Breaking: How the Media Works, When it Doesn't and Why it Matters

by Mic Wright

'Brimming with intelligence, energy, ethics and impeccable research' Samira Ahmed
'An authoritative guide to improving your media literacy' The Big Issue


The modern media is breaking.

Now, more than ever, the media is crucial in shaping what we know about the world around us. So what happens when this vital part of our society fails in its basic role and how can we even begin to understand the mess it's in?

From those who own the news and the battle for balance at the BBC, to the intricacies of political journalism and the trade's ethics, the modern media is as complex as it is flawed. Through personal experience of the newsrooms and insider interviews, journalist Mic Wright strips the engine of information, entertainment and propaganda back to its constituent parts and lays it bare. In this revealing deep-dive, Breaking shows how our news media works and, ultimately, how it doesn't.

With his frank and comprehensive analysis, Mic equips the reader with the tools to better interrogate our media, separating the fair from the ethically dubious, the truths from the half-truths . . . and the down-right lies.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Audiobook

Audible Audio

Published June 12, 2025

Reviews

[Michael Jarvie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought-provoking and informative. I didn't know, for example, that Rupert Murdoch studied PPE at Oxford University.
Although Breaking focuses mainly on print media, it does a pretty good job of dealing with televisual media as well, given the way in which moguls like Murdoch have a finger in both pies.
Perhaps the only figure of note who is surprisingly absent from the book is James O'Brien, despite the fact that the likes of the News Agents and The Rest Is Politics podcasts are all mentioned.
I would also have liked to see more statistics for print media in terms of readership. Just how many people these days consume the printed version of The Sun, versus the online version?
Apart from a sprinkling of typos - on page 296 the German newspaper Bild is called Bilt- the book holds up well to scrutiny.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is acerbic, entertaining, and forthright (especially on the distinction between organic, processed, and artificial news). Avid readers of media criticism will be familiar with much of it, but the one-liners are almost worth the cover price alone. It is also a good education in media literacy and would be a good addition to any reading list. There’s also hope, which is always worthy, and this is allied to a fairly current speculation about the future of the news media.

[I Read, Therefore I Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mic Wright is a journalist and media critic whose book offers an unflinching, insider’s look at the UK’s news media. It’s a fascinating and scathing account of journalism, its ethics and history that offers insight into how the media operates and its drivers. It’s particularly good at the close links between politics and the media and the failures and limitations of regulation, especially when ordinary people find themselves to be the story.

[Jenni Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book over all. Clearly it was written by somebody who both loves the media, and is deeply concerned about it's darker side.
Some chapters are a little dry, but others I highlighted practically every word!
Well researched and very funny, I laughed and felt outraged in equal measure. There's practical advice for readers and a little sprinkle of hope for the future.
Good stuff.

[Colin Sinclair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and timely examination of the state of modern media, building from the early years of the press barons up to the modern day when tech billionaires have decided to not make the news better but to instead make it differently worse. Recommended reading for anyone who wants to know how the news as it happens in the world becomes the stuff we see in print/online/on video; or don't see, depending who is in control.