Born into the provocative world of politics and journalism, a young and sickly Henry Watterson would one day follow in his fathers footsteps and reinvent the editorialized media of his time. Described as "pungent, vivid, superlatively personal..." by The New York Times, Watterson would develop a voice that would come to represent the Southern culture of the United States. Suffering through an ailing childhood, Watterson was taught at his family home in Washington DC by his mother and various tutors. By the age of sixteen, he published his own paper called the New Era and his editorials were quickly picked up by other newspapers.
He would eventually become employed by the Washington States and the Philadelphia Press. In addition, he also did work for the Associated Press covering the inauguration of President Abraham Lincoln. However, feeling a great pull of fidelity to his home state of Tennessee which soon after receded from the Union, Watterson would return home to fight for the Confederate Army in the Civil War. During his service he edited a satirical newspaper The Rebel which criticized not only President Lincoln, but Southern leaders as well. After the war, he would return to the North to serve as an editor for the Louisville Courier-Journal until he was elected to Congress in 1876.
Watterson is a remarkable journalist in history because of his undeniable vivacity within his rhetoric. When the Courier-Journal's manager asked Watterson to censor his editorials to prevent loss of readership he responded stating that editorials give the paper "character, distinction and influence, and, I think also, prosperity." In 1918, he would go on to win the Pulitzer Prize for his editorial work focusing on the first World War. He is memorialized as one of the last "personal journalist" for his ability to write unique, asserting journalism that highlighted his perspective on the issues of the United States. Henry Watterson's appetite and vigor for editorial journalism is one that will continue to set a standard for journalists today.
Sources:
American Journalists
http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=W000209
http://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/watterson1/menu.html
Richard Harding Davis
ReplyDelete1864-1916
Davis was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to a writing family. His mother was a popular writer who wrote novels and short stories, as well as was a part of the editorial staff of the New York Tribune. Mr. Davis was a lawyer first, then became an editor for the Philadelphia Public Ledger.
Davis himself, changed the stereotypical lifestyle of journalists in the 1880s and 1890s. He broke the mold of the "Bohemian" journalist and introduced the "sober, clean-living" journalist. While he was mainly a reporter, Davis also published some novels and short stories, as well as some plays.
Davis was not a very good student, incapable of sitting as his desk or attending class at Lehigh University. When he was advised to drop out of school, he became a cub reporter for the Philadelphia Record. Unfortunately, he was fired when he refused to remove his gloves while he worked, and started working at the Philadelphia Press.
His first large story covered the Johnstown Flood, and got him a job at the New York Sun. Davis's writing was bold and colorful with his "attention to detail and ... ability to spot just the right human-interest angle." The first story Davis wrote for The Sun was a personal recap of how he overtook a con artist's attack on him in the streets.
Davis became known and sought after for his great writing and his ability to make any minor story major. He loved football, covering many college games with just as much flare as any other story he wrote. After being offered the editorial position at Harper's Weekly, Davis realized he just wanted to report, wanting "the glory of his own byline."
Davis was paid $500 to cover the Yale-Princeton football game in 1895 for the New York Journal. He was sent to Cuba to report on revolution. Davis even went to South Africa to write about the Boer War. Davis was everywhere. Because everyone wanted him. His descriptive writing was enjoyed by all who read the news, until 1916, where he sadly died of a heart disease in Mt. Kisco, New York.
Sources:
American Journalists
http://www.online-literature.com/richard-davis/