Now This: Radio, Television...and the Real World
For years Muller has balanced a career as a news reporter (she's gone from small-town radio to NPR to ABC's 20/20) with life as a single mother. Now This, her first book, is an account of how she did it. Snappily written and full of network news gossip, it culminates with her covering the O.J. Simpson trial, which gives her the opportunity to critique what she sees as socially irresponsible journalism. She condemns mainstream practices such as securing interviews with one of two conflicting parties by promising that the other side will not be given a chance to respond. Her outrage, however, is balanced by the freshness of her prose. Wondering whether Harvest of Shame--the Edward R. Murrow documentary that brought the plight of migrant workers to mainstream America's attention--could be aired now, she notes, "Today, it would probably be a magazine piece done by a consumer reporter, posing the frightening question: 'Do you know who's picking your lettuce? Are they clean?' " Unfortunately, when it comes to her personal life, Muller says little that hasn't already been said about the challenges of single parenting and middle-aged dating. Her sudden admission, midway through the book, that for many years she was a functioning alcoholic leaves many unanswered questions, while her subsequent commentary on Alcoholics Anonymous veers into the didactic. Still, there is ample material here to satisfy readers curious about the state of journalism and the life of a reporter. (Apr.)Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.