Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos, and THE WASHINGTON POST

Description

A closely observed, gripping chronicle of politics and journalism during a decade of turmoil. The New York Times Book Review

Politics. Money. Media. Tech. Its all here in Collision of Power.

All the President’s Men for a new generation. Town & Country

Marty Baron took charge of The Washington Postnewsroom in 2013, after nearly a dozen years leading The Boston Globe. Just seven months into his new job, Baron received explosive news: Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, would buy the Post, marking a sudden end to control by the venerated family that had presided over the paper for 80 years. Just over two years later, Donald Trump won the presidency.

Now, the capitals newspaper, owned by one of the worlds richest men, was tasked with reporting on a president who had campaigned against the press as the lowest form of humanity. Pressures on Baron and his colleagues were immense and unrelenting, having to meet the demands of their new owner while contending with a president who waged a war of unprecedented vitriol and vengeance against the media.

In the face of Trumps unceasing attacks, Baron steadfastly managed the Posts newsroom. Their groundbreaking and award-winning coverage included stories about Trumps purported charitable giving, misconduct by the Secret Service, and Roy Moores troubling sexual history. At the same time, Baron managed a restive staff during a period of rapidly changing societal dynamics around gender and race.
In Collision of Power, Baron recounts this with the tenacity of a reporter and the sure hand of an experienced editor. The result is elegant and revelatory-an urgent exploration of the nature of power in the 21st century.

Author Information

Martin Baron is a longtime journalist and newspaper editor. He ran the newsrooms of The Miami Herald and The Boston Globe before being named executive editor of TheWashington Post in 2013. His role in launching an investigation of the Catholic Churchs cover-up of sexual abuse by clergy was portrayed in the Academy Award-winning movie Spotlight. Baron retired from daily journalism in early 2021 and now splits his time between Western Massachusetts and New York City. Collision of Power is his first book.