"For almost forty years, John Simpson has been covering the biggest news stories of the day and is widely regarded as one of our foremost commentators. Now, after decades of groundbreaking journalism, he turns his attention to the way the British press has reported key moments in our history and charts the development of the reporter's art over the course of the last one hundred years." "From the young Churchill on the Boer War to the creation of the Daily Mail, from the coverage of two world wars to Suez, from the Sun's propping up of the Thatcher government to Blair's press machine and weapons of mass destruction, Simpson tells the true stories behind the headlines. The result is an engaging and astute account of how Britain has been transformed by its free press. Simpson also examines the ways in which the press itself has changed and reveals, in typically trenchant fashion, how the British press has often knowingly - and at times irresponsibly - manipulated events. With his forensic eye for the telling detail, Simpson also asks some searching questions of his own profession, such as whether the press can ever be truly independent - and, if it can, would we really want it to be."--Jacket.