The death of David Halberstam
There will be plenty of tributes to David Halberstam today. I'd only met the man through his books and Doonesbury many years ago. Yet, The Powers that Be, his 1979 book about the burgeoning power of the media in the modern age, is one of the reasons I remained in journalism. That book centered on the rise of CBS, Time, The Washington Post and The L.A. Times. He wrote of the power and the pitfalls in a way that was both inspiring and cautionary. Read with the perspective of today, my guess is that you can understand why all but the Post are having their problems.
Comments (3)
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His contributions to his profession and craft were immeasurable.
Who now will write the rest of the story?
Almost 30 years later the time is about right for....The Powers That Were....
Posted on April 24, 2007 12:30 PM
I like it, but I think the rest of the story is being written everyday online.
Posted on April 24, 2007 1:20 PM
John:
My aunt gave me that book for college graduation and I've tried to remember the best examples from the book and avoid repeating the worst during my career, which began that year.
Posted on April 24, 2007 3:47 PM