Rust Belt Reporter: A Memoir (Great Lakes Books)

Rust Belt Reporter: A Memoir (Great Lakes Books)

Winner, Saginaw Valley State University's 2025-2026 Stuart D. and Vernice M. Gross Award for Literature Reflecting on his life's work as a reporter, including thirty-two years with the Detroit Free Press , journalist John Gallagher merges memoir with an insider's account of the challenges facing Detroit and other Rust Belt cities, as well as the tensions inside local newsrooms throughout the country. Beginning with Gallagher's first job in 1974 in Chicago, with subsequent stops in Rochester and Syracuse, New York, this witty and exciting chronicle details his experiences behind the scenes, breaking major news stories over the decades that followed. From the early days when reporters called in stories on pay phones to today's revenue-generating affiliate commissions, his memoir serves as a documentary of this turbulent journalistic era. Gallagher's career intersected many notable events, including the troubled Kilpatrick administration, newspaper strikes, the federal bailout of automotive companies, the bankruptcy of Detroit, and the exceptional Grand Bargain struck to save the city―all while noting the increasingly important roles nonprofits and private companies play in city politics and newsrooms, for better and for worse. Alongside sage insight into the difficulties and decline of traditional media, Gallagher's experience and advice inspire hope, often underscoring and celebrating the surprising and happy reinvention of heartland cities like Detroit. "I've been a fan of John Gallagher's reporting for years, but this book is a real gift, showing us what it takes to tell true stories of power and possibility. From 1970s Chicago to Detroit today, from richly staffed urban newspapers to today's local news patchwork, Rust Belt Reporter is an intimate revelation of how the quiet glory of journalism is intertwined with the fate of our cities―and ourselves."―Anna Clark, author of The Poisoned City: Flint's Water and the American Urban Tragedy "A master of explanatory journalism, Gallagher now takes on the subject of his own life and career. He's given us several books in one, including a primer on his craft, a reflection on the newspaper business, and a summation of four decades chronicling the declines and revival of his adopted city of Detroit."―Rip Rapson, Kresge Foundation President & CEO "A poignant tribute to Detroit and the power of resolute reporting. Gallagher is one of the few writers who has chronicled the condition of America's older, industrial communities in a way that inspires leaders to act. He sure inspired me."―Congressman Dan Kildee "Take a ride with Rust Belt reporter John Gallagher. Gallagher hopped aboard the Detroit Free Press in 1987 for the ride up. With a seat as a business reporter at a major news chain, he clickety-clacked his way to the top. He covered mega-corporations, a storied city, society, architecture, and the transformation of suburbs and cities, which he prefers. As his ride crested, a wheel came off. Then another. The tracks groaned. The ascent stalled. Decline began. Gallagher reported on car companies begging for federal bailouts while the city lurched toward bankruptcy, residents moved away, and the majority Black population suffered. The mayor went to prison; the city went bust; the economy tanked; Detroit's newspapers took a strike. They lost readers and advertisers. Publishers pinched profits from their dying business model. As the newspapers pushed some staffers off the tracks and others jumped, Gallagher stayed. He climbed to the front car where the view for stories is best. We overlapped at the Free Press for more than twenty years. Gallagher was quietly amazing. Sometimes, including a Sunday when he was at home, I once asked Gallagher how he knew what he knew or learned to do what he did. In this memoir, he spills his secrets and tells what he saw."―Joe Grimm, Detroit Free Press reporter (1983–2008) and Michigan State University emeritus professor of journalism The decline and resurgence of a storied Midwestern city as seen through the eyes of a seasoned journalist, union activist, and Detroit devotee. Reflecting on his life's work as a reporter, including thirty-two years with the Detroit Free Press , journalist John Gallagher merges memoir with an insider's account of the challenges and triumphs of Detroit and other Rust Belt cities. Beginning with his first job in 1974 in Chicago, with subsequent stops in Rochester and Syracuse, New York, this witty and exciting chronicle details his experiences through notable breaking stories like the troubled Kilpatrick administration, newspaper strikes, automotive bailouts, and the bankruptcy of Detroit. From the early days when reporters called in stories on pay phones to today's revenue-generating affiliate commissions, his memoir serves as a documentary of this turbulent journalistic era and sheds light on a path forward. Alongside sage insight into the difficulties and decline of traditional media, Gallaghe