This is a powerful, important, and very well written book about newspapers, journalism, and the modern world. The deep dive chapter on the Edward Snowden story is important and compelling and I really enjoyed the early parts which tracked the history of The Guardian newspaper and Mr. Rusbridger's career. I feel like he tries to do a few too many things in the book and there is a long chapter about a couple of wealthy brothers who buy a rival paper that gets too deep for me. I understand the point though and it certainly is easy for me to contrast their horrible stewardship with the way Jeff Bezos has managed the Washington Post. I was intrigued to follow some of the libel cases he was involved in before Britain modified their laws somewhat and it is edifying to read about what life is like for an honest newspaper without the protection of our First Amendment. I think this is true of all times, but our current situation really cries out for great journalism. ( )

Breaking News covers several crucial decades in the field of journalism. Alan Rusbridger started out as a journalist in the days of typewriters and huge linotype presses. By the end of his career, the Guardian was a digital-first newspaper and a pioneer in the field of open journalism: readers and journalists collaborating to tell the most important stories in the best possible way. Along the way, there were challenges: libel suits, dealing with WikiLeaks, and the Leveson inquiry. Rusbridger writes of all these clearly and compellingly, taking his share of responsibility and being candid and open to new things. I would recommend this book to anyone in the fields of communication or publishing; some of the challenges in adapting communications products to a digital reality will resonate with media types in the private and public sector alike. ( )