Behind the White House Curtain

By: Steven L Herman

Narrated by: Aaron Killian

Steven L Herman, chief national correspondent for the nonpartisan, government-funded Voice of America (VOA), weaves together memoir and history to pull back the curtain on the inner workings of the White House press corps, giving listeners a rare glimpse into the historic and current relationship between the president and the press.

Herman traces the trajectory of his career as a journalist—from learning to be skeptical of government officials’ statements when he worked as a novice reporter covering nuclear testing in Nevada in the 1970s to understanding the power of on-the-ground social media coverage after the Fukushima disaster in 2011 and facing the challenges of covering the Trump administration. He reflects on the experience of reporting on a president who once called journalists “enemies of the people”—and indeed, former president Trump singled out VOA, accusing the organization of being not a voice of America but rather a voice supporting Moscow’s and Beijing’s interests. Under questionable circumstances, top VOA executives lost their security clearances, and a dossier was prepared on Herman in an effort to remove him as White House bureau chief.”

At a time when misinformation is rampant and the need for unbiased coverage of current events is more urgent than ever, Herman reminds listeners that freedom of the press is a foundational American right.

The book is published by The Kent State University Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

©2024 Steven L Herman (P)2026 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"A potent reminder of the importance of journalists taking the work seriously and trying to inform the public." (Foreword Reviews)

“An important reminder of why we need journalists like Steve on the front lines reporting the truth.” (Jim Acosta, CNN)

“This book is important and a great read.” (Ambassador (Ret.) Eric S. Rubin)