RIP Anthony Lewis

Anthony Lewis, a former New York Times reporter and columnist whose work won two Pulitzer Prizes, died on Monday at his home in Cambridge, Mass. He was 85. His columns appeared in the paper from 1969 to 2001. An expert on the Supreme Court who helped transform how it is covered, Lewis wrote two books about the Warren court, which he revered.

"You cannot talk about the legacy of the Warren court and not talk about Tony Lewis," said scholar Ronald K. L. Collins. "He was part of ushering in that constitutional revolution in civil rights and civil liberties from Brown v. Board of Education to Miranda v. Arizona."
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/26/us/anthony-lewis-pulitzer-prize-winning-columnist-dies-at-85.html?hp&_r=0

 

RIP. Hell of a life.

On a related note, Lewis' aptitude and expertise on his beat is one clear way for journalists to stay relevant in the 21st century.

Find a niche and own it. Fucking own it.

I don't mean to discount the value of generalists who can report and write clearly about any subject (and make it interesting), but I'm not sure who values that skill anymore. The public never did; and while traditional news outlets once did, I don't think they do now.

Lewis worked and lived in a far different time, of course. But his career path offers a lesson I think more aspiring journalists should heed.