Words of fire : independent journalists who challenge dictators, druglords, and other enemies of a free press /

In this well written book, Collings (Univ. of Michigan and former Newsweek correspondent) explores contemporary governmental repression of journalists on a global scale. He divides the volume into four sections, providing miniprofiles of courageous journalists who challenged authority; six genres of news stories that led to governmental confrontation; strategies (in addition to censorship) governments use to repress the news media; and information about how journalists constructively contest. The journalistic profiles include examples from Mexico, Russia, and Nigeria; each details the motivations of journalists who risked their or their family's welfare to report routine news or investigative stories. An impressive chapter details an array of new legal and economic pressures some international governments use to silence news organizations and individual journalists. Collings emphasizes how news repression spreads if it is not actively defied by news organizations and international diplomatic pressure. The book appears to have been written before the events of 9/11, so special international and national press restrictions since September 11 are not discussed. An excellent companion to Web sites of organizations that provide ongoing coverage of international journalism freedoms, including Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Press Institute , this book is recommended for undergraduate, technical, professional, and general journalism collections. R. A. Logan University of Missouri--Columbia

It's no surprise that Collings earned his credentials as a reporter for Newsweek, the Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press, and CNN and eventually won an Emmy for his reports on the Oklahoma City bombing. This groundbreaking account is told with an immediacy that could only have come from a reporter skilled in the techniques of "guerrilla" journalism. Here, he shares the courageous stories of the men and women who bring us the news from the frontlines of our global hot spots. The commitment Collings shares with the journalists he profiles is awe-inspiring, and the life-threatening risks that they take to maintain the ideals of a free press will shatter the skepticism with which most Americans view our media. Journalists can be assassinated (34 in 1999), imprisoned, tortured, and held hostage, and many jeopardize their careers and comfort for their determined refusal to be censored. Collings's extensive notes and bibliography provide further evidence that the fight to maintain and preserve a free and unbiased press is universal. Recommended for all journalism collections and libraries supporting interest in contemporary world events. Denise S. Sticha, Murrysville Community Lib., PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.