The Columnist: Leaks, Lies, and Libel in Drew Pearson's Washington
Donald A. Ritchie
Jan 2022 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Graham Rowat
headphones
Audiobook
12 hr 31 min
Unabridged
family_home
Eligible
info
reportRatings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More
Want a 1 hr 15 min sample? Listen anytime, even offline.
Add
About this audiobook
Long before Wikileaks and social media, the journalist Drew Pearson exposed to public view information that public officials tried to keep hidden. Pearson devoted himself to revealing what politicians were doing behind closed doors. From 1932 to 1969, his daily "Washington Merry-Go-Round" column and weekly radio and TV commentary broke secrets, revealed classified information, and passed along rumors based on sources high and low in the federal government, while intelligence agents searched fruitlessly for his sources. For forty years, this syndicated columnist and radio and television commentator called public officials to account and forced them to confront the facts. Pearson's daily column, published in more than 600 newspapers, and his weekly radio and television commentaries led to the censure of two US senators, sent four members of the House to prison, and undermined numerous political careers. Breaking secrets was the heartbeat of Pearson's column. He played cat and mouse with the investigators who shadowed him, tapped his phone, read his mail, and planted agents among his friends. Yet they rarely learned his sources. Drawing on Pearson's extensive correspondence, diaries, and oral histories, The Columnist reveals the mystery behind Pearson's leaks and the accuracy of his most controversial revelations.
About the author
Donald A. Ritchie is Historian Emeritus of the US Senate. A former president of the Oral History Association, he also served on the council of the American Historical Association and as a delegate to the American Council of Learned Societies.
Graham Rowat is an award-winning narrator who has appeared in numerous television shows and stage productions.
Rate this audiobook
Tell us what you think.
Listening information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can read books purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
