“Given the importance of the intelligence services in shaping the news agenda it is a matter of serious concern that the links between hacks and spooks have been so little studied in the academy. Paul Lashmar’s latest text helps fill the
gap in masterly fashion.

He is the ideal person to write this study. An award-winning investigative reporter and now head of the prestigious Journalism programme at City, University of London, Lashmar has covered many of the recent controversies outlined
here. Since the early 1980s, his career has included spells at the Observer, Granada Television’s Work in Action, the Independent and the Independent on Sunday. The bibliography at the end includes 24 texts he has sole-authored
plus another 21 he jointly authored between 1983 and 2018 – this alone giving an idea of the depth and breadth of his journalism in this area.

But Lashmar’s investigative background means that he is able to enliven the text throughout with some engaging personal anecdotes and insights into changing journalist routine.”

“This is, in fact, a massively detailed, original and thought-provoking study that should be required reading for all students and teachers of journalism, media, communication, intelligence studies and politics”

The full detailed review is in Vol 18. No1/2 2021 OSSN 1742-0105 and can be found at: http://www.ethical-space.co.uk