Written into History: Pulitzer Prize Reporting of the Twentieth Century from The New York Times

Rating:
Summary: Reflections of the Twentieth Century
Review: In his 1904, Joseph Pulitzer left $2 million to Columbia University to establish a journalism school.

Believing an "able, disinterested, public spirited press, with trained intelligence to know the right and the courage to do it, can preserve the public virtue without which the popular government is a sham and a mockery," he reserved 25 per cent of the amount for prizes to reward excellence in the field.

During the twentieth century's remaining years The New York Times won 81 of those prizes. In his introductory essay and story forwards, the editor, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony Lewis relates the stories behind the stories and documents journalism's evolving role in society. For the reader, a vivid, moving portrait of the century emerges, as told by a group of talented, dedicated observers.

Included in a section entitled "What the Government Didn't Want You to Know," David Halberstam's December, 1963 think piece on the Vietcong growing strength. Published 15 months before President Lyndon Johnson committed hundreds of thousands of U.S troops to assume the brunt of the fighting from the South Vietnamese.

In 1967, J. Anthony Lukas exposed a growing gap between children and their parents in "The Two Worlds of Linda Fitzpatrick," a well-to-do Connecticut girl who was found murdered in Greenwich Village with a hippie friend. The story, which contrasted her privileged up-bringing with her squalid, drug-ridden lifestyle, caused numerous families to reconsider this wide spread and dangerous split.

Dave Anderson won the prize 1980 for his column on George Steinbrenner's ceremonious - complete with finger food for the assembled press -- firing of Yankee manager Dick Howser.

It is tough to ignore the prizes for commentary won by Anna Quindlen on AIDS and Russell Baker's two prizes for being serious and his reflections on working with Norman Rockwell.

Journalism maybe rift with faults, but the stories contained in this volume demonstrate what results when gifted, hardworking journalists follow their noble ambitions and dreams.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, though the writing isn't always memorable
Review: The events and trends and art works that these collected articles discuss are all worthy of reflection. The title I find a little pretentious - "Reporting of the Twentieth Century" is a bit much, considering that the Pulitzer didn't exist before the 20th, and the obvious fact that the 20th would be every bit as interesting even if the journalism awards went to papers other than the most circulated (and wealthiest) of them all. But there is undeniably excellent reporting here, and at least some good commentary. Anthony Lewis's introduction is ill-written and a bit fatuous (not unusual with him), but can easily be ignored. A highly recommended compendium.