Jim Bellows(November 12, 1922 – March 6, 2009) was anAmerican journalistof the 20th century. Bellows has been credited with the inspiration and nurture of many leading writers of theNew Journalismduring the 1960s and 1970s.
Jim Bellows | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 12, 1922 |
| Died | March 6, 2009(aged 86) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Journalist |
Early life
editBellows was born to a successfulDetroitsalesman and his family in 1922. While he was a child, his parents moved to theCleveland, Ohio,area. Following a common practice of families with "aspirations", and with financial assistance from an aunt, he was sent at 13 years of age to attendSouth Kent School— a private college-preparatory boarding school for boys inSouth Kent,Connecticut,graduating in 1940. "We were not cradled through those years, and it (South Kent) was a wonderful place to build character." The 1940 yearbook shows his nickname as "Maggot", a fond reference to his 5'0 "stature, to which he owed his success ascoxwainfor the SKS crew. "[1]
Bellows went on to attendKenyon College,before serving as a Navy aviator, training to fly theF6F "Hellcat"in World War II.[2]Although he tried to accelerate his training, he didn't ship out until after the war, when he flew from a carrier based nearGuamandSaipan.He returned to Kenyon after his service, and graduated in 1947 with a B.A. in philosophy.
Editorships
editAmong the organizations Bellows served, Bellows had editorial positions at:
- city editor of theColumbus Ledger(1947–1950)
- started as a cub (rookie) reporter, received national attention – and a promotion to city editor – after reporting on his being assaulted by local (Georgia) members of theKu Klux Klan;[2]
- The Atlanta Journal(1950–1957)
- Detroit Free Press(1957–1959)
- his hometown paper
- The Miami News(1959–1960)
- editor of theNew York Herald Tribune(1961–1966)
- "We couldn't compete with the resources of the Times; we had to establish a niche for ourselves. The answer was to rediscover New York.";[1]
- associate editor of theLos Angeles Times(1967–1974)
- he described theTimesas "the velvet coffin"[2]
- editor ofThe Washington Star(1975–1978)
- editor of theLos Angeles Herald Examiner(1978–1981)
- managing editor ofEntertainment Tonight(1981–1983)
- executive editor ofABC World News Tonight(1983–1986)
Time and again, Bellows served as editor of underdog, "second" newspapers in large cities. He established a reputation as an innovator whose style of refinedsensationalismchallenged the leading rival newspapers—namely,The Washington PostandThe New York Times.[3]His eloquent, often humorous, and self-effacing style[4]attracted, nurtured, and often inspired a new generation of young writers includingJudith Crist,Tom Wolfe,Jimmy Breslin,Denis Hamill,Gail Sheehy,Maureen Dowdand Tony Castro. At theHerald Tribune,it was Bellows' initiative to hireEsquireeditorClay Felkerand create a new Sunday supplement focused on local issues and events; within two years it became the still-popularNew York magazine.
Richard Wald,Fred W. Friendly Professor of Professional Practice in Media and Society atColumbia University(and formerABC News"ethics czar" )[5]said,“Jim changed the way a lot of newspapers look today, in the sense of making a page of newsprint more inviting and understandable. And just as he made great innovations in how newspapers looked, he changed the way they read.”[3]
Bellows's memoir,The Last Editor: How I saved the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times from Dullness and Complacency(2002), was also made into a PBS documentary. It chronicled his (mostly unsuccessful) fight to save the underdog papers at a time when newspapers were the dominant media in some of the most turbulent times of the United States. In the process, he claimed“TheNew York Herald TribunemadeThe New York Timesa livelier paper than it was before...The Washington StarmadeThe Washington Posta less institutional paper. And theLos Angeles Timeswas put on its mettle by theLos Angeles Herald Examiner... "[3]
He also held positions atUSA Today: The Television Show,theProdigyonline news service, theLos Angeles Daily News,and others.
Singular accomplishments
editIn April 1963, Bellows publishedMartin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail"on the front page of theNew York Herald Tribune.
While editor of theLos Angeles Herald Examiner,intrigued by the absence of coverage for the shooting death of a 39-year-old black woman, Bellows initiated a major reporting examination of the conduct of theLos Angeles Police Department,a subject previously ignored or avoided by the area's new outlets.
Personal life
editBellows married Marian Raines with whom he had three daughters, Amelia, Priscilla and Felicia, prior to the couple's divorce. He marriedMaggie Savoy,who died in 1970, and then Keven Ryan, with whom he had a daughter Justine.[3]
Death
editBellows died on March 6, 2009, ofAlzheimer's diseaseat a nursing home inSanta Monica.[2][3][6]
References
edit- ^abJim Bellows: The Last Editor,ISBN0-7407-1901-7
- ^abcdWoo, Elaine (7 March 2009)."Jim Bellows dies at 86; legendary editor of L.A. Herald Examiner".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved7 March2009.
- ^abcdeHevesi, Dennis (7 March 2009)."James Bellows, Newspaper Editor Who Promoted New Journalism, Dies at 86".The New York Times.Retrieved7 March2009.
- ^"Jim Bellows, Famed Newspaper Editor, Dies At 86".Huffington Post.6 March 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 10 March 2009.Retrieved7 March2009.
- ^Smillie, Dirk (29 January 1999)."'Mr. Quality' Made Big Calls on News Coverage after 20 Years as ABC's 'Ethics Czar,' Richard Wald Talks about Killing a Disney Story and Saying No to Dr. Kevorkian ".The Christian Science Monitor.[dead link]
- ^Sullivan, Patricia (7 March 2009)."James G. Bellows, 86: Editor of Underdog Papers Pushed Writers to 'Raise Hell'".The Washington Post.Retrieved7 March2009.