Reporting the War— John Byrne Cooke

The press’s role in reporting on war has been the subject of much contention in recent years as pundits, politicians, and citizens argue over biases and leaks, criticism and support. But the current debate it is only the latest chapter in a long dispute. In Reporting the War, John Byrne Cooke explores how some voices in the press have opposed government war policies throughout American history, how the government has sometimes tried to suppress dissenting opinion, and how journalists have worked to inform the public while preserving the principles of the Founding Fathers.

From the Revolution to the debate over the Mexican War, as it was played out in the rivalry between Horace Greeley’s New York Tribune and James Gordon Bennett’s New York Herald, to the world wars, Korea, Vietnam, and the ongoing conflicts of our times, Cooke examines both the better-known and the lesser-known aspects of the complex relationship between the press and the American government in wartime, and he shows how themes from past wars resonate with and inform our current debates.

Concerns about troop levels in Iraq and the reluctance of the Bush administration to ask American citizens to sacrifice for the war effort take on new significance when viewed against the escalating draft calls and tax increases of the Korean War. Similarly, the challenges of battling the insurgency in Iraq echo the experiences of earlier generations of American troops in Vietnam and the Philippines.

Among the surprises Cooke explores are the severe measures taken by the administration of Abraham Lincoln to suppress dissent during the Civil War, and the press’s failure to condemn an anti-sedition law backed by Woodrow Wilson that led to the imprisonment of hundreds of American citizens for expressing anti-government opinions in the First World War. Just as startling is the story of torture committed by American troops in the Philippine Insurrection, which followed the Spanish-American War, and the intervention of President Theodore Roosevelt to assure that the guilty would be prosecuted.

More familiar in our own time is the inevitable conflict between patriotism and dissent during wartime, and the impulse, repeated in virtually every American war, to accuse antiwar activists of giving “aid and comfort to the enemy.” Recent accusations of government deception and executive over-reaching are all the more relevant seen through the lens of history that Cooke provides.

Throughout Reporting the War, Cooke reveals that fundamental constitutional principles are at play – and at risk – in the daily life of the nation far more often than most of us realize, and this is never more true than in wartime. He demonstrates a passion for the importance of these principles, and for the role of the free press in protecting them.

Alexandra Fuller, author of Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight and Scribbling the Cat, has said that Reporting the War “is written with unaffected intelligence, absolute clarity and an astute eye for the sorts of details that make for fascinating reading.” Former war correspondent Joseph Albright, co-author of Bombshell: The Secret History of America’s Unknown Atomic Spy Conspiracy, describes the book as “a must-read…for all correspondents heading off to cover a war,” and “a fascinating dose of reality for all consumers of their war coverage.” Albright’s praise is seconded by Kirkus Reviews, which called Reporting the War “A worthy and readable piece, especially for journalism students and those who want to be better, more critical consumers of the news.”

John Byrne Cooke is the son of the journalist and broadcaster Alistair Cooke. He has previously published three historical novels – The Snowblind Moon, South of the Border, and The Committee of Vigilance – deeply rooted in turning points of American history, for which he won critical acclaim. He lives in Jackson, Wyoming.

–Caroline Patton

For more information on Reporting the War and John Byrne Cooke’s writing, go to http://www.johnbyrnecooke.com/rtw.html