10/13/2018

Dennis Hetzel: Newspaper People Make A Difference In Washington — And Ohio

Journalism has been described as “the first rough draft of history”

I like the idea that National Newspaper Week and Great Books Week both happen on Oct. 7-13. Journalism has been famously – and accurately – described as “the first rough draft of history.”

The authors of great books must paint complete pictures from the rough sketches that journalists start. There are countless examples such as The Best and the Brightest, the late David Halberstam’s account of the politics and tragedy behind the war in Vietnam.

Jack Shafer of Slate.com found a 1953 edition of Public Administration Review in which Phil Graham, the late publisher of The Washington Post, said this: “The inescapable hurry of the press inevitably means a certain degree of superficiality. It is neither within our power nor our province to be ultimately profound. We write 365 days a year the first rough draft of history, and that is a great task.”

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Lima News.