When Newspapers Mattered

IN THE EARLY 1980S, the citizens of Clarksville, Tennessee, were traumatized by the unrelated disappearances and random murders of two All-American teenagers, whose bodies were found within 24 hours of each other in the most shocking and mind-numbing of circumstances imaginable. Having a job to do, but emotionally affected by the double tragedy, reporters and editors at the city's daily newspaper wrestled with their sanity while they pursued for their readers a trail of never-ending stories about the darkest underside of the human spirit. In seeking solace, there was little choice but to replace tears with an undeniably fine madness, laced with mirth and mourning. With that remedy, The News Brothers were born... Two of the last great newspapermen, Tim Ghianni and Rob Dollar, take readers back to the days when newspapers actually mattered in America... When journalism was all about making a difference, not making huge profits at the expense of the reader... When reporters and editors searched for the truth, wherever it took them and at whatever cost. This book is a story about their love for newspapers... What went wrong... And why. It's also about those two long ago murders that continue to haunt them to this day. Their story is dark. It's funny. It's honest. It's brutal. But, most of all, it's the truth-and in the end, that's all that really matters to two old newspapermen who never backed down. 3