Steven Casey is Professor in International History at the London School of Economics. He is the author of Cautious Crusade: Franklin Roosevelt, American Public Opinion and the War against Nazi Germany (OUP, 2001); Selling the Korean War: Propaganda, Politics and Public Opinion (OUP, 2008); When Soldiers Fall: How Americans have Confronted Combat Casualties (OUP, 2014); and The War Beat Europe: The American Media at War against Nazi Germany (OUP, 2017).

• "Being an American journalist in the Pacific theater during World War II was dangerous, daunting work. Snakes, snipers, tropical diseases, and plane crashes were all part of the beat. So were military censors, manipulative officers, and unreliable communication links. As one reads in Steven Casey's engaging and lively narrative, a question emerges: Which was a greater obstacle to filing copy: malaria or MacArthur?" -- David Krugler, AmericanHistorical Review

A nuanced and engaging narrative of the Pacific war in World War II....Steven Casey...untangles the complex challenges that reporters experienced from the moment they arrived on the vast front....The reporters were not sideline observers or members of a pool simply repurposing what they were told from official sources. They often put themselves at great risk and, along with the soldiers they accompanied, endured malnourishment, blistering heat and humidity, disease, endless insects, and enemy bullets and shells....With everything seemingly against them—a public distracted by the European war; military officials who viewed them with suspicion; or publishers who wanted something other than graphic or demoralizing coverage—the Pacific reporters did their jobs nonetheless....A timely reminder of what a democracy needs from an independent press in times of crisis.