This book follows various major news stories from a presidential summit in Malta to the San Francisco earthquake and how the different networks; ABC, CBS, and NBC reported them. It also spends a day with Rather, Jennings, and Brokaw as they gather the news. It provides detailed biographies and looks back at the personalities. There are several pages of photos, including the anchors in their youth. A 5-star review would have been earned had this been more recent. The news stories and techniques seem to be a little behind to our standards. Other wise, a great and informative book.

I found the book revealing and easy to read. The story is quite good, although Munro is portrayed a bit too one-dimentional. Having read MacNeil's previous biographies, I recognized many of the situations, especially in reference to historical events. I came away with the feeling that MacNeil drew heavily on his own experiences as a journalist. This book is not so much a novel, but an observation of the current state og network news, based on personal knowledge.

I've never been a fan of the Big Three nightly newscasts, and after reading Mr MacNeil's "Breaking News" I know why.

The younger producers these shows now have do not understand the tradition of how news was (and should still be) presented. During WWII, Mr Lorne Greene was one of the readers of national broadcasts at CBC Radio. With his deep voice, and taking into account the sometimes overwhelming reports of how the war was going in the early days, he was called the Voice of Doom. These broadcasts were not for entertainment, but to inform, and I suppose considering the time, to combine the strengths of a nation towards one task.

Today, it can easily been seen, the function of TV is to advertise. Viewers expect dramatic pictures, and feel good stories: video from the latest plane crash or which vendor on Broadway has the best pretzels.

Mr MacNeil also presents in detail just how crazy things have got to when it comes to paying these talking heads. The newsreader HAS to draw the audience, not to inform them but hold them for the commercials. I guess that is one of the reasons I always liked the MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour on PBS. No commmercials and a whole hour of news. The networks should learn you can't present a whole day's worth of national and international news in 22 minutes.

Mr MacNeil also shows us, from the inside, how the media makes the news instead of only reporting it. I don't want to give away anthing from the plot, but when one 'reporter' does an interview that became the news.

Finally, I have to add, the concept of the Hollygo character was some of the most interesting reading. If there was any mystery in "Breaking News" it had to ber 'her'!

I've read the reviews posted here previously, and agree with much of what has been said. But the comments of some reviewers are puzzling. You're right -- this book is not "great literature". But then, it wasn't meant to be. This is an insightful novel, nicely written, by an author who knows the world of TV news and has some interesting things to say about it. I found the characters to be believable, the situations engaging, the dialogue realistic, and the humour bang-on. This is, I believe, Mr. MacNeil's third novel, and I look forward to reading many more from him in the future.

The introduction written by William F. Albright states this book has "interfaith scope." "Not sponsored by any ecclesiastical organization and is not intended to reflect any particular theological doctrine." The author does not believe in plenary, inerrant inspiration of Scripture. He deals only with the grammatical intrepretation of original languages. No homiletical value. Dry as dust. I wish I knew this before I bought it