A Journalist and a Gentleman

David Broder, the long-time Washington Post political reporter who died today, was one of the most decent people I ever met in politics.
 
He was a legendarily hard-working reporter. His news stories and his columns were consistently – even maddeningly – non-ideological. His energy and longevity were remarkable. He covered the 1960 presidential election, and he was still writing during the 2010 election.
 
The AP had a nice profile. The last paragraph tells you what he was like:

“Young editors who grew up revering Broder’s work sometimes found themselves in the unnerving role of being his editor. Broder typically accepted their suggestions with a breezy grace, urging them to trust their instincts. He sometimes startled copy editors by thanking them for improving his articles.”

I met Broder during Jim Hunt’s first term as Governor. Over the years, I would occasionally get a friendly, business-like call from him – checking in on what was happening in North Carolina politics.

Where many reporters hone an aggressive, “gotcha” persona, Broder was unfailingly gracious and polite, kindly and soft-spoken, even when his questions and his copy were tough.

When I was casting about for someone to write a jacket blurb for my biography of Governor Jim Hunt, I tried a Hail Mary. I called David and asked if he would consider doing one.

“Send me your manuscript,” he said.

A couple of weeks later, he emailed a nice little paragraph that we put at the top of the back cover.

Pardon me a bit of pride that my book will always feature a few kind words from one of the finest journalists and gentlemen our country ever produced.
Posted in
Avatar photo

Gary Pearce

Categories

Archives

Recent Posts

A Journalist and a Gentleman

David Broder, the long-time Washington Post political reporter who died today, was one of the most decent people I ever met in politics.
 
He was a legendarily hard-working reporter. His news stories and his columns were consistently – even maddeningly – non-ideological. His energy and longevity were remarkable. He covered the 1960 presidential election, and he was still writing during the 2010 election.
 
The AP had a nice profile. The last paragraph tells you what he was like:

“Young editors who grew up revering Broder’s work sometimes found themselves in the unnerving role of being his editor. Broder typically accepted their suggestions with a breezy grace, urging them to trust their instincts. He sometimes startled copy editors by thanking them for improving his articles.”

I met Broder during Jim Hunt’s first term as Governor. Over the years, I would occasionally get a friendly, business-like call from him – checking in on what was happening in North Carolina politics.

Where many reporters hone an aggressive, “gotcha” persona, Broder was unfailingly gracious and polite, kindly and soft-spoken, even when his questions and his copy were tough.

When I was casting about for someone to write a jacket blurb for my biography of Governor Jim Hunt, I tried a Hail Mary. I called David and asked if he would consider doing one.

“Send me your manuscript,” he said.

A couple of weeks later, he emailed a nice little paragraph that we put at the top of the back cover.

Pardon me a bit of pride that my book will always feature a few kind words from one of the finest journalists and gentlemen our country ever produced.
Posted in
Avatar photo

Gary Pearce

Categories

Archives