Deadline Artists -- Scandals, Tragedies and Triumphs: More of America's Greatest Newspaper Columns

by John P. Avlon, Jesse Angelo, Errol Louis

We are living in a time when obituaries for the newspaper industry are being written every day. And yet, opinion writing is finding new life online as never before. A new generation deserves access to the best of the past, to classic newspaper writing that combines the immediacy of news with the precision of poetry.

In this new Deadline Artists collection, America’s greatest journalists take on the stories of scandal, tragedy, triumph, and tribute that have defined the spirit of their age. This is history written in the present tense, offering high drama and enduring wisdom. Walk with Jack London in the aftermath of the San Francisco earthquake or grieve over the assassination of Abraham Lincoln with Walt Whitman while the blood still dries at Ford’s Theater. Watch as Watergate unfolds, sex scandals explode, the Twin Towers implode, and winning home runs capture the thrill of a comeback capped with a World Series victory.

Contributors include: Jack London, H.L. Mencken, Dorothy Thompson, Richard Wright, Damon Runyon, Shirley Povich, Murray Kempton, Mike Ryoko, Ruben Salazar, Mary McGrory, Mike Barnicle, Molly Ivins, Pete Hamill, Carl Hiaasen, Nicholas Kristof, Leonard Pitts, Steve Lopez, Peggy Noonan, and Mitch Albom.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Journalism, Essays, Writing

400 pages, Hardcover

Published November 21, 2012

About the author

John Phillips Avlon (born 1973) is the author of Independent Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics and Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe is Hijacking America. He was a columnist and associate editor for The New York Sun and worked as chief speechwriter for former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani. He was Director of Speechwriting and Deputy Policy Director for Giuliani's 2008 presidential campaign. He is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. He is senior political columnist at TheDailyBeast.com.

Reviews

[Carissa Peck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just began teaching Journalism in 2016. I was a high school journalism nerd, and freelanced a bit while working abroad, but other than having students enter writing contests online I don't have many materials for teaching journalism.

This is GREAT. It is basically a collection of amazing articles. Some are pure news, some opinion, others are feature stories. These are great as mentor tasks (and I'd imagine history or social studies teachers would love it too as it covers big events).

Perfect addition to any history / journalism / english teacher's classroom (or home because let's face it...my work follows me home!)

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the op-ed pieces and columns in the Washington Post on a daily basis and in every other newspaper and magazine that I open. I enjoy the format – a writer’s unique take on an issue, generally on a current topic. The topics vary widely – politics, international events, sports, “human interest” stories and more. I think the medium is a challenging one for writers – to say something unique with an angle that had been unexplored, to report a happening in a compelling fashion that grabs the reader’s attention, to provide new insights into a story that is part of the current news. And to write it quickly on deadline!

In this book 130 such columns were selected and compiled by three editors and organized into 3 general groups –scandals, tragedies and triumphs. The columns included in each section are presented in chronological order and cover many decades. As one would expect, not every column is going to be equally appealing to any one person. I found many really compelling – both the content and the writing. I found many “routine.” I found a few that I personally would not have included in such an anthology. But I definitely found the book worth-while reading. These true stories provide a broad sweep of what was on the minds of Americans during these times. I was left with one confounding question however: why were the columns on the dropping of the Atomic bomb on Nagasaki and another of a bombing a small Japanese town at (actually after) the conclusion of the war included in the section “Triumphs”?

[Geri Spieler · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a world of perishable correspondence, I fear we will lose precious writings to the Internet.

Some would argue that the electronic world allows us to save writing in perpetuity unlike in the physical world. I hope so. Then we can accumulate such writings as we have in this journalistic candy store of Deadline Artists: Scandals, Tragedies and Triumphs—More of America’s Greatest Newspaper Columns.

The book is written in the form of an anthology with contributors that include H. L. Mencken, Will Rogers, Jimmy Breslin, Art Buchwald, William F. Buckley Jr., Molly Ivins, Ernest Hemingway, Maureen Dowd, Nora Ephron, Carl Hiaasen, Walter Lippmann, George Will, Mike Ryoko, Dorothy Thompson, Richard Wright, Damon Runyon, Peggy Noonan, Mike Barnicle, and more.

All are icons of the great world of newspaper columnists that brought a rich reflection on the sign of the times.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great read and an enjoyable book, which collects the best columns in newspapers throughout American history. The categories include current events, sports, humor, and several more. While I skipped a few of the selections, the majority were well worth reading and took me back to some important times (9/11; World War II) and important writers (too many to name, but many of my favorites were represented). The e-book has some copy-editing/format problems that don't interfere with reading the book but are distracting--I wish the publishers would pay closer attention to that. This book should be required reading in every journalism class and would make a great read for an American history class.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great read and an enjoyable book, which collects the best columns in newspapers throughout American history. The categories include current events, sports, humor, and several more. While I skipped a few of the selections, the majority were well worth reading and took me back to some important times (9/11; World War II) and important writers (too many to name, but many of my favorites were represented). The e-book has some copy-editing/format problems that don't interfere with reading the book but are distracting--I wish the publishers would pay closer attention to that. This book should be required reading in every journalism class and would make a great read for an American history class.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't realize this was a volume 2 until I had already dived in. Doesn't matter which order you read them in, but I'm already on the hunt for volume 1. This was a enjoyable way to end the night. Quick and informative reads that give you a real-time look at some of our most compelling historic moments.

Among my favorite entries.
The Alabama Literacy Best by Art Buchwald
You Can Bet on Sinatra by Mike Royko
A Child Wrestles with his Dog's Death by Pete Dexter
Going so Fast, Gone too Soon by Mitch Albom
Jackie's Debut by Mike Royko
The Last Lecture by Jeffrey Zaslow

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Less enjoyable than the first volume, mainly because of the subject matter. I did not like the Scandals section at all. But there were some really good columns in the Tragedy and Triumph sections. Read it only after you read the first volume, because if you start with this you might not be inspired to read the other one. But in any case, this is a great way to get eyewitness perspectives on history from gifted writers.