Journalists are generally remembered for their ability to report on pressing world issues in a way not everyone can. In the case of James Reston, he went above an beyond the call of duty in his field and took time to act as a mentor for all of the journalists he hired and trained throughout his lifetime. Although Reston was born in Clydebank, Dumbartonshire, Scotland on November 3, 1909, he is best categorized as a "Scottish-born U.S. columnist and editor." Reston began his 50-year long career with the New York Times on September 1, 1939, coincidently the same day Hitler waged war on Poland and World War II began. A large majority of the columns he wrote throughout his career at the Times were focused on World War II and the aftermath of the war. As if reporting on this highly newsworthy topic was not enough, Reston continuously filled his days, months, and years with even more stories and eventually developed an amazing legacy because of them.
A few of the many article topics covered by Reston which stuck out to me were: the Dumbarton Oaks Conference, which essentially created the United Nations, his trip to China as one of the first American journalists allowed to enter the country, and coverage of the Yalta Conference in 1945. Although he stood at just five feet eight inches tall and appeared quite average, James Reston was the recipient of two Pulitzer Prizes, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Four Freedoms Award. Aside from winning a major award not once but twice, he was also one of the most powerful journalists of the 1900's, being one of the first to "break" major stories and to interview influential and highly sought after world leaders such as John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Reston left a legacy unlike no other, and a man of his stature would have nothing less to say about the field of journalism other than "[it was] one of the great pleasures of my life."
Sources:
www.nytimes.com/1995/12/07/us/james-reston-a-giant-of-journalism-dies-at-86.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
www.answers.com/topic/reston-james-barrett
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