In Bad Faith is the historical thriller where a subpoena, a newsroom, and a movement collide.
In 1970, New York Times national correspondent Earl Caldwell?one of the first Black reporters hired to cover America's civil-rights flashpoints?was ordered to reveal what he had learned about the Black Panther Party behind the sealed doors of a federal grand jury.
Convinced that testifying would destroy the trust he'd built and silence a vital source of truth, Caldwell refused?setting off a showdown that raced from Bay Area streets to the steps of the Supreme Court.
Lee Levine tells this story as it unfolded: a Black journalist with rare access; a mostly white press struggling to cover Black communities; and a government?under J. Edgar Hoover and Richard Nixon?running COINTELPRO, a sweeping campaign to infiltrate, discredit, and break the Panthers while pressuring reporters who covered them.
When United States v. Caldwell reached Washington, DC, the Justices issued a 5?4 ruling against the reporter and the First Amendment cause he championed?a landmark decision that still imperils press freedom today.
Drawing on one-on-one interviews and once-secret FBI, Justice Department, and White House records, In Bad Faith reveals how legal tactics, surveillance, and media manipulation converged on a single reporter to test the nation's promises of equal justice and a free press.
Levine's dynamic narrative showcases the dramatic events of the era and highlights the clash of race and power, and how that impacts who gets to tell America's story.
