1951 1960
1962 1967
1977 1983
1985 1988
1989 1990
1993 1995
1996 2000
2001 2002
2003 2005
2007
Sidebars
—1951—
Simeon Booker, a veteran journalist, has retired from Jet magazine at the age of 88.
Booker's career was celebrated at the National Press Club (NPC) in Washington, D.C. on January 23rd. As Jet's longest serving editor, Booker, who joined Jet in 1953, served for 48 years as Washington bureau chief. During that time he garnered numerous awards for his coverage of civil rights events in the South and the Emmett Till murder case, his coverage of which has been considered pivotal in the civil rights movement. Booker was the first black journalist to win the NPC's
Fourth Estate Award for lifetime contributions to journalism and was recently inducted into the Golden Owls, an honor given after 50 years of continued service.
Audio clips by Simeon Booker, including the segments "Thoughts on the plight of black Americans today" and "The dangers of covering the Emmett Till trial" can be heard at Jet's 55th anniversary Web site.
—1960—
Edmund Rooney, 82, died on January 27th at his home in Chicago, Illinois of a variety of illnesses, including a stroke in December. Rooney spent 26 years at the Chicago Daily News, taught journalism at Loyola University starting in the 1960's and continuing throughout his career, and earned a doctoral degree in education at Loyola in 1992, when he was 67.
In an obituary by Trevor Jensen in the Chicago Tribune, Rooney is characterized as "a tenacious reporter who got to sources first and wouldn't take no for an answer." Bob Herguth, one of Rooney's colleagues from the Daily News, said "He was a personality that stood out. He had a big voice, and he was very straight ahead. He hated to get beaten on anything." Rooney was "an old-fashioned street reporter who worked out of a car equipped with a police scanner and a two-way radio to his city desk," Jensen writes.
In 1957, Rooney shared a Pulitzer Prize for an investigation into Orville Hodge, the state auditor, who was sent to prison for embezzlement. In 1982, he founded the National Center of Freedom of Information at Loyola, a center for reporters and others interested in first amendment issues.
Rooney is survived by four sons and two daughters. His wife, Mary, died in 2000.
—1962—
• Te-Cheng Chiang died on December 11, 2006, after a short illness. He was 82. His son, Eric Chiang, writes, "There was no suffering on his part, and we're very thankful for that. My father was always proud of being a Nieman Fellow. It played an important role in his rich and wonderful life...."
• John Hughes stepped down as editor of the Deseret Morning News in January. Hughes, who had been editor since 1997, had been on an extended leave of absence from Brigham Young University (BYU) while editor. He returned to BYU as professor of communications specializing in international communications and newspaper management, and he will also continue to write a weekly syndicated column for The Christian Science Monitor.
Hughes was editor of the Monitor from 1970-1979 and is a past president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors. He won a Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting and the Overseas Press Club award for best reporting from abroad while he was a foreign correspondent for the Monitor.
—1967—
Philip Meyer, class scribe, sends two updates:
• Walter W. (Bill) Meek has retired as president of the Arizona Utility Investors Association, an organization that he helped found in 1994. Before that, he was a marketing and public relations consultant in Phoenix for 15 years.
• Joseph Mohbat appeared in the title role in the Irish family comedy "Da" produced by the Brooklyn Heights Players. By day, he is an attorney for the city of New York. "A different kind of stage," he writes, "but still show biz."
• Philip Meyer's name has been given to an award administered by the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting, a joint program of Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), the Missouri School of Journalism, and the Knight Chair in Journalism at Arizona State University. Begun in 2005, the Philip Meyer Journalism Awards "recognize the best uses in social science methods in journalism" and honor Meyer, who teaches at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is author of many editions of "Precision Journalism," a well-known book on using social science methods to improve journalism. Meyer used survey research to examine the roots of the 1960's race riots.
This year The Wall Street Journal received the first place Meyer award for "Perfect Payday," described by IRE as a "series of articles over the past year that exposed the widespread practice of secretly
backdating stock option grants to benefit corporate insiders." Gannett News Service received the second place award for "Special Report: Rating Hospital Health Care," and The Philadelphia Inquirer took third for "Camden Schools Investigation," a series on a cheating scandal in standardized testing. More about the awards and the winners can be found on IRE's Web site.
—1977—
Hennie van Deventer "reports that I am now venturing a book in English. On Sanparks' [South African National Parks] Web site are two chapters from my book, 'Mayafudi—memories of an elephant.' The book is an English adaptation of the booklet 'Mayafudi,' which was published in 2005. It is the eventful life story of the elephant bull Mayafudi (from the Afrikaans invective 'maaifoedie'—rascal). He meets with natural disasters like floods, droughts and fires. He experiences culling, hunting and poaching. The deaths of his grandfather, twin sister, mother and father in different disasters have a severe impact on his life. As a result, he finds himself in constant conflict with the values his mother, the matriarch Ukuthula (Peace from Within), had taught him."
Van Deventer continues, "People who know me, know well that I have a passion for nature. The book is an attempt to convey that passion to the reader.....'"
RELATED WEB LINK
Mayafudi
– mayafudi.com
|
Van Deventer has previously written and edited 11 books in Afrikaans. More information about van Deventer and "Mayafudi" can be found at www.mayafudi.com. The book (and pdf) became available early in 2007.
—1983—
Sonja Hillgren, 58, died on December 19th of a brain tumor. Hillgren was senior vice president/editorial for Farm Journal Media, the parent company of Farm Journal. She edited Farm Journal from 1995 to 2004,
after serving as the magazine's Washington editor for five years. She also worked for United Press International and Knight Ridder Newspapers. In 1996 she was president of the National Press Club. Hillgren had been writing about agriculture since 1978, and for 10 years she provided radio broadcasts about agriculture, including for NPR.
In her obituary from the Farm Journal, the reporter described her in this way: "But it was during the farm financial crisis of the early 1980's that Hillgren, then the beat reporter responsible for covering Washington-based agricultural news for United Press International, first established herself as the nation's premiere farm writer. At one point, Hillgren rode in the tractorcade with farm protestors who later encamped on the Mall, just outside the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Often she was the last person in the press gallery watching Congress debate critical farm legislation, as Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) noticed after the 2 a.m. finish to the 1996 Farm Bill....
"Clayton Yeutter, a former Secretary of Agriculture and U.S. Trade Ambassador, credited Hillgren as having a role in framing the debate over farm policy over the past several decades. 'At all times, she had the long-term best interest of American farmers at heart, even when her articles generated controversy,' he added."
Hillgren served on the board of directors of a number of organizations, including Winrock International, which runs agricultural, energy and other natural resource projects in the developing world, and Philabundance, a Philadelphia regional nonprofit organization that distributes food to low-income people.
Hillgren is survived by her husband, Bruce T. Downs.
—1985—
• Ed Chen writes, "I've again changed jobs/careers. After a glorious but all-too-short time at the Natural Resources Defense Council (10 months), I've returned to the fold—as the senior White House correspondent for Bloomberg News, which also means covering the '08 campaign."
• Samuel Rachlin has been appointed to a newly created position as Saxo Bank's executive director of corporate communications, where he will "lead the formation and guidance of strategic messaging and public relations with external media partners," said the bank's announcement.
"Saxo Bank has taken active trading into the 21st century, and I see the bank and its leadership as some of the most innovative and creative operators in the financial markets," Rachlin said in a statement. "I am delighted to become a member of the team...."
Rachlin has been a Washington and Moscow Danish TV2 correspondent and served as spokesman and media advisor at The World Bank from 1995-1998.
—1988—
Bill Dietrich has just published his sixth novel and ninth book, "Napoleon's Pyramids," which combines the saga of Bonaparte's 1798 invasion of Egypt with pyramid mysteries and a treasure hunt involving an ancient medallion, Freemasons and mystical mathematics. Carefully researched, it's informative fun for history buffs or Da Vinci-Indiana Jones fans, and foreign rights have sold in 16 languages. Dietrich is working on a sequel while still writing for The Seattle Times and teaching environmental journalism at Western Washington University.
—1990—
Carla Anne Robbins has been appointed deputy editorial page editor of The New York Times, effective January 7th. Robbins will lead the editorial board with newly appointed editorial page editor Andrew Rosenthal and oversee the Letters to the Editor and production staffs.
Robbins was previously a reporter and news editor at The Wall Street Journal. She has shared two Pulitzer Prizes and received the 2003 Georgetown University Weintal Prize for diplomatic reporting.
—1993—
Sandy Tolan's climate change class at the University of California-Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism has received a 2006 George Polk Award for radio reporting for "Early Signs: Reports From a Warming Planet," a seven-month student project led by Tolan and aired in collaboration with American Public Media's "American Radio Works" and the NPR program "Living on Earth." Tolan's 11 student reporters conducted interviews and reported on global warming from eight global locations including Bangladesh,
New Zealand, and Mount Kilimanjaro. The project, which began in the fall of 2005, was codirected by UC-Berkeley climatologist John Harte. It can now be heard and read online [see related Web links].
The Polk award will recognize the project's three producers: UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism, American Public Media, and "Living on Earth." It is the first time a journalism school has been recognized in the 58-year history of the Polk Award.
Tolan wrote about this project in the Winter 2005 issue of Nieman Reports. [See related links for Tolan's article, which he cowrote with a student.]
—1995—
Mike Riley has been named editor and senior vice president of Congressional Quarterly. Riley had been editor of The Roanoke (Va.) Times since 1998. Riley said the opportunity to move to the Congressional Quarterly "combines two of my prime passions: political journalism and the ongoing digital transformation."
Here are excerpts from Riley's last column as editor of the Times:
"In most communities, it's good sport to moan and groan about the local newspaper rather than celebrate it. People like to complain about flaws in news coverage, criticize any perceived bias, cringe when the newspaper raises uncomfortable issues, and lash out when they read about controversial problems....
"But what some of you may not realize is how fortunate it is to have an excellent local newspaper.....
"At the Times, the journalism has always come first as we seek to inform, understand, explain, educate and entertain. No doubt, we've made mistakes and sometimes fallen short—we're a human enterprise, after all—but we have not wavered in our mission to inform readers and help them become better citizens.
"Sadly, though, many other newspapers across the country these days are forsaking their obligations to their communities as some harsh winds of change buffet the industry.
"This newspaper has, quite wisely, embraced those changes and, along the way, become a leader in the digital news
revolution and online journalism. You may not realize it, but The Roanoke Times stands on the cutting edge of the newspaper industry and has become nationally recognized for its online achievements, as you see when you visit http://roanoke.com."
—1996—
Alice Pifer, now director of professional education at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, is coeditor of "The Authentic Voice: The Best Reporting on Race and Ethnicity," published by Columbia University Press in July 2006. The multimedia project, which includes a book, DVD and Web site (www.theauthenticvoice.org/), is intended to teach best practices to journalism students and professionals covering stories on race and ethnicity. Pifer coedited the project with her colleague Arlene Morgan, associate dean for prizes and programs, and Keith Woods, dean of faculty at the Poynter Institute.
The project is an anthology and more. There are 15 stories—eight newspaper and seven television stories—which have been honored by the Columbia University "Let's Do It Better!" Award for excellence in reporting on race and ethnicity. The book also contains essays written by the journalists
deconstructing their stories and giving tips for producing notable reporting on race and ethnicity. The DVD also contains 14 interviews with the journalists whose stories are included in this project. Anne Hull of The Washington Post; Elizabeth Llorente of The Record of Bergen County, New Jersey; Ted Koppel, formerly with ABC News "Nightline" and now with the Discovery Channel, and Bob Simon of "60 Minutes" are among the journalists interviewed. For those who will use "The Authentic Voice" in the classroom, there are also assignments and discussion points.
"This project has been so meaningful to me," said Pifer. "When I left ABC News in 2001 to teach and work on documentaries, I could not have imagined finding such a worthwhile project as this." Pifer and Woods did a workshop with the Nieman Fellows about "The Authentic Voice" in March.
—2000—
Jerry Zremski, newly appointed Washington bureau chief for The Buffalo News, has been elected the 100th president of The National Press Club (NPC). Zremski was sworn in during a black tie inaugural event entitled "Black Tie and Snow Boots Ball," featuring the fare and winter footwear of Zremski's adopted hometown of Buffalo, New York. Zremski's presidency follows four years as a club officer and three as a committee chairman.
"The National Press Club has been a strong voice for the free press worldwide and a home away from home for Washington's journalists for nearly 100 years," said Zremski. "I see it as my job to protect those traditions and carry them forward into the club's second century." Zremski's presidential campaign goals include empowering club members to bring in cutting-edge programs, drawing the world's top newsmakers for the club's luncheon program, organizing the upcoming centennial celebration, and completing the organization's strategic plan, which he began in his previous role as NPC vice president.
Zremski has been a member of the NPC since 1989. He has been with The Buffalo News since 1984.
—2001—
Sunday Dare writes that the book that he has spent the past three years working on, "Guerrilla Journalism: Dispatches From the Underground," was self-published in February. An article by Dare and an excerpt from the book was a part of "Journalists: On the Subject of Courage," the Summer 2006 issue of Nieman Reports. [See related Web link.] The excerpt describes a "Gestapo-like raid" on The News, an independent magazine in Nigeria, in April 1998, "when military dictatorship under the regime of General Sani Abacha was in its most brutal stage." After the raid on the magazine, Dare wrote:
"Darker nights lay ahead for The News and other media houses. The team rallied, as it had always done after every attack, to strategize. The group met in a safe house somewhere in central Lagos where a mobile newsroom was quickly set up within hours. There was work to do and no time to waste.... There was no let up. Work continued on the next edition of the magazine. Instructions were issued, and everyone basically knew what to do after several years of similar experiences. It was back to the trenches, and the newsroom was a no-go area.... [Idow Obasa, the general manager], was on call as always and ensured that the publications ... stayed on the streets during the darkest days of the siege against the media."
—2002—
• Yuan Feng writes, "I left China Women's News in August 2006 and moved to the China office of ActionAid International, a nongovernmental organization for poverty elimination and social justice, as its women's rights and gender theme coordinator. I am very happy with my new job. My 20 years of media experience is still helpful to my new career."
• Jeffrey Fleishman will become the Cairo bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times this summer. He is the paper's bureau chief in Berlin, Germany, a position he has held for five years.
—2003—
• David Dahl is regional editor of The Boston Globe, overseeing the Globe North, Globe South, Globe West, Globe Northwest, and City Weekly sections. Dahl had been the paper's political editor since 2003. Before his move to Boston, he was deputy metro editor at the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times.
• Geoffrey Nyarota has established a Web site to cover developments in his homeland, Zimbabwe, which he operates from his home in Massachusetts. In an December 2006 article in the Telegram & Gazette in Worcester, reporter Winston W. Wiley writes that "the exiled former editor in chief of the Zimbabwe Daily News uses a different medium to share his discoveries with his countrymen,
who he is convinced are unlikely to find the information anywhere else." Nyarota concurred, saying, "Most Zimbabweans rely on government-owned sources of news for their information and most of that news tends to be censored. It's what the government wants the people to hear, rather than what is actually happening on the ground." Nyarota's newspaper in Zimbabwe was banned in 2003 by the government.
In explaining to Wiley why he has endured such sacrifices to write about his country, Nyarota said, "When you start a newspaper in a situation of tyranny, your paper becomes a symbol of hope for an otherwise hopeless, frustrated nation. Once you are viewed for creating such a paper, you can't abandon it at the first sign of trouble. You are betraying people who have trusted their faith in you." The site's Web address is www.thezimbabwetimes.com
Nyarota is managing editor of the Web site, which is supported by contributions from journalists in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Great Britain, and the United States. He is also a visiting professor of political studies at Bard College in New York.
—2005—
Richard Chacón has been appointed director of policy and cabinet affairs for Deval Patrick, the new governor of Massachusetts. In this capacity, Chacón works with members of the governor's cabinet to oversee policy initiatives. He joined the Patrick campaign in May 2006 as deputy campaign manager/communications director. Chacón had been with The Boston Globe, where he held a number of reporting and editing positions including Latin American bureau chief, deputy foreign editor, and ombudsman, the job he was in when he left the Globe. He had been with the Globe for more than 10 years. Chacón has also worked in politics in New York City under Mayor David Dinkins, from 1990-1992, as assistant to the deputy mayor for economic development. He then became deputy media director for the 1992 Democratic National Convention in New York.