Margaret Sullivan at Harvard Book Store

Harvard Book Store welcomes journalist and media columnist MARGARET SULLIVAN for a discussion of her new memoir Newsroom Confidential: Lessons (and Worries) from an Ink-Stained Life. She will be joined in conversation by JOAN DONOVAN—author and Research Director of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy.

A Return to In-Person Events

Harvard Book Store is excited to be back to in-person programming. To ensure the safety and comfort of everyone in attendance, the following Covid-19 safety protocols will be in place at all of our Harvard Book Store events until further notice:

• Face coverings are required of all staff and attendees when inside the store. Masks must snugly cover nose and mouth.

About Newsroom Confidential

Margaret Sullivan began her career at the Buffalo News, where she rose from summer intern to editor in chief. In Newsroom Confidential she chronicles her years in the trenches battling sexism and throwing elbows in a highly competitive newsroom. In 2012, Sullivan was appointed the public editor of The New York Times, the first woman to hold that important role. She was in the unique position of acting on behalf of readers to weigh the actions and reporting of the paper's staff, parsing potential lapses in judgment, unethical practices, and thorny journalistic issues. Sullivan recounts how she navigated the paper’s controversies, from Hillary Clinton's emails to Elon Musk's accusations of unfairness to the need for greater diversity in the newsroom. In 2016, having served the longest tenure of any public editor, Sullivan left for the Washington Post, where she had a front-row seat to the rise of Donald Trump in American media and politics.

With her celebrated mixture of charm, sharp-eyed observation, and nuanced criticism, Sullivan takes us behind the scenes of the nation's most influential news outlets to explore how Americans lost trust in the news and what it will take to regain it.

Praise for Newsroom Confidential

“Sullivan is a wise woman, a sagacious critic and columnist, whose perspective on our increasingly cacophonous media ecosystem is invaluable.” —Katie Couric

“It’s rare that a respected critic and columnist writes a dishy, fun book but when she does, it’s a must-read.” —Molly Jong-Fast, editor-at-large, The Daily Beast

“Her voice is engaging, her frankness refreshing, and her call to action well worth heeding.” —Leonard Downie Jr., former executive editor of The Washington Post