The Aughts

As the face of media evolves, it’s important to honor the figures who helped define, shape and set the standards in their industries. These are some of the most prominent members of the media who passed away over the past 10 years. Take a look back with some snippets from their respective New York Times obituaries.

The New York Times is reporting that William Safire, a long-time former columnist for the paper, and speechwriter for Richard Nixon has died at 79. Safire joined the Times in 1973 and won the Pulitzer in 1978 for his commentary. Prior to this he worked on Nixon’s 1960 and 1968 presidential campaigns and after Nixon’s 1968 victory served as chief speechwriter for both Nixon and his then Vice President Spiro Agnew.