Skip to main content

Confessions of an Investigative Reporter by Matthew Schwarz: book review

 



 

Confessions of an Investigative Reporter (2020) is the memoir of Matthew Schwarz’s forty years in the profession from 1977 to 2020, filing around 10,000 reports for seven television stations in America. 

 

Matthew Schwarz begins with, ‘I sat next to a serial killer. A berserk gypsy swung a baseball bat at my head. I was caught in the middle of a full-scale brawl at a public meeting …’

 

In Part 1 New York Confessions 1983-2003, he writes about his investigation of serial murderer ‘Son of Sam’ David Berkowitz and his shooting spree in 1976-1977 – and his life behind bars. Instead of the usual ten minute interview, he had to prepare for an hour-long interview for a segment of eight minutes and four seconds on Channel 9 in 1992. This career highlight “led to my downfall at the station.” 

 

He writes of investigating the condition of pet animals in aeroplane cargo holds during long-distance flights in 1998. He writes of exposing the unscrupulous practices of a car dealership in the late 1990s. And of celebrity interviews, including Donald Trump several times in the late 1980s and 1990s. He also investigated medical mistakes. 

 

In Part 2 Tampa Confessions  2005-2009, he investigates doctors, painkillers, and deaths. He tells of catching prominent people lying on camera. And times when he was asked to lie on TV to make the story more sensational. 

 

In Part 3 Tucson Confessions 2013-2020, he writes of local social stories, such as a dental disaster and a dishonest realtor. When he was investigating a moving and storage company, he was called ‘an investigative turd.’ 

 

Part 4 You Didn’t Ask Me But … includes his insights on the memorable characters he has worked with over the years. This part is funny and fast-paced. He also mentions the mistakes he’s made throughout his forty years on air. This is my favourite section of the book.   

 

 

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.


MARTINA NICOLLS

Website

Martinasblogs

Publications

Facebook

Paris Website

Animal Website

Flower Website

SUBSCRIBE TO MARTINA NICOLLS FOR NEWS AND UPDATES 

 

 

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author  of: The Paris Residences of James Joyce  (2020), Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh  (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...
1 comment
Read more

Flaws in the Glass, a self-portrait by Patrick White: book review

The manuscript, Flaws in the Glass (1981), is Patrick Victor Martindale White’s autobiography. White, born in 1912 in England, migrated to Sydney, Australia, when he was six months old. For three years, at the age of 20, he studied French and German literature at King’s College at the University of Cambridge in England. Throughout his life, he published 12 novels. In 1957 he won the inaugural Miles Franklin Literary Award for Voss, published in 1956. In 1961, Riders in the Chariot became a best-seller, winning the Miles Franklin Literary Award. In 1973, he was the first Australian author to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for The Eye of the Storm, despite many critics describing his works as ‘un-Australian’ and himself as ‘Australia’s most unreadable novelist.’ In 1979, The Twyborn Affair was short-listed for the Booker Prize, but he withdrew it from the competition to give younger writers the opportunity to win the award. His autobiography, Flaws in the Glass...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sister cities discussed: Canberra and Islamabad

Two months ago, in March 2015, Australia and Pakistan agreed to explore ways to deepen ties. The relationship between Australia and Pakistan has been strong for decades, and the two countries continue to keep dialogues open. The annual bilateral discussions were held in Australia in March to continue engagements on a wide range of matters of mutual interest. The Pakistan delegation discussed points of interest will include sports, agriculture, economic growth, trade, border protection, business, and education. The possible twinning of the cities of Canberra, the capital of Australia, and Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, were also on the agenda (i.e. called twin towns or sister cities). Sister City relationships are twinning arrangements that build friendships as well as government, business, culture, and community linkages. Canberra currently has international Sister City relationships with Beijing in China and Nara in Japan. One example of existing...
1 comment
Read more