That’s the Way It Was?

The golden age of American journalism was most likely the period between the mid-1960s to the beginning of this century. Lance Morrow, a prolific magazine writer/essayist, was the prime example of American journalism.

This was the era when reporting was used to effect political change. It altered the course of wars, and overthrew presidencies with the Pentagon Papers or Watergate. Journalistic institutions held an unquestioned authority that has not been seen since. Newspapers like the New York Times or the Washington Post were the fourth-estate pillars of Constitution. Newsweek and Time magazine had combined circulations of almost 10 million. “color” Walter Cronkite, a titan of television feature writing, has established himself as the voice for God in American homes. And then there were the characters—Henry Luce, founder of Time, Ben Bradlee, Washington Post executive editor, James “Scotty” Reston, Washington Bureau Chief for the New York Times built their plinths in American journalism’s pantheon.

With a little cynicism, we can now look back at that time, with the benefit of decades of falling trust in the news industry behind us. We can still admire the remarkable achievements and hankerings of those who worked in news reporting during a time when it was trusted and believed by all political parties. We can acknowledge, however, that maybe all the objective reporting of truth by journalist heroes was not so objective after all. Journalism became dominated in this supposed golden age by liberal journalists out of Ivy League colleges with increasingly ideological agendas.

Morrow’s latest memoir captures almost all of these events (he’s only written a few). The subtitle. “Remembering Journalism,” suggests a subtle ambiguity—it’s both a personal recollection but also, perhaps, a requiem for a lost craft. Morrow, now 83, retains an uncommon eye for color and a fluid prose style. Morrow has a greater ability to see both the positives and the negative aspects of his profession as he ages.

Morrow won the National Magazine Award For Essay and Criticism in recognition of his Time-related work.