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A Retrospective: 28 Media Leaders Who Died This Decade

The Aughts

by Danny Groner | 12:52 pm, December 4th, 2009

» 7 comments

2003

Who: Fred Rogers
Major Accomplishment: He was the chairman of a White House forum on child development and the mass media in 1968, and from then on was frequently consulted as an expert or witness on such issues. He produced several specials for live television and videotape. Many of his regular show’s themes and songs were worked into audiotapes.
Legacy: Mr. Rogers’s Web site provided a link to help parents discuss his death with their children. ”Children have always known Mister Rogers as their ‘television friend,’ and that relationship doesn’t change with his death,” the site says.

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Who: David Brinkley
Major Accomplishment: Brinkley liked to say that he had ”done the news longer than anyone on earth.” He summed up his career as the subtitle of his 1995 memoir, ”David Brinkley”: ”11 Presidents, 4 Wars, 22 Political Conventions, 1 Moon Landing, 3 Assassinations, 2,000 Weeks of News and Other Stuff on Television and 18 Years of Growing Up in North Carolina.”
Legacy: His colleague Roger Mudd once observed that Brinkley ”brought a level of political sophistication and literary craftsmanship and a lively sense of humor that television had never known before and that hasn’t been equaled since.”

khepburn

Who: Katharine Hepburn
Major Accomplishment: Walter Kerr of the New York Times wrote about her performance in “The West Side Waltz” in terms that reflected the general critical opinion: “One mysterious thing she has learned to do is breathe unchallengeable life into lifeless lines.”
Legacy: In typical Katharine Hepburn style, she faced the camera and, at the age of 85, tacitly acknowledged how close she had to be to the end. “I have no fear of death,” she said. “Must be wonderful, like a long sleep. But let’s face it: it’s how you live that really counts.”

bob-hope

Who: Bob Hope
Major Accomplishment: More than any other single activity in which Hope engaged, his World War II United Service Organizations, or U.S.O., tours endeared him to the nation. He played his first camp show on May 6, 1941, and in 1966, he estimated that he had traveled more than two million miles and entertained more than 11 million servicemen in the succeeding years.
Legacy: What was billed as his final television special was broadcast by NBC in November 1996, ending a run of 284 NBC specials that began in 1950. The show included clips of the comedian entertaining Presidents from Roosevelt to Bill Clinton.

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ImNotBlue

No Farrah Fawcett? She was a media icon! That poster alone was a huge deal!

But perhaps more confusing, no Michael Jackson?

Sure we’re all sick of hearing about the coverage… but come on, if ever there was a media star, he was it. From the birth of the music video, to the television commercials, to the movies, to the wacky stuff in the later years… not to mention the music… MJ was all things media! I think he deserves to be on the list, for sure.
Jim R

Well done, Danny, a significant list indeed.
Rel E Vant

What, no Ed Bradley?

Guess it only matters if we lose white “media leaders,” huh?

And for the record, including Kate Hepburn, Bob Hope, William Hanna and Johnny Carson is totally stretching the “media” designation beyond all recognition.
ClarkKent_DC

These are “the figures who helped define, shape and set the standards in their industries” — but there’s no mention of John H. Johnson, founder of Ebony magazine? Carl T. Rowan, public servant, author and columnist? Ed Bradley, “60 Minutes” correspondent? August Wilson, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright? Not even Richard Pryor or Michael Jackson?
wdawkins

Thank you for updating the list.

Do understand that the criticism of the lack of diversity this morning was not a matter special pleading, but was based on merit. The gaping omissions spoke to credibility and authenticity of the list.

Regarding the additions, Chisholm did not win a primary, but she changed the California winner-take-all primary system in 1972.

Johnson’s Ebony/Jet had iconic journalistic moments and products: The Emmett Till casket photo in 1955, the photo of widow Coretta Scott King in 1968 and the seminal book “Before the Mayflower” by editor and popular historian Lerone Bennett Jr.
asamuels

Why is the original list still available to be found on this site without having the mea culpa added to it? Also, your description of John Johnson is unacceptable.To state that the only reason why Ebony and Jet magazines were remarkable is because of race-specific advertising is missing the point in its entirety. The Johnson magazine empire is legendary because Johnson dared do – and succeeded – where others could not. Black folks were being lynched for being able to read and write and Johnson still decided to start a magazine that uplifted black folk.

Johnson was friends with presidents. He created America’s first black magazine amidst a most dangerous time. He gave opportunity to black journalists when whites were too racist to be bothered with us. I don’t know who wrote up this description, but a simple Google search would have turned up quite a bit more. You could also have read his bio or gone to the Web site. He was not legendary because of advertising alone. He’s legendary because he put black people on magazine covers. He told the stories of black people. He helped to cement our perceptions of black beauty. Most importantly though, for the first three decades, he told our stories when no one else would.

He’s legendary because he started something big and it stuck.
Gdub

So by adding five African-Americans of note to the end of this list, we should be pleased? Are you serious? And what about other people “of color?” This was handled very, very poorly, all-around.