Steve Dunleavy
Encyclopedia
Stephen Francis Patrick Aloysius Dunleavy (born 21 January 1938 in Sydney, Australia), is a journalist best known as a columnist for the New York Post
. He was a lead reporter on the US tabloid television
program A Current Affair in the 1980s and 1990s.
, an evening newspaper then owned by Ezra Norton
.
Arriving in New York
on New Year's Eve, 1966 with 10 dollars in his pocket, he worked as a correspondent for London
newspapers. He joined the New York Post
as a news reporter after Rupert Murdoch
purchased the newspaper in 1977.
Like Gordon Elliott
, another Australian television personality, he helped create the US tabloid television market in the 1980s; both were reporters for A Current Affair.
's film Natural Born Killers
. Downey spent time with Dunleavy as part of preparing for the role.
, Post Editor-in-Chief Col Allan, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly
, Uniformed Firefighters Association President Steve Cassidy
and former A Current Affair host Maury Povich
, accompanied by his wife, Connie Chung
.
"Your dedication to your work, your inspiration to others and loyalty to the paper defies description," Murdoch said as Dunleavy and wife Gloria looked on. "It's exceptional. I've never seen anything like it my whole life."
, a Vietnam
veteran who was convicted of rape
in Arkansas
in 1984, questioning the justice of DuMond's sentence and conviction. DuMond's sentence was eventually reduced to the point where he was parole
d; within a year of his release, he went on to rape and murder two women in Missouri. This Willie Horton
-like incident resurfaced as a political issue during the 2008 presidential election
, since it was Republican
candidate Mike Huckabee
who secured DuMond's parole while governor of Arkansas
.
's former bodyguards, published the paperback Elvis - What happened? (ISBN 978-0345272157) which investigated Presley's life behind the scenes. It was published on August 1, just two weeks before Presley's death on August 16. This was the first book that focused on Presley's addiction to prescription drugs. Following Presley's death in August 1977, the book sold more than 1 million copies.
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
. He was a lead reporter on the US tabloid television
Tabloid television
Tabloid television, also known as Teletabloid, is a form of tabloid journalism. Tabloid television newscasts usually incorporate flashy graphics and sensationalized stories.Often, there is a heavy emphasis on crime, stories with good video, and celebrity news...
program A Current Affair in the 1980s and 1990s.
Career
Dunleavy began his career in Australia in 1953 as a copy boy for The (Sydney) Daily MirrorThe Daily Mirror (Australia)
The Daily Mirror was an afternoon paper established by Ezra Norton in Sydney, Australia in 1941, gaining a licence from the Minister for Trade and Customs, Eric Harrison, despite wartime paper rationing. In October 1958, Norton and his partners sold his newspapers to the Fairfax group, which...
, an evening newspaper then owned by Ezra Norton
Ezra Norton
Ezra Norton was an Australian newspaper baron and businessman.-Early life:Norton was born in the Sydney suburb of Watsons Bay, son of the proprietor of the Truth, John Norton and Ada McGrath , whom he married some weeks later...
.
Arriving in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on New Year's Eve, 1966 with 10 dollars in his pocket, he worked as a correspondent for London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
newspapers. He joined the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
as a news reporter after Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
purchased the newspaper in 1977.
Like Gordon Elliott
Gordon Elliott
Gordon Elliott is a British-born Australian journalist and producer. He is the executive producer of ABC's daytime program The Chew, but is probably better known for his 1990s TV talk show program, The Gordon Elliott Show....
, another Australian television personality, he helped create the US tabloid television market in the 1980s; both were reporters for A Current Affair.
Style
Dunleavy's irreverent shock-jock style was the model for actor Robert Downey, Jr.'s performance as Wayne Gale in Oliver StoneOliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
's film Natural Born Killers
Natural Born Killers
Natural Born Killers is a 1994 crime/black comedy film directed by Oliver Stone about two victims of traumatic childhoods who became lovers and psychopathic serial killers, and are irresponsibly glorified by the mass media...
. Downey spent time with Dunleavy as part of preparing for the role.
Retirement
After a 55-year career, Dunleavy's retirement celebration on 1 October 2008 was attended by 400 colleagues and friends. Those who honored Dunleavy included News Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Rupert MurdochRupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
, Post Editor-in-Chief Col Allan, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly
Raymond W. Kelly
Raymond Walter Kelly is the current Commissioner of the New York City Police Department and the first person to hold the post for two non-consecutive tenures. A lifelong New Yorker, Kelly has spent 31 years in the NYPD, serving in 25 different commands and as Police Commissioner from 1992 to 1994...
, Uniformed Firefighters Association President Steve Cassidy
Stephen Cassidy
Stephen Cassidy is the President of the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Fire Department of New York firefighters.Cassidy is a vocal critic of former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani's record of response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks....
and former A Current Affair host Maury Povich
Maury Povich
Maurice Richard "Maury" Povich is an American TV talk show host who currently hosts his self-titled talk show Maury.-Personal background:...
, accompanied by his wife, Connie Chung
Connie Chung
Connie Chung, full name: Constance Yu-Hwa Chung Povich is an American journalist who has been an anchor and reporter for the U.S. television news networks NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, and MSNBC. Some of her more famous interview subjects include Claus von Bülow and U.S...
.
"Your dedication to your work, your inspiration to others and loyalty to the paper defies description," Murdoch said as Dunleavy and wife Gloria looked on. "It's exceptional. I've never seen anything like it my whole life."
DuMond controversy
Dunleavy controversially wrote a series of articles in defence of Wayne DuMondWayne DuMond
Wayne Eugene DuMond was an American criminal convicted of murder and rape. He was born in De Witt, Arkansas, and is buried in the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery of Ethel, Arkansas.DuMond had six children and three wives...
, a Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
veteran who was convicted of rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
in Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
in 1984, questioning the justice of DuMond's sentence and conviction. DuMond's sentence was eventually reduced to the point where he was parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
d; within a year of his release, he went on to rape and murder two women in Missouri. This Willie Horton
Willie Horton
William R. "Willie" Horton is an American convicted felon who, while serving a life sentence for murder, without the possibility of parole, was the beneficiary of a Massachusetts weekend furlough program...
-like incident resurfaced as a political issue during the 2008 presidential election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
, since it was Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidate Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
who secured DuMond's parole while governor of Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
.
Books
In 1977 Dunleavy, in association with three of Elvis PresleyElvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
's former bodyguards, published the paperback Elvis - What happened? (ISBN 978-0345272157) which investigated Presley's life behind the scenes. It was published on August 1, just two weeks before Presley's death on August 16. This was the first book that focused on Presley's addiction to prescription drugs. Following Presley's death in August 1977, the book sold more than 1 million copies.
External links
- Dunleavy's column in the New York Post
- "The King of Sleaze", GQ
- "Hard-Hitting Newsman", Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, 25 Sep 1992 - Video: Steve Dunleavy journalism master class 1-6