Race to the Cape
The Daring News Chase, the Birth of the Associated Press, and the Journalist at the Heart of it All
By Theresa M. O’Leary
“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 and accuracy were paramount, revealing the incredible true story behind a byline we still trust today, and the role Canada’s Cape Race played in it all.
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.
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.
For lovers of historical nonfiction, Race to the Cape is a must-read—an inspiring story of resilience, ingenuity, and the timeless pursuit of objective truth in journalism. With vivid storytelling and meticulous research, this book illuminates the dawn of an era that reshaped the media industry forever.
“If we were at Cape Race, Newfoundland, then we would truly be the first to get the news from England. It’s thousands of miles farther east than Nova Scotia.”
“That’s true. But the telegraph hasn’t reached Cape Race yet. It could be years before such a remote place gets the telegraph."
“It will happen soon enough, given its key location on the edge of North America. When it does, I will make haste to place a boat there for the NYAP.”
Abell smiled a knowing smile. “I have no doubt that you will, Daniel.”
About Theresa
Even though she grew up in Wabush, Labrador, Theresa M. O’Leary knew Cape Race on Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula well. Her father’s Irish ancestors had settled in nearby Portugal Cove South and some, like her great aunt Kitty, worked at the Cape Race telegraph station.
Perhaps it was fate that Theresa would become a journalist on the radio—the technology that followed the telegraph in getting the news to the people. During her career, she won multiple awards, including a Gabriel for CBC National Radio News and a Gracie for a CBC Radio documentary. She is also a playwright and filmmaker.
"When I was young, I would listen to my father’s stories about our ancestral home in Portugal Cove South, and Cape Race. Dad would say, “Oh, the AP had a news boat at Cape Race, chasing after the news thrown overboard by the ships from England.” I imagined newspapers floating on the waves. I knew I would write that story one day."
— Theresa M. O’Leary, Race to the Cape
Available for preorder now.
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