Collision of Power - by Martin Baron

About the Book

Book Synopsis

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

Politics. Money. Media. Tech. ...It's 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 capital's newspaper, owned by one of the world's 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 Trump's unceasing attacks, Baron steadfastly managed the Post's newsroom. Their groundbreaking and award-winning coverage included stories about Trump's purported charitable giving, misconduct by the Secret Service, and Roy Moore's 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.

Review Quotes

Praise for Martin Baron's Collision of Power

"A closely observed, gripping chronicle of politics and journalism during a decade of turmoil. . . . Monumental. . . . [Baron] shows that newsroom leadership, however devoid of ease or glamour, remains essential." --The New York Times Book Review

"Revealing. . . . A tense, sometimes thriller tale of how the Post navigated a perilous time in journalism. . . . [Baron] clearly has researched extensively and thought deeply about how to cover the unprecedented presidency of Donald Trump. . . . Collision serves as a reminder throughout of how fragile democracy is." --Associated Press

"A tell-all journalism memoir chronicling Baron's highly consequential, sometimes tempestuous eight years as the Post's executive editor." --Vanity Fair

"Martin Baron is the era's most respected newspaper editor. . . . [He is] slyly and often cuttingly observant. . . . Collision offers something scarcer and far more interesting than most arguments over theory, which is a vivid and detailed chronology of how his part of the press actually did its job. . . . Excellent." --The Boston Globe

"Life at the apex of the newspaper hierarchy can be nasty, brutish and short. Baron, an avatar of traditional journalistic values, has weathered the challenges better than most. . . . Indispensable." --Los Angeles Times

"Collision of Power visits all the stations of the cross of Baron's spectacular makeover of the Post. . . . Lots of editors get lucky when a big story breaks their way, but nobody gets lucky long enough to accomplish what Baron has. . . . [Collision of Power's] real service is the way it open-sources the Baron method on how to break consequential news: Obsess about getting the truth. Know your limits. Listen. Be fair. Report, report, report and report some more." --Politico

"Especially fascinating." --The New York Times

"A sobering account of a democracy under siege, and the muckrakers who kept government honest. . . . All the President's Men for a new generation." --Town & Country

"Terrific." --Poynter

"Few editors in American history have been as influential as Marty Baron, and so when he has thoughts to share, the rest of us should listen. This is an illuminating and important book about journalism and democracy." --Jon Meacham

About the Author