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John Seigenthaler

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This article is about the political editor. For his son, seeJohn Seigenthaler (anchorman).

John Seigenthaler
Seigenthaler speaking inNashvillein 2005
Born
John Lawrence Seigenthaler

(1927-07-27)July 27, 1927
Nashville, Tennessee,U.S.
DiedJuly 11, 2014(2014-07-11)(aged 86)
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Occupation(s)Journalist, writer
Years active1949–2014
Spouse
Dolores Watson
​
(m.1955)​
ChildrenJohn Michael Seigenthaler

John Lawrence Seigenthaler(/ˈsiːɡənθɔːlər/SEE-gən-thaw-lər;July 27, 1927 – July 11, 2014) was an Americanjournalist,writer, andpolitical figure.He was known as a prominent defender ofFirst Amendmentrights.[1][2]

Seigenthaler joined the Nashville newspaperThe Tennesseanin 1949, resigning in 1960 to act asRobert F. Kennedy's administrative assistant. He rejoinedThe Tennesseanas editor in 1962, publisher in 1973, and chairman in 1982 before retiring as chairman emeritus in 1991. Seigenthaler was also the founding editorial director ofUSA Todayfrom 1982 to 1991. During this period, he served on the board of directors for theAmerican Society of Newspaper Editors,and from 1988 to 1989, was its president.

Early life

Born inNashville, Tennessee,Seigenthaler was the eldest of eight siblings. He attendedFather Ryan High Schooland served in theU.S. Air Forcefrom 1946 to 1949, achieving the rank of sergeant.[3]After leaving the service, Seigenthaler was hired atThe Tennessean.While working atThe Tennessean,Seigenthaler took courses in sociology and literature atPeabody Collegebefore it became part ofVanderbilt University.He also attended the American Press Institute for Reporters atColumbia University.[4]

Career

Journalism

Seigenthaler began his career in journalism as a police beat reporter inThe Tennesseancity room[5]after his uncle encouraged an editor about his talent.[4]Seigenthaler gradually established himself on the staff among the heavy competition that included future standout journalistsDavid HalberstamandTom Wicker.

He first gained prominence in November 1953 when he tracked down the former Thomas C. Buntin and his wife. The case involved the son of a wealthy Nashville business owner who had disappeared in September 1931, followed six weeks later by the disappearance of his secretary. Seigenthaler was sent to Texas byThe Tennesseanafter reports surfaced that Buntin (now known as Thomas D. Palmer) was living somewhere in Texas. While investigating in Orange, Texas, Seigenthaler saw an older man step off a bus. Noting the man's distinctive left ear, Seigenthaler followed him home. After three further days of investigation, he returned to the home, where he confirmed the identities of Buntin/Palmer, his wife, the former Betty McCuddy, and their six children.[6]Seigenthaler won aNational Headliner Awardfor the story.[5]

Less than a year later, on October 5, 1954, Seigenthaler again made national news for saving a suicidal man from jumping off theShelby Street Bridgein Nashville. Gene Bradford Williams had calledThe Tennesseansaying he would jump and for the newspaper to "send a reporter and photographer if you want a story." After talking to Williams at the bridge for 40 minutes, Seigenthaler watched the man begin to attempt his 100-foot plunge off the bridge railing. Grabbing hold of his collar, Seigenthaler and police saved the man from falling into theCumberland River.Williams muttered, "I'll never forgive you" to Seigenthaler.[7]On April 29, 2014, the bridge was renamed theJohn Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge.[8]

In July 1957, Seigenthaler began a battle to eliminate corruption within the local branch of theTeamsters,noting the criminal backgrounds of key employees, along with the use of intimidation in keeping news of certain union activities quiet. During this period, he contactedDave BeckandJimmy Hoffa,both top Teamsters officials, but the two men ignored Seigenthaler's queries. His series of articles resulted in theimpeachmenttrialof Chattanooga Criminal Court Judge Ralston Schoolfield.[9]

Seigenthaler took a one-yearsabbaticalfromThe Tennesseanin 1958 to participate inHarvard University's prestigiousNieman Fellowshipprogram.[4]Upon returning toThe Tennessean,Seigenthaler became an assistant city editor and special assignment reporter.[5]

Politics

Frustrated by the leadership ofTennesseanpublisher Silliman Evans Jr., Seigenthaler resigned in 1960 to serve as an administrative assistant to incomingattorney generalRobert F. Kennedy.On April 21, 1961, Seigenthaler was the only other Justice Department figure to witness a meeting between Kennedy andMartin Luther King Jr.[citation needed]

External videos
video icon"Interview with John Seigenthaler"conducted in 1985 for theEyes on the Prizedocumentary in which he discusses serving as Attorney General Robert Kennedy's representative in meetings with Alabama officials.

During theFreedom Ridesof 1961, Seigenthaler was sent in his capacity as assistant toAssistant Attorney Generalfor Civil RightsJohn Doar[10]to be chiefnegotiatorfor the government, in its attempts to work withAlabama GovernorJohn Malcolm Patterson.After several days of refusing to return calls, Patterson finally agreed to protect the Riders, but their state trooper escort disappeared as soon as they arrived in Montgomery on May 20, 1961, leaving them unprotected before the waiting white mob.[11]

Seigenthaler was a block away when he rushed to help Susan Wilbur,[12]a Freedom Rider who was being chased by theangry mob.Seigenthaler shoved her into his car and shouted, "Get back! I'm with the Federal government"[13]but was hit behind the left ear with a pipe. Knocked unconscious, he was not picked up until police arrived 10 minutes later, with Montgomery Police Commissioner Lester B. Sullivan noting, "We have no intention of standing police guard for a bunch of troublemakers coming into our city."[14][15]

Seigenthaler's brief career in government would conclude as a result of Evans' death from a heart attack on July 29, 1961. A brief transition followed, during which longtimeTennesseanreporter John Nye served as publisher. On March 20, 1962, the newspaper announced that Evans' brother, Amon Carter Evans, would be the new publisher.[citation needed]

One of the new Evans' first acts would be to bring back Seigenthaler as editor. The two had worked together at the paper when Seigenthaler served as assistant city editor and Evans was an aspiring journalist. On one occasion during that era, the two nearly came to blows over Seigenthaler's assignment of Evans to a story.[citation needed]

Evans named Seigenthaler editor ofThe Tennesseanon March 21, 1962.[16]With this new team in place,The Tennesseanquickly regained its hard-hitting reputation. One example of the paper's resurgence came following a Democratic primary in August 1962, whenThe Tennesseanfound documented evidence of voter fraud based on absentee ballots in the city's second ward.[9]

Seigenthaler's friendship with Kennedy became one of the focal points ofJimmy Hoffa's bid to shift hisjury tamperingtrial from Nashville. Citing "one-sided, defamatory" coverage from the newspaper, Hoffa's lawyers got Seigenthaler to admit he wanted Hoffa convicted. However, the journalist noted that he had not conveyed those sentiments to his reporters. Hoffa's lawyers gained a minor victory when the trial was moved toChattanoogain achange of venue,but Hoffa was nonetheless convicted in 1964 after a 45-day trial.

The following year, Seigenthaler led a fight for access to the Tennessee state senate chamber in Nashville after a resolution was passed revoking the floor privileges ofTennesseanreporterBill Kovach.The action came after Kovach had refused to leave a committee hearing following a call forexecutive session.

In December 1966, Seigenthaler andRichard Goodwinrepresented the Kennedy family when controversy developed about historianWilliam Manchester's book about theJohn F. Kennedy assassination,The Death of a President.Seigenthaler had read an early version of the book, leading toJacqueline Kennedythreatening a lawsuit over inaccurate and private statements.

Seigenthaler then took a temporary leave from his duties at the newspaper to work on Robert Kennedy's1968 presidential campaign.During this period, the journalist was described by theNew York Timesas "one of a handful of advisers in whom [Kennedy] has absolute confidence."[17]Moments after a victory in the California primary, Kennedy was shot by an assassin and died on June 6, 1968.[18]Seigenthaler would serve as one of thepallbearersat his funeral,[19]and later co-edited the bookAn Honorable Profession: A Tribute to Robert F. Kennedy.[20]

Remaining focused on the cause of civil rights, Seigenthaler then supported Tennessee BishopJoseph Aloysius Durickin 1969 during the latter's contentious fight to endsegregation,a stance that outraged many in the community who still believed in the concept.

The New Yorkerdescribed Seigenthaler as being "well connected in the Democratic Party."[21]He was called a "close family friend" of the Kennedys,[22]a "longtime family friend" of the Gores,[23]and a friend of former Democratic SenatorJames Sasser.[24]In 1976, after having encouragedAl Goreto consider entering public life,[25]he tipped off Gore that a nearby U. S. House representative was retiring.[26]In 1981, Seigenthaler urged Sen. Sasser to return to the Democratic party's "liberal tradition": "I keep telling him that Reagan's going to make it respectable to be a liberal."[24]In 1984, Reagan's reelection team vetoed Seigenthaler as a debate panelist for being too liberal.[27]

In publishing

On February 8, 1973, Seigenthaler was promoted to publisher of theTennessean,after Amon Carter Evans was named president of Tennessean Newspaper, Inc.

As the publisher, Seigenthaler worked withAl Gore,then a reporter, on investigative stories about Nashville city council corruption in the early 1970s.[28]In February 1976, Seigenthaler contacted Gore at home to tip him off that he had heard thatU.S. RepresentativeJoe L. Evinswas retiring,[26]telling Gore "You know what I think."[21]Seiganthaler had encouraged Gore to consider entering public life.[25]Gore decided to resign from the paper and drop out ofVanderbilt University Law School,beginning his political career by entering the race forTennessee's 4th congressional district,a seat previously held byAlbert Gore Sr.,his father.

On May 5, 1976, Seigenthaler dismissed Jacque Srouji, acopy editoratThe Tennessean,after finding that she had served as aninformantfor theFederal Bureau of Investigation(FBI) for much of the previous decade. The controversy came to light after Srouji testified before the Energy and Environment Subcommittee of theSenate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship,which was investigatingnuclear safety.Srouji, writing a book critical ofKaren Silkwood,had perused more than 1000 pages of FBI documents about the nuclear power critic. In follow-up testimony, FBI agent Lawrence J. Olson Sr. acknowledged that the bureau had a "special relationship" with Srouji.Tennesseanreporters had been suspicious of Srouji's reporting coups just months after she joined the paper. These included such things as a late-night FBI raid on illegal gambling establishments and one on a local business suspected of fraud.[29]

Afterward, the FBI appears to have collected rumors about Seigenthaler. FBI Deputy Assistant Director Homer Boynton told an editor of theNew York Timesto "look into Seigenthaler," whom he called "not entirely pure." After hearing this, Seigenthaler tried for a year to get his own FBI dossier. He finally received some highly expurgated material, including these words: "Allegations of Seigenthaler having illicit relations with young girls, which information source obtained from an unnamed source." He had previously promised to publish whatever the FBI gave him and did so. He flatly stated that the charges were false. The attorney general issued an apology, the allegations were removed from Seigenthaler's file, and he received the 1976 Sidney Hillman Prize for "courage in publishing".[30][31]

In May 1982, Seigenthaler was named the first editorial director ofUSA Today.In announcing the appointment,GannettpresidentAllen Neuharthsaid Seigenthaler was "one of the most thoughtful and respected editors in America."[32]During Seigenthaler's tenure atUSA Today,he frequently commuted between Nashville andWashingtonto fulfill his duties at both newspapers.[33]

The publication of author Peter Maas' 1983 book,Marie: A True Story,again put Seigenthaler under scrutiny over the investigation of a pardon scandal involving former Tennessee governorRay Blanton.Marie Ragghiantiwas the head of the state'sBoard of Pardons and Parolesbefore being fired after refusing to release prisoners who had bribed Blanton's aides. Since theTennesseanhad supported Blanton, the newspaper's initial reluctance in investigating the charges was called into question. However, editors and reporters had believed that Ragghianti's alleged broken affair with Blanton's chief counsel, T. Edward Sisk, motivated her claims.[34]

Later life

Seigenthaler discussing media coverage of theNashville sit-insat a 2010 panel discussion

In 1986,Middle Tennessee State Universityestablished the John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies, honoring Seigenthaler's "lifelong commitment to free expression values".[35]

Seigenthaler announced his retirement in December 1991 fromThe Tennessean,just months after he made a similar announcement concerning his tenure atUSA Today.[citation needed]

On December 15, 1991, Seigenthaler founded theFirst Amendment CenteratVanderbilt University,[36]saying, "It is my hope that this center at Vanderbilt University... will help promote appreciation and understanding for those values so vital in a democratic society." The center serves as a forum for dialog aboutFirst Amendmentissues, including freedom of speech, press, and religion.

In 1996, Seigenthaler received theElijah Parish LovejoyAward as well as an honoraryDoctor of Lawsdegree fromColby College.[citation needed]

In 2001, Seigenthaler was appointed to theNational Commission on Federal Election Reformthat followed the2000 presidential election.He was also a member of the Constitution Project on Liberty and Security.[citation needed]

In 2002, when it was discovered thatUSA TodayreporterJack Kelleyhad fabricated some of his stories,USA Todayturned to Seigenthaler, along with veteran editorsBill HilliardandBill Kovach,to monitor the investigation.[37]

In 2002, Vanderbilt renamed the 57,000-square-foot (5,300 m2) building that houses theFreedom Forum,First Amendment Center, and Diversity Institute the John Seigenthaler Center. At one point,USA Todayand Freedom Forum founderAllen Neuharthcalled Seigenthaler "the best champion of the First Amendment."[2]

In April 2014, theShelby Street Bridgewas renamed the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge in his honor.[38]

Seigenthaler hosted a book review program on Nashvillepublic televisionstationWNPT,calledA Word on Words,and chaired the selection committees for theJohn F. Kennedy LibraryFoundation'sProfiles in Courage Awardand theRobert F. Kennedy Memorial'sRobert F. Kennedy Book Award.[citation needed]

Wikipedia biography incident

Main article:Wikipedia Seigenthaler biography incident

On May 26, 2005, an unregisteredWikipediauser created a five-sentence biographical article about Seigenthaler that contained false and defamatory content.[39]The false statement in Seigenthaler's Wikipedia article read:[40]

John Seigenthaler Sr. was the assistant to Attorney General Robert Kennedy in the early 1960s. For a brief time, he was thought to have been directly involved in the Kennedy assassinations of both John, and his brother, Bobby. Nothing was ever proven.

When alerted of the article's existence, Seigenthaler directly contacted Wikipedia co-founderJimmy Wales,who removed the false claims. As Seigenthaler later wrote: "For four months, Wikipedia depicted me as a suspected assassin before Wales erased it from his website's history" on October 5.[40]

Seigenthaler noted that the falsehoods written about him on Wikipedia were later posted on Answers and Reference. He later wrote anop-edon the experience forUSA Todayin which he wrote, "And so we live in a universe of new media with phenomenal opportunities for worldwide communications and research – but populated by volunteer vandals with poison-pen intellects. Congress has enabled them and protects them",[40]a reference to theprotection from liabilitythat internet service providers are given under federal law versus editorially controlled media like newspapers and television.

According to a scholar specializing in biographies, including digital life narratives, "The Seigenthaler case became a formative moment in Wikipedia's history, and led to the development of policies to protect individuals from defamation."[41]

Death

Seigenthaler died of complications fromcolon canceron July 11, 2014, at the age of 86, surrounded by his family in his home.[3][42]

Publications

External videos
video iconBooknotesinterview with Seigenthaler onJames K. Polk,January 18, 2004,C-SPAN
  • Seigenthaler, John (1971).A Search for Justice.Aurora Publishers.ISBN0-87695-003-9.
  • Seigenthaler, John (1974).The Year of the Scandal Called Watergate.New York: Times Books.ISBN0-914636-01-4.
  • Seigenthaler, John (2004).James K. Polk: 1845–1849: The American Presidents Series.New York: Times Books.ISBN0-8050-6942-9.

References

  1. ^Dalby, Andrew (2009).The World and Wikipedia: How we are editing reality.Somerset: Siduri. p.60.ISBN978-0-9562052-0-9.
  2. ^abFliess, Maurice (October 8, 1999)."Public dangerously unsupportive of free press, Seigenthaler warns".freedomforum.org.Archived fromthe originalon March 19, 2012.RetrievedMay 18,2006.
  3. ^abSchwartz, John (July 11, 2014)."John Seigenthaler, Editor and Aide to Politicians, Dies at 86".The New York Times.
  4. ^abc"Seigenthaler Named Nieman Fellow".The Tennessean.June 5, 1958.
  5. ^abcRitter, Frank (December 6, 1991). "A Model and Mentor: Seigenthaler Leaves Mark at Newspapers Nationwide".The Tennessean.
  6. ^"Visitors in Limbo".Time Magazine. December 7, 1953. Archived fromthe originalon January 1, 2012.
  7. ^"Reporter Balks Man's Suicide From Bridge".Los Angeles Times.October 6, 1954. p. 6.
  8. ^"John Seigenthaler honored with renaming of bridge".The Tennessean.RetrievedJuly 12,2014.
  9. ^ab"The Fighting Tennessean".Time Magazine. September 14, 1962. Archived fromthe originalon December 26, 2011.
  10. ^Jimmy Breslin (March 26, 1965). "Changing the South". New York Herald-Tribune.reprinted inClayborne Carson; et al., eds. (2003).Reporting Civil Rights: American journalism, 1963–1973.Library of America. pp. 361–366.ISBN9781931082297.RetrievedJuly 20,2012.
  11. ^Gitlin, Todd(1987).The Sixties: Years of Hope, Days of Rage.Bantam Books.ISBN0-553-05233-0.
  12. ^"Aide Hurt in Riots Returns to Capital". United Press International. May 22, 1961.
  13. ^"American Experience: RFK".PBS.Archived fromthe originalon January 2, 2012.RetrievedNovember 27,2006.
  14. ^"President's Representative Hurt Helping a Girl Escape Violence". Associated Press. May 21, 1961.
  15. ^Branch, Taylor (1988).Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954–63.New York: Simon & Schuster. pp.428–452.ISBN0-671-68742-5.
  16. ^"Seigenthaler Editor of Tennessean".Nashville Banner.March 22, 1962.
  17. ^Turner, Wallace (May 10, 1968). "New Aides Try to Reverse Decline in Kennedy California Drive".The New York Times.
  18. ^"Bobby Kennedy is assassinated".HISTORY.RetrievedOctober 23,2019.
  19. ^Schudel, Matt (July 11, 2014)."John Seigenthaler, newspaper editor, Kennedy insider, and civil rights advocate, dies at 86".Washington Post.ISSN0190-8286.RetrievedOctober 23,2019.
  20. ^Kennedy, Robert F; Salinger, Pierre (1968)."An Honorable profession": a tribute to Robert F. Kennedy.OCLC451652.
  21. ^abLemann, Nicholas (July 31, 2000)."Gore Without a Script".The New Yorker.RetrievedMay 8,2018.
  22. ^Ayres, B. Drummond (April 27, 1984). "A Troubled Kennedy Makes Last Trip Home".The New York Times.
  23. ^Turque, Bill (December 6, 1999). "Al Gore's Patriotic Chore". Newsweek.
  24. ^abTolchin, Martin (February 1, 1981). "Tennessee Senator Campaigns For 1982".The New York Times.
  25. ^abHenneberger, Melinda (August 11, 2000). "The 2000 Campaign: The First Race; Birth of a Candidate: Al Gore Goes Into the Family Business".The New York Times.
  26. ^abMaraniss, David (January 4, 1998). "As a Reporter, Gore Found A Reason to Be in Politics; Losing Verdict in 'Sting' Trial Motivated Him to Enter Law School".The Washington Post.
  27. ^Alter, Jonathan (October 22, 1984). "The Media in the Dock". Newsweek.
  28. ^Wood, E. Thomas(January–February 1993)."Al Gore's Other Big Week".Columbia Journalism Review.Archived fromthe originalon March 9, 2007.RetrievedNovember 3,2006.
  29. ^"A Special Relationship".Time Magazine. May 24, 1976. Archived fromthe originalon January 25, 2012.
  30. ^Lewis, Anthony (August 25, 1977)."Not Entirely Pure".New York Times.
  31. ^"Letter, The Silkwood Case".The New York Review of Books. April 29, 1982. Archived fromthe originalon October 14, 2012.
  32. ^Fontenay, Charles (May 14, 1982). "Publisher Heads Editorial Voice For USA TODAY".The Tennessean.
  33. ^"7 Staffers Taking Up Duties at 'USA Today'".The Tennessean.September 7, 1982.
  34. ^Friendly, Jonathan (July 22, 1983). "Debate on Reporting of Nashville Scandal Reopens".The New York Times.
  35. ^"Middle Tennessee State University Chairs of Excellence".Archived fromthe originalon July 22, 2014.RetrievedJune 18,2014.
  36. ^"John Seigenthaler Biography at First Amendment Center".Archived fromthe originalon February 8, 2010.RetrievedMay 18,2006.
  37. ^"'USA Today' Probe Finds Kelley Faked Stories ".Editor & Publisher.Associated Press.March 19, 2004. Archived fromthe originalon April 4, 2004.
  38. ^Cass, Michael (April 29, 2014)."John Seigenthaler honored with renaming of bridge".The Tennessean.RetrievedJuly 11,2014.
  39. ^Page, Susan (December 11, 2005)."Author apologizes for fake Wikipedia biography".USA Today.Archivedfrom the original on December 28, 2011.RetrievedDecember 17,2017.
  40. ^abcSeigenthaler, John (November 29, 2005)."A false Wikipedia 'biography'".USA Today.Archivedfrom the original on November 28, 2012.RetrievedDecember 17,2017.
  41. ^Graham, Pamela (2015).""An Encyclopedia, Not an Experiment in Democracy": Wikipedia Biographies, Authorship, and the Wikipedia Subject ".Biography.38(2): 222–244.ISSN0162-4962.JSTOR24570354.
  42. ^The Tennessean (July 11, 2014)."Prominent editor, activist John Seigenthaler dies at 86".USA Today.RetrievedJuly 11,2014.

External links

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