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Leonard Downie Jr.

レナード・ダウニー・ジュニア

Leonard Downie Jr.

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Cleveland (early life) → Washington, D.C. (long-term career) → London (as correspondent) → Tempe, Arizona (Arizona State University affiliation)

Career

Occupations
Journalist, Author, Academic
Active Years
1964-
Affiliations
The Washington Post (various editorial roles), Arizona State University, Walter Cronkite School (professor), Investigative Reporters and Editors (founder/board member), Committee to Protect Journalists (report contributor), Center for Investigative Reporting (former board member)
Memberships
Investigative Reporters and Editors (founder, board member), Center for Investigative Reporting (former board member), Aspen Institute (commission member), Kaiser Health News (chair, national advisory committee)
Influenced By
Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein
Influenced
Many generations of Washington Post reporters, The American investigative journalism community

Education

Ohio State University
Journalism / Political Science
Degree: BA, MA (ジャーナリズム／政治学)
Country: United States
Served as sports editor of the student newspaper The Lantern.
Ohio State University (honorary)
Degree: 名誉人文学博士 (Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa)
Year of Graduation: 1993
Country: United States
Received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in 1993.

Awards

Pulitzer Prize (as executive editor; newspaper awards during tenure)
Organization: Columbia University (Pulitzer Prize Board)
Result: 編集長在任期間中にワシントン・ポストが25件のピューリッツァー賞を獲得
Ben Bradlee Editor of the Year Award
2008
Organization: National Press Foundation
Result: 受賞
Goldsmith Award
2003
Work: The News About the News
Organization: Joan Shorenstein Center, Harvard Kennedy School
Result: 受賞（共著）
Award for Editorial Leadership
2009
Organization: American Society of News Editors
Result: 受賞
Alicia Patterson Journalism Fellowship
1971
Organization: Alicia Patterson Foundation
Result: フェローシップ（受給）
Overseas Press Club Citation for Excellence
Organization: Overseas Press Club
Result: 受賞（英国報道に対して）
Gavel Award (American Bar Association)
Organization: American Bar Association
Result: 受賞（法廷報道に対して）
John Hancock Award for Excellence in Business and Financial Journalism
Organization: John Hancock
Result: 受賞
Front Page Award (Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild)
Organization: Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

All About the Story: News, Power, Politics, and the Washington Post

2020 Non-fiction (journalism / memoir)

Memoir and reflection on his career at The Washington Post and the role of newspapers in power and politics.

accountability in journalismpower and oversightethics of reporting

The News Media: What Everyone Needs To Know (with C.W. Anderson and Michael Schudson)

2016 Non-fiction (media studies)

An introduction to the structure and challenges of contemporary news media and what the public needs to understand.

media changedigital transformationtrust in reporting

The Rules of the Game

2009 Fiction (political thriller)

A novel about corruption and cover-ups in Washington exposed by a national newspaper's investigation.

corruption of public powerinvestigative journalismpolitics and media

The News About the News (with Robert G. Kaiser)

2002 Non-fiction (media analysis)

Analysis of the news industry and its challenges. Winner of the Goldsmith Award.

news economicsmedia ethicsnewspapers as organizations

The New Muckrakers

1976 Non-fiction (investigative reporting)

Discusses the rise and impact of a new generation of investigative reporters.

investigative reportingsocial impact of journalism

Mortgage on America

1974 Non-fiction (urban issues)

Investigates the impacts and costs of destructive urban real estate speculation.

urban problemsreal estate speculation

Justice Denied: The Case for Reform of the Courts

1971 Non-fiction (judicial reform)

Examines dysfunctional city court systems and argues for reform.

judicial reformpublic policy

Bibliography

  • All About the Story: News, Power, Politics, and the Washington Post (2020)
  • The News Media: What Everyone Needs To Know (with C.W. Anderson and Michael Schudson, 2016)
  • The Rules of the Game (novel, 2009)
  • The News About the News (with Robert G. Kaiser, 2002)
  • The New Muckrakers (1976)
  • Mortgage on America (1974)
  • Justice Denied: The Case for Reform of the Courts (1971)
  • Major reports: The Trump Administration and the Press (2020), The Obama Administration and the Press (2013), The Reconstruction of American Journalism (2009)
  • Contributions: Ten Blocks From the White House (1968), Inside the System (1973), plus numerous articles

Style & Themes

Literary Style
clear, fact-based reporting styleanalytical and explanatory prosenarration grounded in investigative reporting
Recurring Motifs
focus on accountabilitymonitoring powerscrutiny of institutions and policy

Legacy

Leonard Downie Jr. is regarded for leading a long career at The Washington Post that emphasized investigative reporting and accountability journalism. Under his editorship the paper won numerous Pulitzer Prizes.

Academic Societies

  • Investigative Reporters and Editors
  • Aspen Institute (related commissions)

Archives

  • The Washington Post archives / corporate records
  • Columbia University journalism-related materials (reports, lectures)

Quotes

  • Accountability journalism is our mission.
    Source: Statement as executive editor of The Washington Post (motto during tenure) (2007)

Trivia

  • Worked at The Washington Post for 44 years and served as executive editor from 1991 to 2008.
  • Co-author of The News About the News, which won the Goldsmith Award.
  • Earned degrees from Ohio State University and received an honorary doctorate from the same institution in 1993.