RIP Tom Wicker

Covered the Kennedy assassination for the NYT and one of the early multi-media scribes; I think that's fairly accurate.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/26/us/tom-wicker-journalist-and-author-dies-at-85.html?smid=tw-nytimes&seid=auto

 

Pretty sure he had one of the badges of honor for his generation: Nixon's enemies list.

RIP

 

Other than my writer mother, no one inspired a young TigerVols to become a journalist more than Tom Wicker. I had a family friend who worked with him at the Tennessean, and told great stories about him. As a kid, I would watch his appearances each week on Washington Week in Review and think that one day I could go from the Tennessean to the New York Times too.

RIP to a reporter's journalist.

 

He was one of the greatest. RIP

 

It meant you were doing something right.

 

Echo the condolences and sentiments of respect and admiration.

"One of Us" is a fascinating book. Haven't read "J.F.K. and L.B.J." but hope to soon.

 

Suppose it's generational, but kind of surprised there hasn't been more input on this thread. And Mr. Wicker retired in, what? 1991?

I have Harrison Salisbury's book in which he delves into the Times' coverage of the Pentagon Papers and his time in the Soviet Union. I could look it up, but did Abe Rosenthal write an autobiography? If so, wondering if it would be pursuing.

 

There's a lot of great stuff that's been written about the NYT as an institution, but Abe's tome is not one of them. Spy magazine caught Abe to a "T", giving him the unofficial oblique nickname of "I'm Writing As Badly As I Can". The professional manlove between Abe and Arthur Gelb was insufferable.

 

The Right Stuff was a tremendous work.

 

Just finished reading his "On Press". One of the best books on journalism I've read. Critical take on the the media and its role--one of the more honest books about what actually goes on. Journalism would be much better if writers were honest like Wicker. Surprised I'd never heard of it before now.