Roland Hedley
Roland Hedley | |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | Universal Press Syndicate |
Created by | Garry Trudeau |
Roland Burton Hedley, III is a fictional character in the comic strip Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau, inspired by the on-air style of the veteran US reporter Sam Donaldson.[1]
Hedley is a
Later he resurfaces in the strip as a television reporter for ABC News. By this point he has developed an extraordinarily large ego, which remains his defining trait to this day. He is a sensationalist, willing to stretch the truth and say anything that would further his career. Often he is sent on dangerous assignments, and it is implied that his superiors send him on these intentionally, hoping get rid of him. He plays along, knowing that the danger of his job will earn him higher ratings.
As a result, he has covered many of the dangerous political developments of the last 30 years, although he often greatly exaggerates the danger he personally faces in order to boost his ego. Any news story, no matter how important, can get sidetracked when he begins to talk about his three
His most surreal appearances are two trips into the brain of
After leaving ABC, Hedley works a brief stint as "chief content provider" for Yap!com, but goes back to television when the site is downsized by the
In 2009 Fox news attempts to fire him as the High Definition format shows his facial skin in a gruesome way. He survives the attempt after threatening to sue his employers for discrimination against his allegedly work-related disability.
Over the history of the comic strip, this character's name has been given as Roland Hedley Burton Jr,[6] Roland Burton Hedley, Jr. and Roland Burton Hedley III. The Washington Post's website at Doonesbury.com uses the last of these,[7] although as recently as July 12, 2008 he identified himself as "Junior."[8] Hedley's three names evoke the preppie "last name as first name" aura and may have been taken from names on the masthead of Time—Los Angeles Correspondent Roland Flamini, Boston Bureau Chief Sandra Burton and Editor-in-Chief Hedley Donovan.[9]
References
- ^ Doonesbury FAQ Archived 2008-09-19 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Hébert, ~ Paul (2019-01-02). "This week in Doonesbury: In Search of Trump's Brain". Reading Doonesbury. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
- ^ "Garry Trudeau On Journos "Smitten With The Idea Of A Personal Broadcasting System" - mediabistro.com: WebNewser". www.mediabistro.com. Archived from the original on 2009-04-23.
- ^ "Roland Hedley twitter account closes". 27 January 2010.
- ^ "@RealRBHJr" on Twitter
- ^ "Doonesbury Strip 5-Feb-1979". Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ^ "Roland Burton Hedley III". Doonesbury.com. Washington Post. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
- ^ Doonesbury 7-12-2008
- ^ Time Cover Story 2-9-1976