Hardy/Friedland Audiobook By Greg Donahue cover art

Hardy/Friedland

Preview

Try for $0.00
Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.

Hardy/Friedland

By: Greg Donahue
Narrated by: Greg Donahue
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.95

Buy for $24.95

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

A lonely chalet at the summit of a snow-capped peak was the last place you would expect to find David Hardy. As an intrepid political reporter for the Daily News, the New Jersey native spent most of his time cornering officials in the halls and backrooms of the state’s government buildings or poring over the endless handwritten notes that covered his cluttered newsroom desk. In fact, the flight to Switzerland was one of the first times that Hardy had ever been on a plane.

But in March of 1986, a cassette tape landed on Hardy’s desk that changed everything. The voice on the recording belonged to a dead man, an allegedly corrupt state senator from New Jersey named David Friedland, who had downed a cocktail of barbiturates and alcohol before a scuba diving outing in the Bahamas. According to initial reports, Friedland never resurfaced from the dive, but federal investigators believed otherwise. They were convinced the brash politician had faked his own death to avoid prosecution for accepting kickbacks. To Hardy’s amazement, the tape confirmed their suspicions. “I am alive and in fear for my life,” Friedland began, his anxiety cutting through the scratchy analog recording.

Hardy’s reporting from the trip earned awards, accolades, and a Pulitzer nomination for investigative reporting, but it wasn’t just the scoop of a lifetime. It was the chance to cement an immutable journalistic legacy. That’s because, at the same time he was traveling in secret halfway around the world, Hardy was also suing his employer for racial discrimination. The Daily News - the same paper that had nominated him for journalism’s top prize - refused to settle and Hardy, along with three co-plaintiffs, wouldn’t back down.

Hardy/Friedland tells the story of David Hardy’s journalistic legacy and David Friedland’s brazen escape from justice through the eyes of the relentless reporter. One part globetrotting journalist chasing the scoop of a lifetime, and one part tense courtroom drama, Hardy/Friedland shines a light on a pioneering reporter and the largely forgotten legacy of a lawsuit that changed newsrooms across the country. Indeed, the landmark case marked the first time that editorial employees took a newsroom discrimination suit to trial. As the journalist Causewell Vaughn once said, “Every time a person of color breaks through that glass ceiling in journalism, they have David Hardy to thank.”

©2021 Greg Donahue (P)2021 Audible Originals, LLC.
Politicians
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

About the Creator and Performer

Greg Donahue is a writer and documentary filmmaker whose work has appeared in Atavist Magazine, The Guardian, Discovery, Vice, Al Jazeera, and Marie Claire, among others. He currently resides in New York City with his wife and daughter.

What listeners say about Hardy/Friedland

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    195
  • 4 Stars
    76
  • 3 Stars
    22
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    193
  • 4 Stars
    66
  • 3 Stars
    23
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    199
  • 4 Stars
    58
  • 3 Stars
    20
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Hardy/Friedland is a Tour de Force

Donahue’s incredible eye for often overlooked topics and his ability to weave a compelling narrative of New Jersey corruption and heroic journalism makes this work an astounding experience and a tour de force! This writer will undoubtedly continue to make big ripples connecting journalism and judicial history to today.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Impressive Listen

The idealist in me found myself identifying with Hardy and even Friedman. It reminds me of how hard it is to “fight the good fight.” That can be sorrowful. Nevertheless, what would the majority of us do without those who do fight for what is right and true? The naivety in me sometimes got lost in the machinations of government and power.

In some ways I wished this were in written form because I found it difficult to distinguish some of the excerpts of tapes that were played.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Incredible story

Captivating historical story with current relevance to today's black lives matter movement. Looking forward to Greg's next book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Could have been good

Yet another white-man-bad indoctrination by Audible. Was actually a good story about a good reporter; but Audible had to make it all about race instead.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Revealing and entertaining

A monumental but forgotten duo come to vivid life in this cat-and-mouse story of journalism,
civil rights, greed, corruption and sometimes comedic exploits.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

History placed in excellent perspective

It took me in from the beginning to the end. Learning this historical facts about one of the country's most popular news company is not shocking. yet... Seeing it from inside perspective is rewarding.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good overall

Well done except for the recordings of live statements. Even though it does help verify the accuracy of the book, they are very jarring and difficult to understand.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it

Beautifully written, this story is inspiring, yet let’s us know the fight is not over. Loved it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

suspenful & unsuspecting

Little stories that you don't hear about I'm sure Hardy is the reason why why black reporters are where they are today.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Thank you!

Greg, I so appreciate this! Though I was young when a lot of this happened I remember my dad talking to me about this case. Hearing is voice definitely made me cry. Thank you again for documenting this historic event. Now this history will never be forgotten!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful