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|awards = [[Pulitzer Prize]] (1984)<br>[[Carl Sagan Award for Public Appreciation of Science]] (2001)
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'''John Noble Wilford''' (born October 4, 1933<ref name="utkbio">{{cite web|title=Prominent Alumni: Part II|url=http://web.utk.edu/~mklein/alum2.html#wilford|work=University of Tennessee, Knoxville History|last=Klein|first=Milton M.|publisher=[[University of Tennessee]]|accessdate=July 22, 2009 }}</ref>) is an author and [[journalist]] for ''[[The New York Times]]''.
'''John Noble Wilford''' (born October 4, 1933<ref name="utkbio">{{cite web|title=Prominent Alumni: Part II|url=http://web.utk.edu/~mklein/alum2.html#wilford|work=University of Tennessee, Knoxville History|last=Klein|first=Milton M.|publisher=[[University of Tennessee]]|access-date=July 22, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303203341/http://web.utk.edu/~mklein/alum2.html#wilford|archive-date=March 3, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>) is an author and [[science journalist]] for ''[[The New York Times]]''.


==Biography==
==Biography==
Wilford was born October 4, 1933, in [[Murray, Kentucky]], and attended [[Grove High School]] across the border in nearby [[Paris, Tennessee]].<ref name="utkbio"/> After high school graduation, he attended [[Lambuth College]] for a year, then in fall 1952 transferred to the [[University of Tennessee]] (UT).<ref name="utkbio"/> He received a B.S. in [[journalism]] from UT in 1955 and an M.A. in [[political science]] from [[Syracuse University]].<ref name="utk">{{cite web|url=http://www.lib.utk.edu/outreach/about/hall_fame/wilford.html|title=John Noble Wilford|publisher=[[University of Tennessee]] Libraries|accessdate=January 7, 2009}}</ref> After graduation from Syracuse, Wilford spent two years with the [[U.S. Army]] in [[West Germany]].<ref name="utkbio"/>
Wilford was born October 4, 1933, in [[Murray, Kentucky]], and attended [[Grove High School]] across the border in nearby [[Paris, Tennessee]].<ref name="utkbio"/> After graduating from high school, he attended [[Lambuth College]] for a year before transferring to [[University of Tennessee]] in the fall of 1952.<ref name="utkbio"/> He received a B.S. in [[journalism]] from UT in 1955 and an [[Master of Arts|M.A.]] in [[political science]] from [[Syracuse University]] in 1956.<ref name="utk">{{cite web|url=http://www.lib.utk.edu/outreach/about/hall_fame/wilford.html|title=John Noble Wilford|publisher=[[University of Tennessee]] Libraries|access-date=January 7, 2009}}</ref> After completing his master's degree, Wilford spent two years with the [[U.S. Army]] [[Counterintelligence Corps]] in [[West Germany]].<ref name="utkbio"/>


Wilford's professional career began in 1956 at the ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'', where he was a general assignment reporter and (after a two-year military tour of duty) a medical reporter.<ref name="utkbio"/> In 1962, he joined ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' to work as a contributing science editor, then moved in 1965 to ''[[The New York Times]]'' to be a science reporter.<ref name="utkbio"/><ref name="NYT-20141208">{{cite news |last=Wilford |first=John Noble |title=Covering Mars Opened a New World |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/09/science/covering-mars-opened-a-new-world.html |date=December 8, 2014 |work=[[New York Times]] |accessdate=December 8, 2014 }}</ref> While at the ''NYT'' he also worked as assistant national news editor (1973–1975) and director of science news (1975–1979).
Wilford's professional career began at ''[[The Commercial Appeal]]'' in [[Memphis, Tennessee]], where he was a summer reporter in 1954 and 1955. He briefly served as a general assignment reporter at ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' in 1956. Following his military service, he was a medical reporter at the ''Journal'' from 1959 to 1961.<ref name="utkbio"/> In 1962, he held an Advanced International Reporting Fellowship at the [[Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism]]. That year, he also joined ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' as a contributing editor specializing in science before moving in 1965 to ''The New York Times'' to be a science reporter (1965–1973) and science correspondent (1979–2008).<ref name="utkbio"/><ref name="NYT-20141208">{{cite news |last=Wilford |first=John Noble |title=Covering Mars Opened a New World |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/09/science/covering-mars-opened-a-new-world.html |date=December 8, 2014 |work=[[New York Times]] |access-date=December 8, 2014 }}</ref> While at the ''NYT'' he also worked as assistant national news editor (1973–1975) and director of science news (1975–1979).


In 1969 he wrote the [[New York Times]] front-page article about [[Apollo 11|man's first walk on the moon]]. His was the only byline on the front page, beneath the headline "Men Walk On Moon" and under the subheading "A Powdery Surface is Closely Explored."<ref name="nyt090714">{{cite news|title=On Hand for Space History, as Superpowers Spar|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/14/science/space/14mission.html|date=July 13, 2009|accessdate=July 22, 2009 |work=[[The New York Times]]|last=Wilford|first=John Noble}}</ref> Upon the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, Wilford's article was lauded by journalist [[Stephen Dubner]], co-author of ''[[Freakonomics]]'', who emphasized Wilford's skillful use of data. For example, Wilford wrote, "Although Mr. Armstrong is known as a man of few words, his heartbeats told of his excitement upon leading man's first landing on the moon. At the time of the descent rocket ignition, his heartbeat rate registered 110 a minute—77 is normal for him—and it shot up to 156 at touchdown." Dubner argues that this is one of the most elegant uses of data to have been ever used in journalism.<ref name="dubner">{{cite news|title=When Data Tell the Story|url=http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/when-data-tell-the-story|accessdate=July 22, 2009|work=The New York Times|first=Stephen J.|last=Dubner|date=July 21, 2009}}</ref> Forty-three years after the moon landing, it was Wilford's byline on the Times' front-page obituary of Neil Armstrong - and a few years later, on the Times' December 2016 obituary of John Glenn.
In 1969, he wrote the newspaper's front-page article about the [[Apollo 11]] landing. His was the only byline on the front page, beneath the headline "Men Walk On Moon" and under the subheading "A Powdery Surface is Closely Explored."<ref name="nyt090714">{{cite news|title=On Hand for Space History, as Superpowers Spar|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/14/science/space/14mission.html|date=July 13, 2009|access-date=July 22, 2009 |work=[[The New York Times]]|last=Wilford|first=John Noble}}</ref> On the 40th anniversary of the mission, Wilford's article was lauded by journalist [[Stephen Dubner]], co-author of ''[[Freakonomics]]'', who emphasized Wilford's skillful use of data. For example, Wilford wrote, "Although Mr. Armstrong is known as a man of few words, his heartbeats told of his excitement upon leading man's first landing on the moon. At the time of the descent rocket ignition, his heartbeat rate registered 110 a minute—77 is normal for him—and it shot up to 156 at touchdown." Dubner argues that this is one of the most elegant uses of data to have been ever used in journalism.<ref name="dubner">{{cite news|title=When Data Tell the Story|url=http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/when-data-tell-the-story|access-date=July 22, 2009|work=The New York Times|first=Stephen J.|last=Dubner|date=July 21, 2009}}</ref> In the 2010s, Wilford's name was the only byline on the newspaper's front-page obituaries of [[Neil Armstrong]] and [[John Glenn]].


Wilford won two [[Pulitzer Prize]]s, [[1984 Pulitzer Prize|one in 1984]] for [[Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting|reporting on "scientific topics of national import"]] and [[1987 Pulitzer Prize|one in 1987]] as part of a ''NYT'' team reporting on the [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster]]. He has also won the G.M. Loeb Achievement Award from the [[University of Connecticut]], the [[National Space Club Press Award]], and two awards from the [[Aviation-Space Writers Association]].<ref name="utk"/> John Noble Wilford is also the 2008 recipient of the University of Tennessee's Hileman Distinguished Alumni Award (http://www.cci.utk.edu/hileman-award).
Wilford received the 1984 [[Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting]] for work on "scientific topics of national import". He also contributed to the staff entry that received a 1987 National Reporting Pulitzer for coverage of the [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster]] and its implications. He has also won the G.M. Loeb Achievement Award from the [[University of Connecticut]], the National Space Club Press Award and two awards from the Aviation-Space Writers Association.<ref name="utk"/> He was the 2008 recipient of the University of Tennessee's Hileman Distinguished Alumni Award.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cci.utk.edu/hileman-award|title=Hileman Award - College of Communication and Information|first=S. I. S.|last=Tech|date=September 3, 2012}}</ref>


==Bibliography==
==Bibliography==
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==External links==
==External links==
* [http://web.utk.edu/~mklein/alum2.html "Prominent Alumni: Part II"]
* [http://web.utk.edu/~mklein/alum2.html "Prominent Alumni: Part II"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303203341/http://web.utk.edu/~mklein/alum2.html |date=2016-03-03 }}
* [http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/w/john_noble_wilford/index.html Recent and archived news articles] by Wilford, from ''The New York Times''
* [http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/w/john_noble_wilford/index.html Recent and archived news articles] by Wilford, from ''The New York Times''


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Revision as of 18:24, 5 April 2024

John Noble Wilford
Born (1933-10-04) October 4, 1933 (age 90)
Murray, Kentucky
OccupationJournalist, author
Citizenship United States
Alma materUniversity of Tennessee, Syracuse University
GenreScience journalism
Notable awardsPulitzer Prize (1984)
Carl Sagan Award for Public Appreciation of Science (2001)

John Noble Wilford (born October 4, 1933[1]) is an author and science journalist for The New York Times.

Biography

Wilford was born October 4, 1933, in Murray, Kentucky, and attended Grove High School across the border in nearby Paris, Tennessee.[1] After graduating from high school, he attended Lambuth College for a year before transferring to University of Tennessee in the fall of 1952.[1] He received a B.S. in journalism from UT in 1955 and an M.A. in political science from Syracuse University in 1956.[2] After completing his master's degree, Wilford spent two years with the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Corps in West Germany.[1]

Wilford's professional career began at The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was a summer reporter in 1954 and 1955. He briefly served as a general assignment reporter at The Wall Street Journal in 1956. Following his military service, he was a medical reporter at the Journal from 1959 to 1961.[1] In 1962, he held an Advanced International Reporting Fellowship at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. That year, he also joined Time as a contributing editor specializing in science before moving in 1965 to The New York Times to be a science reporter (1965–1973) and science correspondent (1979–2008).[1][3] While at the NYT he also worked as assistant national news editor (1973–1975) and director of science news (1975–1979).

In 1969, he wrote the newspaper's front-page article about the Apollo 11 landing. His was the only byline on the front page, beneath the headline "Men Walk On Moon" and under the subheading "A Powdery Surface is Closely Explored."[4] On the 40th anniversary of the mission, Wilford's article was lauded by journalist Stephen Dubner, co-author of Freakonomics, who emphasized Wilford's skillful use of data. For example, Wilford wrote, "Although Mr. Armstrong is known as a man of few words, his heartbeats told of his excitement upon leading man's first landing on the moon. At the time of the descent rocket ignition, his heartbeat rate registered 110 a minute—77 is normal for him—and it shot up to 156 at touchdown." Dubner argues that this is one of the most elegant uses of data to have been ever used in journalism.[5] In the 2010s, Wilford's name was the only byline on the newspaper's front-page obituaries of Neil Armstrong and John Glenn.

Wilford received the 1984 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for work on "scientific topics of national import". He also contributed to the staff entry that received a 1987 National Reporting Pulitzer for coverage of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster and its implications. He has also won the G.M. Loeb Achievement Award from the University of Connecticut, the National Space Club Press Award and two awards from the Aviation-Space Writers Association.[2] He was the 2008 recipient of the University of Tennessee's Hileman Distinguished Alumni Award.[6]

Bibliography

The following is a partial bibliography:

  • We Reach the Moon; the New York Times Story of Man's Greatest adventure (1969, ISBN 0-373-06369-0)
  • The Mapmakers (1981, ISBN 0-394-46194-0)
  • The Riddle of the Dinosaur (1985, ISBN 0-394-52763-1)
  • Mars Beckons: the Mysteries, the Challenges, the Expectations of our Next Great Adventure in Space (1990, ISBN 0-394-58359-0)
  • The Mysterious History of Columbus: an Exploration of the Man, the Myth, the Legacy (1991, ISBN 0-679-40476-7)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Klein, Milton M. "Prominent Alumni: Part II". University of Tennessee, Knoxville History. University of Tennessee. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  2. ^ a b "John Noble Wilford". University of Tennessee Libraries. Retrieved January 7, 2009.
  3. ^ Wilford, John Noble (December 8, 2014). "Covering Mars Opened a New World". New York Times. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  4. ^ Wilford, John Noble (July 13, 2009). "On Hand for Space History, as Superpowers Spar". The New York Times. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  5. ^ Dubner, Stephen J. (July 21, 2009). "When Data Tell the Story". The New York Times. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  6. ^ Tech, S. I. S. (September 3, 2012). "Hileman Award - College of Communication and Information".

External links

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