6 Best Investigative Journalism Books

If you are looking for some great books to read, and you want something immersive and fascinating, try exploring investigative journalism books. The best investigative journalism books are engaging and dive deep into a specific subject. These are well-written, informative, and keep you hooked till the end. Luckily for you, we’ve got some best books covering a range of subjects from massive criminal cover-ups, politics, social justice, and more. Read on to find out more!

  1. ‘Bad News For You is Good News For Me!’ by Mike Deeson

This book is written by Mike Deeson who has worked as an investigative reporter in news media for 35 years, and is currently running an investigative media company called ‘Deeson Media’. This book will give you excellent insights into the lives of various Presidents including Bill Clinton, George Bush, and Ronald Reagan. From the working of local television to details about various events and personalities that shaped the last 50 years, this book covers everything.

The author has narrated his experiences in Saudi Arabia with General Norman Schwarzkopf before the First Gulf War, Klan cross burnings, and a Klan riot, in an excellent way. You will also find insider views of Florida executions including ‘Old Sparky’, the electric chair, encounters with Colonel Harland Sanders of KFC Fame, Roy Rogers, Mob Lawyer Frank Ragano, Mob chieftain Santos Trafficante Jr., King of the Cowboys, Talk Show King Larry King, Cybil Shepherd, Baseball Hall of Famer – Ernie Banks, Hockey Hall of Famer – Phil Esposito, and more. This is one of the best investigative journalism books that you should read if you consider yourself a fan of this genre.

2. ‘Kill the Messenger’ by Nick Schou

If you want to know the truth behind the connections between CIA and illegal drug rings, this book is what you should get your hands on. While reading this, you will realize that investigative journalism puts a lot at stake. This book features the controversy, the tragic events that followed, and the evidence that Garry Webb’s (the journalist’s) initial reports were true. Webb faced backlash after revealing the connections between CIA and drug rings. His professional life was tanked, and he committed suicide a few years later.

3. ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’ by Hunter S. Thompson

It narrates the tale of a long weekend road trip that has gone down in the annals of American pop culture as one of the most peculiar journeys ever undertaken. Being one of the best cult classics of gonzo journalism, this book tells the chronicles of drug-soaked, addle-brained rollicking good times committed to the printed page.

4.‘The Dark Side of Camelot’ by Seymour M. Hersh

This investigative journalism book gives the readers a deeper look at some of the darker aspects of the Kennedy family. Hersh examines how John F. Kennedy came of age with a permissive father who expected him to rise to greatness but did not hold him accountable for his actions. Further, he reveals that Kennedy’s reckless behavior threatened his work too.

5. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test’ by Tom Wolfe

This book ushered in an era of New Journalism, an American classic that defined a generation. ‘The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test’ is an excellent book – an unflinching portrait of Ken Kesey, his Merry Pranksters, LSD, and the 1960s.

6. ‘All the President’s Men’ by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward

Printed just months before President Nixon’s resignation, this book reveals the full scope of the scandal and introduced for the first time the mysterious ‘Deep Throat’. The book begins with the story of a burglary at Democratic headquarters and then continues through headline after headline.  Bernstein and Woodward’s explosive reports won a Pulitzer Prize for The Washington Post, brought down a presidency, and have inspired generations of reporters. If you want to read a riveting detective story that captures the exhilarating rush of the biggest US presidential scandal in history, this is it.

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