Race to the Cape: The Daring News Chase, the Birth of the Associated Press, and the Journalist at the Heart of it All

＂In New York and Boston, the men who own the papers are rich and connected. They don’t have to chase news; news comes to them. But we chase news! We go out and find the news.＂

Nearly two centuries ago, long before internet echo chambers and viral misinformation, a quiet revolution began: a pursuit of the truth that would fundamentally change how the world gets its news. In Race to the Cape: The Daring News Chase, the Birth of the Associated Press, and the Journalist at the Heart of It All, Theresa M. O’Leary transports you to a time when speed, accuracy, and objectivity became paramount, revealing the incredible true story behind a byline we still trust today.

Set against the backdrop of the media industry of the 1800s, O’Leary chronicles the remarkable life of Daniel H. Craig, an intrepid newspaperman who helped shape the very foundations of news reporting. Craig’s journey intertwines with the telegraph, one of the greatest technological advancements of the time-marking the birth of a new era of news that would reach across continents. It also chronicles the gripping story of the role Canada’s Cape Race played in the birth of the Associated Press, the trusted cornerstone of modern journalism.

This compelling book explores the rivalry, collaboration, and ingenuity that led to the formation of the New York Associated Press in 1846, and how Craig and his team worked tirelessly to bring accurate, timely, and objective news to the world-a mission that still defines the AP today. Through dramatic accounts of race-against-time news retrieval, high-seas adventures, and the relentless pursuit of the scoop, Race to the Cape offers a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of one of the most trusted names in media and the role Canada’s Cape Race played in it all.

Theresa M. O’Leary is an award-winning Canadian journalist best known for her work with CBC Radio News.