Killing Bin Laden with “The Finish,” and “Black Hawk Down” Author Mark Bowden

Episode 62 : Media Mayhem

Episode Synopsis

Direct from the release of his NYT bestseller, “The Finish,” about the hunt and killing of Bin Laden, Mark Bowden joins Media Mayhem to talk about catching the world’s most wanted man from Obama’s perspective.
His insights on the President, as well as his fantastic breadth of information on the military and media is not to be missed.

Guest Bio

Mark Bowden is an author and journalist who has written nine books including the #1 New York Times best-seller, Black Hawk Down. As a journalist he writes for Vanity Fair and The Atlantic. His most recent book The Finish: The Killing of Osama Bin Laden was released on October 16, 2012 and is currently on the NYT best-seller list.

Episode Breakdown

00:01 Coming up on Media Mayhem.
00:41 Welcoming Mark Bowden.
03:22 Getting President Obama on the record.
05:22 “Were you objective dealing with Obama?”
09:32 “Were you worried about not coming out first with the book?”
11:15 The competition for getting access and information from President Obama.
14:05 Dealing with sensitive information from the government.
18:42 Media respecting national security concerns too much?
25:07 Controversial thoughts on enhanced interrogation techniques.
32:00 “Is it difficult to really press the President?” Making Obama into a character in the book.
39:33 Balancing Obama’s duty with the terrorist perspective.
46:59 Thanks and Goodbye!

Additional Links

http://www.groveatlantic.com/?title=The%20Finish

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Hosted By

Allison Hope Weiner

Allison Hope Weiner was a Century City entertainment litigator before she began writing about Hollywood as a journalist. A graduate of Columbia University and the University of Southern California Law Center, she joined the legendary firm of Wyman, Bautzer—where she represented entertainers and corporate media clients.