THE WRITING LIFE
Reporter by Seymour Hersh is a Must Read for all young journalists.
“I didn’t know I was going to be a writer when I started out.” — Sy Hersh
The first time I noticed the name Sy Hersh was an in-depth story in The Atlantic about the shooting down of Flight KAL 007 in 1981. It was a compelling read, and so detailed in the research one wonders how this had all been assembled since everyone on board was killed.
The only reason I had not seen the name sooner was that in the Sixties growing up I did what most people do when they read the papers: first the headline, and then the story. Had we paid attention we would have noticed Seymour Hersh as the reporter who broke the My Lai massacre.
The book Reporter, by Hersh, is phenomenal read for anyone who aspires to get into journalism. I’m only one-third through but I’m all in.
His honest, “call it as I see it” approach hits you with all the power of an uppercut. It’s clear that his early life experiences were instrumental in the honing of skills that would carry him for life. For this reason I believe all journalism students would benefit from reading this memoir.
It was at small town newspapers he learned how to ferret out the real stories, and the importance of building relationships with reliable…
