Les Payne
Les Payne | |
---|---|
Born | Tuscaloosa, Alabama, U.S. | July 12, 1941
Died | March 19, 2018 | (aged 76)
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | University of Connecticut |
Organization(s) | United States Army, Newsday |
Notable work | National Association of Black Journalists |
Awards | Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award for Nonfiction |
Leslie Payne (July 12, 1941 – March 19, 2018)
Biography
Early years
Payne was born in
The first member of his family to attend college, Payne graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1964 with a degree in English.[1][6] He was interested in pursuing a career in journalism, but as an African American he found no opportunities in the mainstream press. Instead, Payne joined the U.S. Army, where he eventually became a captain. He ended his Army career with two years as an information officer, writing speeches for General William Westmoreland and running the Army newspaper.[6]
Career
Newsday hired Payne in 1969 as an
In 1975, Payne and other African Americans working in the media established the National Association of Black Journalists. Payne served as the group's fourth president.[9]
Payne co-wrote a series of articles about the
Payne started writing a weekly column for Newsday in 1980.[12] It was syndicated in 1985.[6] In 2006, Newsday's editor said the column was "so strong, so provocative and generated so much hate mail that Newsday editors got to know the names of all the Suffolk County Police Department's bomb-sniffing dogs".[9]
Payne served as Newsday's national editor and assistant managing editor for foreign and national news; at different times, he was responsible for the newspaper's coverage of health and science, New York City, and investigations.[11] He was responsible for New York Newsday, the newspaper's short-lived attempt to compete in the New York City market.[9] His staff won many journalism awards, including six Pulitzer Prizes.[11]
After retiring from Newsday in February 2006, Payne continued to contribute his column to the paper until December 2008.
See also
References
- ^ The HistoryMakers. April 10, 2006. Archived from the originalon March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
- ^ a b Jones, Bart (March 20, 2018). "Les Payne, former Newsday editor who won Pulitzer Prize, dies". Newsday. Archived from the original on April 1, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
- ^ Roberts, Sam (March 20, 2018). "Les Payne, Journalist Who Exposed Racial Injustice, Dies at 76". The New York Times. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Honorary Degree Recipients, May 4 and 5, 2011". Old Dominion University. Archived from the original on May 14, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
- ^ "Know Your Heritage" (video). The Africa Channel. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Quinn, Gwendolyn. "AAPRC Weekly: Les Payne". African-American Public Relations Collective. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
- ^ "1974 Winners". The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
- ^ "The Heroin trail". Library of Congress Catalog Record (LCC). Retrieved October 26, 2013.
- ^ a b c Prince, Richard (January 22, 2009). "Pulling No Punches: A Salute to Les Payne". The Defenders Online. NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
- ^ "The life and death of the SLA". LCC record. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
- ^ a b c Eisner, Peter (January 12, 2009). "Les Payne's Too Quiet Departure". The Nation. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
- ^ Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education. Archived from the originalon May 10, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
- ^ "Payne Leaving 'Newsday' But Continuing Syndicated Column". Editor & Publisher. February 2, 2006. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
- ^ Freeman, Abigail (June 11, 2021). "Pulitzer Prizes 2021: The Full List Of Winners". Forbes. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
- ^ "National Book Awards 2020 shortlists announced". Books+Publishing. October 7, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- ^ "The Pulitzer Prizes".
Further reading
- Holahan, David (1986). "A Journalist in Full". Northeast Magazine.
- "Les Payne Remembered" (PDF) (Memorial booklet distributed at the convention of the National Association of Black Journalists). August 2, 2018.
- "NABJ remembers Founder and former President Les Payne". National Association of Black Journalists. March 20, 2018.
- Prince, Richard (March 20, 2018). "Les Payne, Journalist Who 'Took No Prisoners,' Dies at 76". Journal-isms.
- Wickham, DeWayne (March 21, 2018). "Trailblazing black journalist Les Payne showed no fear in pursuit of the truth". Andscape.
External links
- Payne's blog
- Samples of Payne's work at Newsday
- Les Payne at Library of Congress, with 1 library catalog records
- Appearances on C-SPAN