by Zev Chafets
First published 2013
Roger Ailes built modern political consulting and guided Nixon, Reagan, and George H. W. Bush to White House victories. He then created Fox News in 1996, transforming cable television and American journalism. Barack Obama called him "the most powerful man in America." Liberals see him as an evil genius who polarized the country. Conservatives view him as a champion of free speech whose values mirror their own. Journalist Zev Chafets gained rare access to Ailes, his family, friends, and Fox News colleagues. The book reveals Ailes in action at the network and captures his reflections on personal matters never discussed publicly. Chafets explores his relationships with Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Megyn Kelly, and other Fox stars. The portrait shows a man of contradictions who loves to fight but charms many he has defeated, including Barbara Walters, Rachel Maddow, and Jesse Jackson. Chafets presents neither villain nor hero but a complex figure driven by small town Ohio values and competitive fire.
Genres: biography, politics, 21st-century, journalism, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: complex-protagonist, insider-perspective
Setting: Ohio
Period: 1996
258 pages · Hardcover · Sentinel