Abraham Michael Rosenthal

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Abraham Michael “AM” Rosenthal (born May 2, 1922 in Sault Ste. Marie , Ontario , Canada ; † May 10, 2006 in New York City ) was a reporter, editor-in-chief and one of the publishers of the New York Times from 1963 to 1988 .

Life

Early years

AM Rosenthal was the only son of Harry and Sarah Dickstein Rosenthal of six siblings. The Russian-Jewish parents came from Belarus and emigrated to Canada in the 1890s. His father Harry Shipiatsky, who then changed his name to Rosenthal, worked there as a trapper, fur trader and trader in the Hudson Bay area . When Rosenthal was a little boy, his family moved from Canada to the United States . He grew up in extremely poor conditions in the Bronx , New York City . His father and four of his five siblings died in Rosenthal's childhood. He suffered from a bone marrow disease and would have been crippled if it hadn't been for free medical rehabilitation from the Mayo Clinic .

But as early as 1943 he was able to start an internship with the New York Times as a university reporter for the City College he attended and managed to work there for 56 years until 1999 and to rise to the highest positions. In 1963 he moved up to the level of the editorial board. His 1964 report of a murder case of a New York woman ( Kitty Genovese ) on the street, which 38 spectators watched idly by, had a lasting effect in science . This case has been discussed and investigated in social psychology as a "bystander" phenomenon . Later investigation revealed that most of the witnesses believed they heard only one argument, which they classified as a marital argument.

Modernizing the NY Times

As editor, Rosenthal insisted on increased reporting on phenomena and events beyond the realm of the White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (Wasps), which also met with great approval from the readership. In addition, he encouraged reporters with a literary talent and wit to portray current events. During his also dreaded editorial work, he contributed to the fact that a total of 24 NYT editors were honored with the highest honor in American journalism, the Pulitzer Prize. He was also considered a brilliant writer and a "volcano" of new ideas. From an editorial point of view, he expanded the NY Times with new sections, the “sections”, namely the “SportsMonday”, “Science Times” on Tuesday, the “Living section” on Wednesday, the “Home section” on Thursday and “Weekend” on Friday. Furthermore, at the weekend, the reading public enjoyed an explosive increase in Sunday supplements on business, travel, entertainment games, leisure activities, education, fashion, health and other topics. His vigorous modernization also benefited the advertising business, so that total NY Times sales increased sevenfold from $ 238 million in 1969 to $ 1.6 billion in 1986. This thematic diversification had an impact on other newspapers in the United States and around the world Style-setting abroad.

Brilliant professionalism and brute manners

In 1971 he supported the opponents of the Vietnam War with the publication of the Pentagon Papers and thereby accelerated the end of the military catastrophe in Southeast Asia. Despite his very conservative attitude, he did not try to enforce his political point of view at the editorial conferences, but rather to let the facts speak for themselves. He described this by saying that he wanted to make the Times "straight". Nevertheless, Rosenthal's leadership style was widely feared because of its choleric outbursts. Even as a commentator he did not mince his words and supported the Iraq wars of the three Bush administrations with great enthusiasm . He eventually did so aggressively that Sulzberger Jr. released him from his contract with the NY Times in 1999. This brought a long, smoldering crisis between both opponents to an end. a. was fueled by Rosenthal's undisguised homophobia .

Personal details

Rosenthal was one of the most influential journalists of the 20th century, his panel discussion with the leading neocons Irving Kristol , William F. Buckley, Dick Clurman and Arthur Gelb was even called "Rosenthal for President club".

He died of complications from a stroke at the age of 84 . Rosenthal leaves behind his second wife, Shirley Lord, whom he married in 1987, and a sister, Rose Newman in Manhattan, and four grandchildren.

Worked for the New York Times

Awards

Fonts

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Charles Kaiser: AM Rosenthal, 1922-2006. As the dominant editor of The New York Times from 1969 to 1985, Abe Rosenthal inspired more admiration, emulation and vilification than any other journalist of his generation. In: The New York Observer. May 15, 2006, p. 2 , archived from the original on August 25, 2006 ; accessed on October 13, 2013 .
  2. ^ Charles Kaiser: A. M. Rosenthal, 1922-2006. As the dominant editor of The New York Times from 1969 to 1985, Abe Rosenthal inspired more admiration, emulation and vilification than any other journalist of his generation. In: The New York Observer. May 15, 2006, archived from the original on May 21, 2006 ; accessed on October 13, 2013 .
  3. ^ William F. Buckley Jr. in the English language Wikipedia
personal data
SURNAME Rosenthal, Abraham Michael
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Rosenthal, AM
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American journalist and editor
DATE OF BIRTH May 2, 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH Sault Ste. Marie , Ontario , Canada
DATE OF DEATH May 10, 2006
Place of death New York City