Overview

""In New York and Boston, the men who own the papers are rich and connected. They don't have to chase news; news comes to them. But we chase news! We go out and find the news.""Nearly two centuries ago, long before internet echo chambers and viral misinformation, a quiet revolution began: a pursuit of the truth that would fundamentally change how the world gets its news. In Race to the Cape: The Daring News Chase, the Birth of the Associated Press, and the Journalist at the Heart of It All, Theresa M. O'Leary transports you to a time when speed, accuracy, and objectivity became paramount, revealing the incredible true story behind a byline we still trust today. Set against the backdrop of the media industry of the 1800s, O'Leary chronicles the remarkable life of Daniel H. Craig, an intrepid newspaperman who helped shape the very foundations of news reporting. Craig's journey intertwines with the telegraph, one of the greatest technological advancements of the time-marking the birth of a new era of news that would reach across continents. It also chronicles the gripping story of the role Canada's Cape Race played in the birth of the Associated Press, the trusted cornerstone of modern journalism. This compelling book explores the rivalry, collaboration, and ingenuity that led to the formation of the New York Associated Press in 1846, and how Craig and his team worked tirelessly to bring accurate, timely, and objective news to the world-a mission that still defines the AP today. Through dramatic accounts of race-against-time news retrieval, high-seas adventures, and the relentless pursuit of the scoop, Race to the Cape offers a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of one of the most trusted names in media and the role Canada's Cape Race played in it all. Theresa M. O'Leary is an award-winning Canadian journalist best known for her work with CBC Radio News.

Full Product Details

9781990688560

Table of Contents

Reviews

""A splendid look at the collective craving to beat time and space, and the competition it triggered, in the mid-nineteenth century American news business. Thoroughly researched and buzzing with lively characters, Race to the Cape traces the evolution of news transmission ... Theresa O'Leary has written a book of creative non-fiction that vibrates with her feelings for the harsh beauty of the Atlantic island, and its role in linking the Old and New Worlds."" - Charlotte Gray, CM, Passionate Mothers, Powerful Sons: The Lives of Jennie Jerome Churchill and Sara Delano Roosevelt ""From rowboats and carrier pigeons to telegraph cables and secret codes, O'Leary's account of this transformative time is a rollicking yarn. Overflowing with unforgettable characters and tales of derringdo, her book provides vivid and important insight into a place and age that irrevocably changed the way the world communicated, and journalists worked."" - Gillian Findlay, former CBC and ABC foreign correspondent, former host CBC The Fifth Estate ""A fascinating, expertly told account of a forgotten but exciting chapter in the history of North American news gathering."" - Karl Wells, Openly Karl ""Theresa O'Leary's Race to the Cape is a tumultuous ride through the evolution of the newswire service and one man's quest for honesty, objectivity, and urgency in reporting. It's an important read in this era of post-truth politics."" - Steven Earle, A Brief History of Earth's Climate: Everyone's Guide to the Science of Climate Change ""O'Leary writes with historical accuracy and journalistic flair about a brief but brilliant moment in the evolution of communication technology."" - Kim Kierans, Journalism for the Public Good: The Michener Awards at Fifty ""Bibliophiles who keep their shelves carefully catalogued by genre are going to be troubled by this (excellent) book. Is it a rollicking adventure tale? Yes, certainly. Is it part family memoir and part biography? That too. Is it a thoroughly researched history of the august Associated Press and its connections with Canada? Indeed it is. Does it prompt us to thoughtful reflection on how our news media have morphed in this age of fake news and propaganda? Absolutely. Could it serve as an academic thesis rich in insights, original research and new knowledge? Undoubtedly. Theresa O'Leary has always been one of the most accomplished radio storytellers ... Now she is demonstrating those same skills to a new audience of readers. And they will be engrossed, as was I."" - Bruce Woolley, former foreign correspondent (ABC Australia) and former sr. news producer (CBC News) ""It's like going on an archaeological dig of an extraordinary moment in journalism, replete with adventurers, capitalists and visionaries."" - Tom Harrington, former CBC journalist ""Race to the Cape is a compelling journey into one of the most remote yet pivotal places in the history of global communication: Cape Race, Newfoundland."" Catherine Fogarty, Murder on the Inside: The True Story of the Deadly Riot at Kingston Penitentiary ""In Race to the Cape Theresa M. O'Leary moves impressively from a long career of disciplined CBC journalism to the equally demanding literary genre of creative non-fiction. The result is an engaging treatment of a story that longed to be told ... As a bonus, an unsung but \very real journalistic hero, Daniel Craig, finally gets his due."" - Ron Crocker, former CBC executive and journalist

Author Information

Even though she grew up in Wabush, Labrador, Theresa M. O'Leary knew Cape Race on Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula well. Her father's Irish ancestors had settled in nearby Portugal Cove South and some, like her great aunt Kitty, worked at the Cape Race telegraph station.Perhaps it was fate that Theresa would become a journalist on the radio-the technology that followed the telegraph in getting the news to the people. She has won multiple awards for her work with CBC National Radio News for daily reporting and her documentaries. She is also a playwright and filmmaker.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available