A review of "Breaking News "
Author : Martin Fletcher
Publisher : Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martins Press
Before I even cracked the cover of " Breaking News", I Googled " Martin Fletcher " "NBC News" " war correspondent" to see what the world , in general , had to say about the author. Of the 51 hits I got, I was intrigued by number 6, " Why do war correspondents do what they do ? " written by Martin Fletcher on Jan. 30, 2006.
In this article, written for msnbc, Fletcher states, " First, it should be stressed that there is no mystery about why correspondents go day after day, story after story to war zones. It's because that's where their bosses send them, day after day, story after story.
Believe me, I'd much rather cover the Paris Fashion Show or the Sundance Film Festival. But American television news has an extremely myopic view of international affairs, and it almost exclusively revolves around war, natural disaster or any other catastrophes that capture the imagination. "
This brutally honest assessment of a war correspondent's job made me curious as to whether Fletcher would echo these sentiments in his book. And so, to the book I went.
" Breaking News " bills itself as " A Stunning and Memorable Account of Reporting from Some of the Most Dangerous Places in the World ". The book's eclectic dedication "To my father : A son, a tree, a book " peaked my interest.
In the acknowledgments, we find that Fletcher was a wife and three sons, and that there are many members of the NBC News staff that he considers family as well.
If you read " Breaking News ", whatever you do, do not skip the introduction. I my opinion, the introduction of this book is perhaps the best description of the strange enchantment we, the public, have with war/death and war correspondents have with delivering it to us.
Chapter one, " Clueless " :
In this chapter, Fletcher describes how naive he was about the reality of his job when he started. As I read this chapter, I couldn't help but feel that in describing his beginnings, he was also describing how naive we, the customers, of war reporting are about the product we consume. Fletcher's own statement, " Looking back, I can't say I enjoyed the horrors of war, but I do believe war engaged the senses in a way I have never experienced " might well be a quote from we consumers of war reporting .
Chapter two, "" When Luck Ran Out ":
We get to meet Simon and follow his journey from war observer, to war victim, to hospital patient. A journey that would fit perfectly in any action-adventure war movie. Simon's is the kind of story that you can't help but find interesting.
Chapter three " Salad days " :
( There is a very interesting bit of historical trivia covered in opening of this chapter. In it, Fletcher takes us back to Africa circa 1975 and describes the beginning of the disintegration of white rule there. Even those of us who claim to be " informed " individuals might be surprised to find that whites began losing their iron-clad grip on Africa over thirty years ago ). Mostly, what you will learn from this chapter is that there really are ( or were ) places on this planet that are like Humphrey Bogart's Casablanca.
Chapter four, " There Is No God but God " :
This chapter begins with Fletcher's association with the American Embassy hostage situation in Tehran and his ill-fated attempt to scoop the other networks with news of the hostage's release. It ends with Fletcher's witnessing the birth of Hizbullah in 1982. Since this era directly impacts the world we live in today, I was surprised at the relatively light covering this time frame got.
Chapter five, " The Home Front " :
Aside from stories of how his personal life relates to what he does ( like how his mother escaped the Nazis ), Fletcher includes eight pages of photographs in this chapter. These photographs are best appreciated when directly related to the stories in this book. Taken on their own, they do not relay the message that viewing them as reenforcement of the text does.
Chapter Six " Famine and the Warlord " :
Simply put, using Somalia circa 1992 as a backdrop, Fletcher creates an intriguing picture of how the mechanics of power/politics is not much different in a hostile war-torn third world situation than it is in a "civilized" situation.
Chapter Seven, " The River of Death " :
This is a short chapter, it covers the genocide in Rwanda. Fletcher makes it clear that at the time of the tragedy, he was detached from it all. But, looking back on it he feels that his detachment probably helped create the disaster in the first place. We all share a chuck of that blame.
Chapter Eight: " Kosovo, Oh, How I Love You" :
We all recognize the name Kosovo. Most of us only know it was a place where "bad things" happened. Within this chapter, there is the telling of a mother who gives birth and refuses to accept the child, because she blames the child for all her troubles. Believe me, taken in the context of the rest of the chapter, this incident creates a very accurate picture of not only how bad life situations can be, but also how completely we can allow ourselves to not be part of what is happening right in front of us.
Chapter Nine: " Living with Terror" :
Simply put, this chapter may be a road map for Americas future if we all simply stand by and watch. I'll sum up what I mean with this line written by Fletcher " Infants in kindergarten were educated not to pick anything up in the street. A bomb could be stuffed inside a loaf of bread."
In summary, this is a book that defines rather than records our fascination with death and destruction. The most remarkable point this book makes is that it proves that once something becomes a job, there are things it shares with any job, anywhere. So much so, that even war can become something that begins in the morning and ends in the evening.
This is a relevant book.
-George Corneliussen-
rate
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 21 ( 1 removed by George Corneliussen )
I hate that we are only "consumers" of news. If I'm to be considered a consumer.. I want the whole pie for my money. Now I truly feel ripped off.
It's nice to hear Mr. Fletcher tell what his business is really like. He does not paint a pretty picture.
That was my line, thanks.
I wasn't sure if I would like it, but it definiely grew on me in ways I did not expect.
Mr. Fletcher does give the impression that this is his "job" and what he creates is product. I guess deciding if that is a good thing or a bad thing is a subject in itself.
I suspect this book will create a buzz.
Thanks, I wasn't sure what to expect from this book.
It's a bit weird to sum up 35 years of work in a few hundred pages, and I left out so much. In fact one story from Sarajevo, which inspired me to write the book, isn't even in it. And the best day of my career, the fall of the Berlin wall, also isn't in.
George, many thanks for taking the time and interest to review the book - especially as it seems it wasn't a natural fit with your interests. (I think I'm right in infeerring that?)
You definitely have my permission to steal that line. I'll tell you this, it's been a few days since I finished your book and I'm still thinking about it. You did something right.
You're right it wasn't a natural fit for me,but I'm really glad I read it.
Thanks, ditto on yours.
Your book did not give me the impression that you thought it was just a job, but rather that you were concerned that the situations you've found yourself in might deserve more human understanding than your job allowed you to participate in.
As for the internet's ability to give your work life beyond the inital headlines they produce, that's good to hear. The heart and soul of a news story, to me, is in the follow up. I always say the internet is still defining its purpose. If one of those purposes turns out to be a place where news events can be followed to conclusion, what a great thing that would be.
Thank you for stopping by !