News Junkie

In News Junkie, the cutthroat worlds of journalism, politics, and high finance are laid bare by Jason Leopold, whose addictive tendencies led him from a life of drug abuse and petty crime to become an award-winning investigative journalist who exposed some of the biggest corporate and political scandals in recent American history. Leopold broke key stories about the California energy crisis and Enron Corporation's infamous phony trading floor as a reporter for the Dow Jones Newswires. While he exposed high-rolling hucksters and double-dealing politicians, Leopold hid the secrets of his own felonious past, terrified that he would be discovered. When the news junkie closed in on his biggest story—one that implicated a Bush administration member—he found himself pilloried by angry colleagues and the president’s press secretary, all attempting to destroy his career. Introducing an unforgettable array of characters—from weepy editors and love-starved politicos to steroid-pumped mobsters who intimidate the author into selling drugs and stolen goods—News Junkie shows how a man once fueled by raging fear and self-hatred transforms his life, regenerated by love, sobriety, and a new, harmonious career with the media.

An investigative reporter for Al Jazeera America who covers Guantanamo, counterterrorism, national security, human rights, open government, and civil liberties issues, Jason Leopold has been called a "FOIA Terrorist" by federal employees for his aggressive use of the Freedom of Information Act. He lives in Los Angeles.