, as a two-part article in The New Yorker, its thesis seemed so radical and its irony so pitiless that journalists across the country reacted as if stung.

Her book is a work of journalism as well as an essay on journalism: it at once exemplifies and dissects its subject. In her interviews with the leading and subsidiary characters in the MacDonald-McGinniss case -- the principals, their lawyers, the members of the jury, and the various persons who testified as expert witnesses at the trial -- Malcolm is always aware of herself as a player in a game that, as she points out, she cannot lose. The journalist-subject encounter has always troubled journalists, but never before has it been looked at so unflinchingly and so ruefully. Hovering over the narrative -- and always on the edge of the reader's consciousness -- is the MacDonald murder case itself, which imparts to the book an atmosphere of anxiety and uncanniness. The Journalist and the Murderer derives from and reflects many of the dominant intellectual concerns of our time, and it will have a particular appeal for those who cherish the odd, the off-center, and the unsolved.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Every journalist is "a kind of confidence man . . . gaining . . . trust and betraying . . . without remorse," says Malcolm. This is an expanded and reworked version of Malcom's New Yorker essay on the "pscyhopathology" of the journalist/subject relationship, sparked by Jeffrey MacDonald's libel suit against Fatal Vision author Joe McGinniss. Even nonjournalists will be fascinated by Malcolm's discussion of the still puzzling MacDonald case; McGinnis's rather two-faced missives to the imprisoned MacDonald; and Joseph Wambaugh's libel trial testimony about journalistic "untruths." In an afterword, Malcolm comments on the heated debate her essay invoked in the journalism community, and concludes that, like it or not, every journalist must, to some degree, tussle with this ethical dilemma. An elegantly written, thought-provoking, and sometimes outrageous essay that should be in every media collection.
-Judy Quinn, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Hardcover: 161 pages
Publisher: Knopf; Reprint edition (March 5, 1990)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0394583124
ISBN-13: 978-0394583129
Package Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
Average Customer Review: 46 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #760,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3411 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Ethics & Morality
- #47373 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Social Sciences

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Will of the Wisp

worth reading

December 9, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

An interesting essay on journalistic ethics. However, reading the rebuttal that McGinniss has appended to the newest edition of "Fatal Vision" the argument could be made that Janet Malcolm also played fast and loose with her reporting of the MacDonald v. McGuiniss lawsuit. Given her scant attention to the facts of the MacDonald murder case, you could get the impression from this book that MacDonald is innocent of the murder of his wife and daughters when in fact the evidence is overwhelmingly against MacDonald. A good read, but you need to read McGinniss' rebuttal to make a fair assessment.

12 people found this helpful

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Fascinating

January 4, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

At what point does a journalist "cross the line," as it were, from mere reporting to lying to obtain a story at any cost?

I read this piece when it first came out in two parts in the New Yorker in the March 13 and March 20 issues of 1987. It was fascinating then, and it has not become less so, in the intervening years, when I bought the book (again) for our daughter's college course in journalism.

Politeness with one's sources is always a good idea. But is it okay to lie, and to repeatedly lie outright to get a story as did Joe McGinniss. while he interviewed the military doctor accused of killing his wife?

In this case, the lies went beyond politeness, beyond simply allowing the source to think that the journalist was on his side, without saying as much.

And thus it was that McGinniss ended paying a large settlement to Jeffrey MacDonald, the convicted killer.

This story is not the be all and end all of journalists reporting on the press. But in its time, it was an excellent look at the lengths to which some go to get the story.

And since then, the lines have simply blurred and journalists become far more sloppy.

But that's a story for another book, another day.

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AJF

Great read, but still think it needed more McGinnis

January 2, 2018

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This was a very thoughtful read on what constitutes ethical journalism, and the book raises poignant questions about whether a reporter can truly every capture the "truth" of a person. At the outset, the main subject of the book declines to make himself available to the author. While somewhat disappointed initially, Malcolm seems to take relief in the fact that her personal dealings with the man can not complicate her writing about him. I bought this argument initially (and maybe I still do, in many ways) but I do have to say that I think hearing more of his perspective was necessary to make this 4 star read an absolute 5. Ultimately, writing a book about a man's lack of ethics without allowing him to contextualize his side with the benefit of hindsight seems nearly as unfair as what McGinnis did to MacDonald. Her book certainly isn't unethical, but it feels incomplete. Still, an excellent and thought provoking read

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April 5, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Amazing book. The author explores the behaviour of a journalist who ingratiated himself into the life of a man (a doctor) on trial (and convicted) for murdering his wife. The journalist misrepresented himself to the doctor as being a supporter of his innocence; but actually fossicked and exploited what he learned to write a book completely crucifying the doctor. Malcolm’s book looks at the ethics of what the journalist did. This book is incredibly compelling and fascinating. Highly recommend!

3 people found this helpful

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Evan Lucas

Bought this book for class, an interesting look at the field of journalism

November 1, 2013

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I found this to book by Janet Malcolm to be a fascinating read, especially for anyone interested in journalism and the relationship between journalist and subject. Using the murder case of Jeffrey MacDonald as a backdrop, Malcolm looks at the unethical deal Joe McGinniss made for exclusive access to MacDonald to write his book. The initial murder case is overshadowed by a case of fraud and Malcolm suggests that McGinniss is guilty of misleading MacDonald. How do we make sure journalists remain ethical in their reporting. Does Malcolm give us all the facts? Is she herself participating in the very thing she accuses McGinniss of? This book left me with many questions.

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October 24, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Read this as part of a media law class and thoroughly enjoyed it.

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August 6, 2017

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Malcolm seems to have an ax to grind.

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Gruye

One of my favorite books ever written

November 8, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

One of my favorite books ever written. Malcolm is a force of journalistic nature. This woman has a timeless perspective and I'd love to meet her someday.

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