Floyd Phillips Gibbons

Like a lot of journalists in the late 1800's and throughout the early 1900's, Floyd Gibbons worked his way up through the media world starting out working in the newspaper medium. In 1907 Gibbons started working for the highly regarded Chicago Tribune, and gained much respect from fellow reporters as well as readers for his coverage of the Mexican border war. Gibbons possessed all of the good and necessary qualities that an investigative journalist must have, including "a huge sense of adventure, unlimited daring, and great personal courage." In one instance Gibbons displayed all of these qualities at the same time. While trying to rescue a "fellow soldier" during World War I, Gibbons lost one of his eyes to machine gun fire. The white patch that he wore over his eye from then on became his trademark and a symbol of his courage. 

Throughout the 1920's and into the early 1930's Gibbons became a radio commentator who spoke on every issue from Robert Byrd's expedition to the South Pole, to the 1936 Connecticut River Valley flood. Gibbons's broadcasts became instantly famous, and his narration of Robert Byrd's expedition to the South Pole even earned him an Academy Award. Despite his success in the radio world, Gibbons continued to write for the newspaper and even wrote a book on Baron von Richthofen in 1927. This goes to show that even when you find extreme success in one medium you should not limit yourself to just that. Writing, speaking, and reporting are all important in the field of journalism and it is necessary to be well versed in all forms in order to succeed. 

Floyd Gibbons' amazing sense of adventure and willingness to do anything that might result in a good story can serve as a great example to all future and current journalists. Just from reading a short biography on his life I've learned that you have to push the boundaries in life, and in writing, if you want something something out of the ordinary to talk about. Thanks to Gibbons we have had many journalists since his death in 1939 who have attempted to follow in his footsteps, and in doing so have accomplished some amazing things and covered some truly incredible stories. 

Works Cited:

www.otr.com/gibbons.shtml - "Radio Days - Floyd Phillips Gibbons" (website)

www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jgibbons.htm - Floyd Gibbons (website)