A Hack's Progress Paperback – 30 Aug 2005

A Hack's Progress is an outstanding, clear-headed, funny and well crafted journalistic memoir. It harbours no egoistic self-indulgence, long-winded rambling or other off-putting traits we associate with modern journalists. Nor does it become bogged down in theory, or in hazy nostalgia about a golden age that never really existed. When someone is paid tribute, such praise if qualified by ample reason and evidence.Philip Knightley offers up the essence of good autobiography: adventures around the world, humorous anecdotes, encounters with the famous and infamous including the treacherous Kim Philby, a young Rupert Murdoch, and a fleeting encounter with the newly ascended Elizabeth II. Together with this, we hear about the legendary Thalidomide investigations among others. Although decades old, the relevancy of the old Times Insight exposés and the work that went into them is demonstratively timeless.That something as quality as this is out of print while hordes of self-regarding sludge shifts thousands is tragic. Whether you're a journalism student, an enthusiast for good news or biography, or a general reader - you won't regret getting hold of a copy of this book.

'The First Casualty' is one of my favourite non-fiction books, and since reading that I've been reading what I can of Knightley's other work. So I was inevitably delighted to see this take on the subject of journalism itself. There's great snapshots of history (with some interesting Murdoch information), tales of what the life on the road is like and all the background on Knightley's big stories, (such as the Thalidomide disaster).Totally worth reading. I loved it so much I immediaetly bought a second copy to send to a friend (who's a journalist)!