Memorial Hall Library

The enemy of the people, a dangerous time to tell the truth in America, Jim Acosta

eng

contains biographical information

platesillustrations

no index present

non fiction

The enemy of the people

1102648075

Jim Acosta

a dangerous time to tell the truth in America

"Jim Acosta never wanted to be the story. A veteran reporter long known for asking tough, blunt questions, Acosta had survived the gauntlet of covering Trump's 2016 presidential campaign thinking that he'd seen it all. But as Trump prepared to take the oath of office, Acosta landed in unexpected territory: suddenly unwilling to tolerate Trump's relentless attacks on the press, as well as on his employer, CNN, he inadvertently found himself at the center of Trump's war on the media. What began in the weeks immediately before and after Trump took office escalated dramatically throughout Trump's first two years, as the consequences of confronting the Trump administration and the personal dangers for journalists who dared to challenge the administration grew more extreme every day. In [this book] Acosta tells, for the first time, the full story of his experience covering the Trump campaign and administration, offering an insider's account of how President Trump has used his war on the media to undermine the very fabric of our democracy. Going behind the scenes of the biggest stories and scandals of the Trump administration, Acosta traces the lies and digs beneath the spin to show the true cost of Trump's rhetoric, which has animated some of the darkest forces in American political life. Acosta also details what it's like to be the president's least favorite correspondent at CNN, and why, in the face of such historic attacks, he has pursued a controversial strategy of confrontation with the Trump administration, a strategy that has put him at greater professional and personal risks, while making him a target for the White House's revenge. Drawing on interviews, transcripts, skirmishes, and run-ins with some of the administration's most polarizing figures--Sean Spicer, Jared Kushner, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Reince Priebus, Steve Bannon, and Stephen Miller, to name a few--the result is a disturbing and timely chronicle of the daily struggle to hold the Trump White House accountable for its words and actions. At a time when hostility toward the media has reached unprecedented heights and threats of physical violence to journalists are only getting worse, [this book] is a necessary reminder that words and facts matter, and that even though it's a dangerous time to tell the truth in America, the truth is more important than ever."--Dust jacket

Prologue -- Empty frames -- The first lie -- The enemy -- Russia, if you're listening -- Spicy time -- The worst wing -- Charlottesville -- "We reap what we sow ..." -- Dictators over democracies -- Humbled in Helsinki -- The rallies -- Fear and losing -- A White House smear -- Revocation and redemption -- Epilogue: America, if you're listening