Jim Bellows
Encyclopedia
Jim Bellows 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, and left home at 13 years of age to attend South Kent School--a private boarding school for boys in South Kent, Connecticut--graduating in 1940. "We were not cradled through those years, and it (South Kent) was a wonderful place to build character." Bellows went on to graduate 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
.
Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, founded in 1824 by Bishop Philander Chase of The Episcopal Church, in parallel with the Bexley Hall seminary. It is the oldest private college in Ohio...
in Gambier, Ohio
Gambier, Ohio
Gambier is a village in Knox County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,871 at the 2000 census.Gambier is the home of Kenyon College and was named after one of Kenyon College's early benefactors, Lord Gambier....
, 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
New York Herald Tribune
The New York Herald Tribune was a daily newspaper created in 1924 when the New York Tribune acquired the New York Herald.Other predecessors, which had earlier merged into the New York Tribune, included the original The New Yorker newsweekly , and the Whig Party's Log Cabin.The paper was home to...
(1961-1967), associate editor of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
(1967-1974), editor of the Washington Star
Washington Star
The Washington Star, previously known as the Washington Star-News and the Washington Evening Star, was a daily afternoon newspaper published in Washington, D.C. between 1852 and 1981. For most of that time, it was the city's newspaper of record, and the longtime home to columnist Mary McGrory and...
(1975-1978), editor of the Los Angeles Herald Examiner (1978-1981), managing editor of Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
(1981-1983), executive editor of ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
: World News Tonight (1983-1986), and positions at USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
on TV, Prodigy
Prodigy (ISP)
Prodigy Communications Corporation was an online service that offered its subscribers access to a broad range of networked services, including news, weather, shopping, bulletin boards, games, polls, expert columns, banking, stocks, travel, and a variety of other features.Initially subscribers...
, the Los Angeles Daily News
Los Angeles Daily News
The Los Angeles Daily News is the second-largest circulating daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California. It is the flagship of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group, a branch of Colorado-based MediaNews Group....
, and others.
As an editor for these underdog
Underdog (competition)
An underdog is a person or group in a competition, frequently in electoral politics, sports and creative works, who is popularly expected to lose. The party, team or individual expected to win is called the favorite or top dog. In the rare case where an underdog wins, the outcome is an upset. These...
, "second" newspapers in large cities, Bellows established a reputation as an innovator whose style of refined sensationalism
Sensationalism
Sensationalism is a type of editorial bias in mass media in which events and topics in news stories and pieces are over-hyped to increase viewership or readership numbers...
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
Tom Wolfe
Thomas Kennerly "Tom" Wolfe, Jr. is a best-selling American author and journalist. He is one of the founders of the New Journalism movement of the 1960s and 1970s.-Early life and education:...
, Jimmy Breslin
Jimmy Breslin
Jimmy Breslin is an American journalist and author. He currently writes a column for the New York Daily News' Sunday edition. He has written numerous novels, and columns of his have appeared regularly in various newspapers in his hometown of New York City...
, 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
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
at a nursing home in Santa Monica
Santa Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
.