Uncovered: How the Media Got Cozy with Power, Abandoned Its Principles, and Lost the People [Audiobook]

Media critic and former CNN executive Steve Krakauer spotlights the problems of a news industry filled with geographically isolated, introspection-free, egomaniacal journalists. The fourth estate is supposed to be a conduit to the people and a check on power. Instead, we have a bunch of geographically isolated, introspection-free, cozy-with-power, egomaniacal journalists thirsty for elite approval. No one understands these problems (and people) better than Steve Krakauer, one of America’s sharpest media critics. He has spent years getting to know some of the most influential players in the industry. This fascinating book is what he’s learned—and why every American should care. In Uncovered, Krakauer gives listeners an extended peek behind the curtain of the media challenges in America today. The book dives deep into some of the most important and egregious examples of the elite censorship collusion racket, like how tech suppression and media fear led to the New York Post-Hunter Biden email debacle before the 2020 election.

Krakauer takes listeners inside CNN after the shock Trump election, inside the New York Times after the Tom Cotton op-ed backlash, inside ESPN after the shift away from sports-only coverage, and more—revealing never-before-seen details about the press over the past five years. Krakauer pulls from his own experience as a former CNN executive and through dozens of exclusive on-the-record interviews with media members in and around the industry—from Tucker Carlson and others at Fox News, to journalists at the New York Times, MSNBC, and CNN. This is a rational, independent (and fun) inside look at the broken news industry in America—assessing where everything went wrong, and how to fix it. Steve Krakauer doesn't hate the media. He loves it and he wants to make it better. But it has a long way to go, and admitting the problems is the first step. In Uncovered, the long road back to trust and relevance begins.