Spies, Spin and the Fourth Estate: British Intelligence and the Media - Paperback

by Paul Lashmar (Author)

Combining his expertise as a national security correspondent and research academic, Paul Lashmar reveals how and why the media became more critical in its reporting of the Secret State. He explores a series of major case studies including Snowden, WikiLeaks, Spycatcher, rendition and torture, and MI5's vetting of the BBC - most of which he reported on as they happened. He discusses the issues that news coverage raises for democracy and gives you a deeper understanding of how intelligence and the media function, interact and fit into structures of power and knowledge.

Front Jacket

A former national security correspondent's ground-breaking account of the turbulent relationship between British Intelligence and the media At its most fraught, interaction between spies and journalists has been a battle over the primacy of national security versus freedom of speech. The history of this dynamic has never before been fully documented or subjected to rigorous analysis. Combining his expertise as a national security correspondent and research academic, Paul Lashmar reveals how and why the media became more critical in its reporting of the Secret State. He explores a series of major case studies including Snowden, WikiLeaks, Spycatcher, rendition and torture, and MI5's vetting of the BBC - most of which he reported on as they happened. He discusses the issues that news coverage raises for democracy and gives you a deeper understanding of how intelligence and the media function, interact and fit into structures of power and knowledge. Paul Lashmar is Head of Journalism at City, University of London. He has been an investigative journalist for television and print and on the staff of The Observer, Granada Television's World in Action current affairs series and The Independent. He is also a recipient of the Reporter of The Year award presented at the British Press Awards. Cover image: (c) shutterstock.com Cover design: [EUP logo] edinburghuniversitypress.com ISBN 978-1-4744-4307-4 Barcode

Author Biography

Paul Lashmar is Head of the Department of Journalism at City, University of London. He is a Reader in Journalism and written extensively about the world of spying, intelligence and terrorism for four decades. His research interests include investigative journalism, intelligence-media relations and organised crime. Paul has been an investigative journalist in television and print and on the staff of The Observer, Granada Television's World in Action current affairs series and The Independent newspapers. He has authored or co-authored a number of books including the textbook Online Journalism: The Essential Guide with Steve Hill (Sage, 2014).