Uncategorized

Daniel Schorr, Journalist, 93, Is Dead

By Michael Scherer | @michaelscherer | July 23, 2010 | +

One of this nation’s great reporters has died. Back in 2000, the writer Rick Bragg eulogized the death of another accomplished scribbler, 92-year-old Milt Sosin, by noting that Sosin’s heart had stopped the previous Sunday. “And only then, his pen,” Bragg wrote.

Much the same can be said for Schorr, 93, who I heard just a few weeks ago discussing the latest Russian spy case on NPR. His journalistic accomplishments over a 70-year career dwarf those of entire publications. He earned himself a spot on Richard Nixon’s so-called “enemies list,” got banned from Russia after interviewing Nikita Khrushchev and became CNN’s first employee in 1979, but only after forcing Ted Turner to sign a document stating that “no demand will be made upon him that would compromise his professional ethics and responsibilities.”

Read the fine New York Times obituary here.

Related Topics: daniel schorr, Uncategorized

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  • Paul-no not that one

    RIP, what a nice long run to have.

  • apr2563

    Murrow sure knew how to pick them. He never cared about how they looked or sounded but, how good were they at their craft.
    .
    Probably one of Schorr’s greatest accolades was being on the Nixon enemies list. Michael, I hate to say it, I wish I saw more Murrows and Schorr’s in the traditional media.

  • kevin

    RIP.
    .
    So much great journalism, and yet I keep thinking about the cameo he had in “The Game.”

  • nflfoghorn

    He spoke @ the Univ of South Florida when I was there back in the early 80s – anybody who hung with Cronkite musta been good.

  • blossom38

    I looked forward to his commentary on NPR every week. He had an ability to cut to the chase and comment on what was really important—ignoring the cacophony of mindless chatter throughout the rest of the media. (I wonder what he would have said to / about Andrew Breitbart.)

  • Alex Vallas

    Spent time in Moscow with Dan when I was working at the US Embassy. He was one of many very good reporters of that period. Can’t say there are too many good ones today.

  • fhmadvocat

    Today we have lost a great jounalist. Daniel Schorr comes from the ere where journalism was jounalism instead of today, where journalism is entertainment. It should be noted he was hated by the Soviets and the Nixon administration. Such enemies speak to the integrity of Mr. Schorr. I have enjoyed listening to his commentary for years on NPR and for such an ole guy he was very up to date on current events. I will miss him immensely.

  • progressto

    His voice will be missed – a voice of reason.

  • http://twitter.com/ktumulty Karen Tumulty

    I didn’t know him well, but I did do diane rehm’s weekly roundup on npr with him about a half dozen times. what people might not appreciate (and what diane didn’t at times, given the seriousness of the show) was his sense of humor, and talent for the quip.
    .
    one line i remember: we had been discussing something involving germany on the show, and during the break he told me: ah, germany. it is a place where everything that is not forbidden is required.
    .
    it was a takeoff on this old joke, and struck me as very funny:
    .
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everything_which_is_not_forbidden_is_allowed

  • apr2563

    Karen thanks for sharing your remembrance. As someone who has been around a long time, I have memories of Schorrs “disagreements” with Nixon. He had no fear.

  • Paul-no not that one

    Look who is back!
    .
    One of the many reasons to miss KT is her tributes to those who have passed.

  • textee

    Daniel Schorr was Helen Thomas in drag. Schorr was a boilerplate, nut job, uber, ultra and far left, fundamentalist leftist political activist and useful idiot. Predictably, Schorr’s identically minded useful idiot at the New York Times who wrote Schorr’s “obituary” (i.e., loving tribute) completely failed to give even a single hint as to Schorr’s leftist ideology. Of course, when Fidel Castro dies, expect the New York Times to fail to identify his ideology. The New York Times, though, will allege (falsely) that Castro brought Cuba a wonderful “health care system.” BTW, you gotta love how Time magazine predictably hails the New York Times’ loving tribute to Schorr. Snoooooooooozzzzzzzze.

  • kbanginmotown

    RIP, Daniel.

  • kbanginmotown

    Exactly what part of getting banned from the former Soviet Union made Dan a “leftist political activist” in your mind?

  • kbanginmotown

    Thanks for sharing this, Karen.

  • kbanginmotown

    And, BTW, having lived in Germany for 5 years…Dan was not too far from the truth! ;)

  • http://teshimide.wordpress.com teshimide

    One of the many reasons to miss KT is her tributes to those who have passed.

    Teshimide
    http://japonesparatodos.blogspot.com

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