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Jim Bellows (November 12, 1922 – March 6, 2009) was considered to be one of the most influential figures in American journalism of the 20th century. Bellows was born to a wealthy Ohio family, attended prep school in Connecticut and graduated from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, in 1944 with a B.A. in philosophy. After serving in the United States Navy during World War II, he took a job as a reporter for the Columbus Ledger in Georgia and quickly was given tougher assignments as his editors discovered his talent.
Bellows served as editor of the New York Herald Tribune (1961-1967), associate editor of the Los Angeles Times (1967-1974), editor of the Washington Star (1975-1978), editor of the Los Angeles Herald Examiner (1978-1981), managing editor of Entertainment Tonight (1981-1983), executive editor of ABC News: World News Tonight (1983-1986), and positions at USA Today on TV, Prodigy, the Los Angeles Daily News, and others.
As an editor for these underdog, "second" newspapers in large cities, Bellows established a reputation as an innovator whose style of refined sensationalism challenged the leading rival newspapers—namely, The Washington Post and The New York Times. His eloquent yet minimalist and often humorous and self-effacing style inspired a new generation of young writers including Tom Wolfe, Jimmy Breslin, Denis Hamill and Tony Castro. Bellows's acclaimed memoir, The Last Editor: How I saved the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times from Dullness and Complacency (2002), which was also made into a PBS documentary, chronicles his (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.
Bellows died on March 6, 2009 of Alzheimer's disease at a nursing home in Santa Monica. [1][2][3][4][5][6]
References
- ^ Hevesi, Dennis (7 March 2009). "James Bellows, Newspaper Editor Who Promoted New Journalism, Dies at 86". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/07/business/media/07bellows.html. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
- ^ Woo, Elaine (7 March 2009). "Jim Bellows dies at 86; legendary editor of L.A. Herald Examiner". The Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-jim-bellows7-2009mar07,0,899320.story. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
- ^ "Legendary Editor Jim Bellows Dies at 86". Editor & Publisher. 6 March 2009. http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003949095. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
- ^ Sullivan, Patricia (7 March 2009). "James G. Bellows, 86: Editor of Underdog Papers Pushed Writers to 'Raise Hell'". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/06/AR2009030603308.html. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
- ^ "Newspaper editor Jim Bellows dies in LA at 86". The Associated Press. 6 March 2009. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jtPMNFDpUkKK6BEknLvEEVcLiaAgD96ORSEO0. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
- ^ Saperstein, Pat (6 March 2009). "Newspaper editor Jim Bellows dies: Veteran worked for L.A. Herald-Examiner". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118000933.html?categoryId=21&cs=1. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
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