Diane Lewis (journalist)
Encyclopedia
Diane Lewis was an American
journalist
and writer. Lewis worked as a reporter for the Boston Globe for 26 years. She reported extensively on labor
and workers' rights during her last 15 years with the Boston Globe.
. She was the daughter of Jamaican immigrants
. Her father died when she was very young and she was raised by her single mother.
Lewis obtained a bachelor's degree in English literature
from Case Western University in 1975. She worked for several Cleveland area publications following her graduation. She also worked as a publicist
for the Cleveland Public Library
.
Lewis obtained a fellowship
to attend the University of California at Berkeley. Lewis worked for the Telegram & Gazette in Worcester, Massachusetts
, for three years after leaving UC Berkeley before being hired by the Boston Globe.
during her early years at the Boston Globe. The topics she reported on ranged from mental health issues to the legal system.
Lewis focused mainly on labor issues during her last 15 years at the newspaper
. She reported on the labor movement, workers' rights and immigrant exploitation. Her stories could be critical of both a company's owners and management
, as well as the labor unions. She was described by one Boston Globe editor
as having an eye for the "underdog." She often reported specifically on poor working conditions of workers, including issues related to immigrants, those earning low incomes, and workers with bad bosses.
in the Bronx, New York. Lewis was 54 years old. A memorial service was held in Roxbury, Massachusetts
.
Lewis was a Boston
resident. She had one daughter, Karina Sharif, who attends the Pratt Institute
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and writer. Lewis worked as a reporter for the Boston Globe for 26 years. She reported extensively on labor
Labor relations
Industrial relations is a multidisciplinary field that studies the employment relationship. Industrial relations is increasingly being called employment relations because of the importance of non-industrial employment relationships. Many outsiders also equate industrial relations to labour relations...
and workers' rights during her last 15 years with the Boston Globe.
Early life
Diane Lewis grew up in East Orange, New JerseyEast Orange, New Jersey
East Orange is a city in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the city's population 64,270, making it the state's 20th largest municipality, having dropped 5,554 residents from its population of 69,824 in the 2000 Census, when it was the state's 14th most...
. She was the daughter of Jamaican immigrants
Jamaican American
Jamaican Americans are Americans of Jamaican heritage or Jamaican-born people who live in the United States of America. American citizenship is not a prerequisite of being a Jamaican American as permanent residents are also given this title....
. Her father died when she was very young and she was raised by her single mother.
Lewis obtained a bachelor's degree in English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
from Case Western University in 1975. She worked for several Cleveland area publications following her graduation. She also worked as a publicist
Publicist
A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, a business, or for a work such as a book, film or album...
for the Cleveland Public Library
Cleveland Public Library
The Cleveland Public Library was founded in 1869 and is located in Cleveland, Ohio. It operates the Main Library on Superior Avenue in downtown Cleveland, 28 branches throughout the city, a mobile library, a Public Administration Library in City Hall, and a library for the blind and physically...
.
Lewis obtained a fellowship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
to attend the University of California at Berkeley. Lewis worked for the Telegram & Gazette in Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, for three years after leaving UC Berkeley before being hired by the Boston Globe.
Boston Globe
Diane Lewis covered a variety of beatsBeat reporting
Beat reporting, also known as specialized reporting, is a genre of journalism that can be described as the craft of in-depth reporting on a particular issue, sector, organization or institution over time. Beat reporters build up a base of knowledge on and gain familiarity with the topic, allowing...
during her early years at the Boston Globe. The topics she reported on ranged from mental health issues to the legal system.
Lewis focused mainly on labor issues during her last 15 years at the newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
. She reported on the labor movement, workers' rights and immigrant exploitation. Her stories could be critical of both a company's owners and management
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
, as well as the labor unions. She was described by one Boston Globe editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
as having an eye for the "underdog." She often reported specifically on poor working conditions of workers, including issues related to immigrants, those earning low incomes, and workers with bad bosses.
Death
Diane Lewis was diagnosed with cancer in 2005. She died on August 14, 2007, at Montefiore Medical CenterMontefiore Medical Center
Montefiore Medical Center, in the Bronx, New York, is the University Hospital for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The hospital, named for Moses Montefiore, is one of the 50 largest employers in New York State . In 2011, Montefiore Medical Center was ranked as #6 of the 180 New York City...
in the Bronx, New York. Lewis was 54 years old. A memorial service was held in Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was one of the first towns founded in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, and became a city in 1846 until annexed to Boston on January 5, 1868...
.
Lewis was a Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
resident. She had one daughter, Karina Sharif, who attends the Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
.