William Dunkerley

The Phony Litvinenko Murder: Finally the Truth After 5 Years: the Story Told by the Media Doesn't Match the Facts. William Dunkerley

News flash: "Former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko was murdered on orders of Vladimir Putin."

Now, The Phony Litvinenko Murder exposes the truth: Widespread media reports don't check out.

Did Putin really order the murder? The facts uncovered by the author don't support that. The sensational murder accusation appears a fabrication. Was Litvinenko really a spy? That's in serious contention. Was he actually murdered? Now after five years that has never been officially established.

Media outlets called the Litvinenko poisoning a James Bond mystery. Author William Dunkerley says it's more like Alice in Wonderland ? a fantasy adventure that's full of illogical nonsense. The Phony Litvinenko Murder offers an insightful analysis. It cuts through the fantastical theories and gives you the unvarnished truth.

Why was the media so interested in the previously little-known Litvinenko? Why were news accounts of Litvinenko's poisoning flawed? Dunkerley presents a methodical analysis of the news stories, along with a timeline of coverage. He debunks the major premises found in the news. While exposing the media's "dirty little secret," he explains how the nonsensical Litvinenko story became mainstream.

In 2007 Dunkerley was commissioned by the organizers of the World Congress of the International Federation of Journalists to study the media coverage of the Litvinenko poisoning. The Congress was held in Moscow, where he presented his report. Now, this book serves both to reflect upon and update his findings.

According to Dunkerley, the most newsworthy aspect of the Litvinenko case is how a specious story was pumped up into top headlines around the world. The Phony Litvinenko Murder is not intended as an investigative piece into the circumstances of Litvinenko's death or as another dramatic re-telling of the sensationalized plotline. Its focus is on media coverage gone awry, serving as a wake-up call to the world's media outlets, and as a cautionary tale for consumers of international news.