Product Description

At the record-breaking age of 28 Piers Morgan was made editor of the News of the World, the UK's biggest-selling Sunday newspaper. The decade that followed was one of the most tumultuous in modern times, a period in which we witnessed the self-implosion of the Tories, the rise of New Labour, the Royal Family brought to its knees by scandal and tragedy, horrific news events like Dunblane, september 11, and the war in Iraq - alongside a seemingly endless supply of fantastically entertaining sport and celebrity gossip. Throughout the period (he later moved to the Mirror, Infamously deciding to take it upmarket and stand alone in making the paper anti-war) he kept detailed diaries of what happened, as it happened - recording encounters and escapades with the key figures involved, from Murdoch to Blair, Diana to the Beckhams. Like Alan Clark and Paul Burrell before him, The Insider will give the wider reading public an unprecedented insight into the workings not only of newspapers, but the inside track on the corridors of power in Britain. Entertaining, engaging and compulsive, The Insider is set to become the most talked-about book of the 2005, blowing apart every notion we have about politics, media and celebrity in twenty-first century Britain.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #205079 in Books
• Published on: 2005-03-04
• Released on: 2005-03-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 512 pages

Review
"'I have great stories to tell, secrets to reveal, friends to salute, and bodies to bury. It should be, rather like my editing career, a lot of fun. Unless your name's Jeremy Clarkson or Ian Hislop, I guess.' Piers Morgan"

Peter Oborne, Spectator
"Piers Morgan’s ghastly diaries will be the epitaph of this government...a book of historic importance"

Greg Dyke, The Guardian
"gives us hundreds of wonderful tales, some funny, some profound, some just fascinating"

Customer Reviews

Very readable
Piers Morgan is undoubtedly smug and I have always found him rather irritating. However, this is an entertaining book and even though I was quite prejudiced against him, I found him surprisingly difficult to dislike.

The book is written in a diary format giving his perspective on the events of the last ten years (covering his time as editor of the News of the World and the Daily Mirror). It covers are Princess Diana's relationship with the media and her death; the war with Iraq (and the Mirror's strongly anti-war stance); New Labour and his relationship with Tony & Cherie Blair, Peter Mandelson and Alastair Campbell; his troubles with share dealing; his dealings with Rupert Murdoch, Kelvin McKenzie, Naomi Campbell, Jeremy Clarkson and other celebrities amongst many other topics.

Clearly his diary has been extensively edited to make it more readable but I would guess he has also taken the opportunity to portray himself in the best possible light and to make him appear almost prescient (he gives the impression that he has understood the full implications of important events almost instantly) while throwing in the odd, half-hearted attempt at self-deprecation in an attempt to make him appear more human and more likeable.

However, despite my reservations the book works; it is strangely addictive: once started it is very difficult to put down. It provides some interesting insight into events of the period together with some genuinely funny anecdotes.

Inside Piers Morgan's mind?
The Insider is an addictive read, providing compelling insight into newspaper editing and the role tabloids play in politics and public relations. Intriguing enough just to revisit ten years of scoops and scandals, it is most interesting to see how liberally supposed news stories get 'splashed' recklessly over tabloid covers without serious substantiation or attempt at impartiality. It also gives character to the hitherto invisible journalists behind these vitriolic, hectoring papers - often foul-mouthed, hard-drinking egomaniacs it seems - and exposing the hypocrites and sycophants in the world of celebrity. The question you have to ask yourself while reading this is whether Piers Morgan is to be trusted. The world he appears to inhabit is the same slightly dubious reality that the tabloids reflect, and Morgan is a shameless name-dropper who enjoys boasting of his relationships with Diana and Tony Blair. He seems fit to burst with smug satisfaction at doing over his rivals and is quick to point out how clever he is. He likes to think that he was, as editor of a major tabloid, one of the most powerful people in public life and politics, depicting the government as pandering to his whims. I think he overstates the case, and is perhaps a little naive, but this is no less enjoyable a read for that.

An insight into the world of journalism
Prior to reading this book I had thought Piers Morgan to be very irritating, hard-faced and smug. I still think he can be smug, but rather than irritating and hard-faced,I found him to be very funny and ....human. He has a heart after all. I got angry for him when he was 'shafted' and I felt for him when he had to grovel. I loved reading about the devious goings on between staff of rival papers trying to 'scoop' each other, and about politicians, Royals, celebrities etc playing their manipulating games. I had always suspected such things went on, but Piers tells it like it is. This book opens your eyes and shows what people in the public eye are REALLY like. I laughed out loud many times at some of his tales. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It was fun and I couldn't put it down. Thanks Piers for such an entertaining read, and I apologise for ever thinking badly of you.