Shooting the Messenger

“Shooting the Messenger is an essential read for anyone interested in what generals and politicians are doing to shape and restrict good war reporting. Paul L. Moorcraft and Philip M. Taylor give us the big historical picture as well as the small anecdotal and entertaining details that make this book a great read. These two academics have hammered out a text that catalogues both the manipulations of ‘powers that be’ and the mishaps—and misreporting—of foolish war correspondents. It is reassuring to know that someone is keeping tabs on both the messengers and their masters.”—Philip Smucker, author of Al Qaeda’s Great Escape: The Military and the Media on Terror's Trail

“Shooting the Messenger is a crisp, provocative history that dispels many of the myths about war reporting. Moorcraft and Taylor understand the harsh realities of covering combat and dealing with political responses to that coverage.”—Philip Seib, professor of journalism and public diplomacy, University of Southern California, and author of The Al Jazeera Effect: How the New Global Media are Reshaping Global Politics

“A penetrating look at the complex issues surrounding war reporting.”—Mark Kukis, Baghdad correspondent, Time Magazine, and author of "My Heart Became Atached": The Strange Journey of John Walker Lindh

“[A]n interesting, compelling book. Highly recommended."—Choice

"Shooting the Messenger is a cracking history of war reporting and its political impact, unreservedly recommended reading for practitioners, scholars, and journalists alike."—RUSI Journal

“Will prove an invaluable title for any collection strong in either military history, military issues, or journalism studies.”—Midwest Book Review