Ernie Pyle Set Gold Standard for Newspaper Columnists
By Phil Reisman
You need not mark this on your calendar, but, for the record, Friday
happens to be National Columnists Day. Really, it is.
There is no good reason why you should know this. And now that you do
know, please don't use it as an excuse to take off from work or anything,
unless you want to get fired. National Columnists Day is recognized by a
handful and remembered by few.
Even columnists' mothers, arguably the most loyal of newspaper readers,
never heard of it. Come to think of it, there are probably a lot of
columnists who never heard of it, either. For years, I have resisted
writing about National Columnists Day out of fear that it would be
misunderstood as a self-serving scheme to get a free beer or 10 percent
off a cheap suit. But for reasons that will become clear, I have decided
to write about it this year.
National Columnists Day was created by the National Society of Newspaper
Columnists, a dues-paying organization of ink-stained wretches who felt
that a special day ought to be set aside to celebrate the craft of doing
what columnists are supposed to do — comfort, annoy, nudge, inform, amuse
and so on. The date April 18 was picked because it is the day that Ernie Pyle,
the Pulitzer Prize-winning war correspondent, was killed by a sniper's bullet
on the island of Ie Shima shortly after the invasion of Okinawa in 1945.
Pyle wrote home about the ordinary soldier, sailor and Marine. He lived
with them in the muddy foxholes, ate the same food they ate and endured
the same terrors. To him, war was a mean and dirty business.
"There's nothing romantic whatever in knowing that an hour from now
you may be dead," he once wrote.
Pyle seemed stalked by death in his final days.
His last unpublished column, which was found on his body, was a dirge-like
reminiscence of the things he'd seen across two theaters of war: "Dead men by
mass production — in one country after another — month after month and year
after year. Dead men in winter and dead men in summer. ... Dead men in such
monstrous infinity that you come almost to hate them."
Pyle was famous in his day, but he felt uncomfortable with the fame that
"came without planning or aspiration." In short, he was no Geraldo, whose
flamboyant lineage probably dates back to a nearly forgotten war correspondent
of the 19th century, Richard Harding Davis. Davis, who admired himself greatly,
designed his own field uniform, freely gave advice to officers, whether they
wanted it or not, and enhanced his celebrity status by performing such stunts
as borrowing a soldier's carbine to help fight the Spanish at the battle of
Las Guasimas. Once, he drew a crude map of American and enemy battlefield
positions and mailed it home with a letter to his brother. Sound familiar?
Because there is a war going on now and a significant number of journalists
have already died covering it, Ernie Pyle's name is worth bringing up —
especially from someone who is "embedded" in the comfortable suburbs,
where the greatest risks usually amount to attending an angry public
hearing, dealing with an unhinged reader or driving to work in bad weather.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, a nonprofit organization
that promotes worldwide freedom of the press, 11 journalists and one BBC
translator have died in combat and noncombat situations in Iraq. The CPJ's
Web site has biographical sketches of the fallen correspondents who, unlike
the combatants, were from many countries — Britain, Australia, the United States,
Germany, Iran, Spain, Jordan, Pakistan and others not mentioned. Some were
well-known, like NBC's David Bloom and Michael Kelly, the editor at large of
the Atlantic. Most of them were faceless stringers and freelancers.
They died in myriad ways, but for the same cause — the elusive truth.
Modest as he was, Ernie Pyle probably wouldn't have described his
sacrifice in such lofty terms.
His purpose was to tell personal stories about scared kids fighting wars
started by old men. He spelled their names right and never forgot to
mention their hometowns.
There's nobility in that.
http://www.thejournalnews.com/newsroom/041503/b0115reisman.html
What is the Story Behind National Columnists Day?
By Dave Lieber
The office memo changed the course of my writing life. Back in the 1980s,
I was a staff writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Gene Roberts,
the great editor, sent us a note explaining what kind of writing he
wanted in his newspaper.
Ernie Pyle style writing, Roberts wrote.
Short stories, about 800 words long, with a beginning, middle and an end.
Strong characters. Good visual descriptions. Dramatic action. So I looked
up Pyle at the library. Learned about his wonderful travel columns. Read a
few of his World War II columns. Tried to mimic the poetry and poignancy
of his work.
I've yet to receive a better office memo.
I was a reporter when I joined the National Society of Newspaper Columnists
several years ago. And as a columnist wannabe, I wrote then President Bill
Tammeus of the Kansas City Star and volunteered for active duty.
"I'd like to get involved in something that represents my future,"
I wrote with steadfast optimism. "What ya got?"
Tammeus wrote back with an assignment: "I have a half-baked idea that there
ought to be a National Columnists Day -- to be proclaimed and celebrated far
and wide with hangings in effigy and whatnot. Would you be willing to do a
little research and recommend some dates?" he asked. "Like the birthday of
some great columnist or other. This may go nowhere,
but I think it might be kind of fun."
I was thrilled. But which day to pick? What writer? Who was so beloved by readers,
so respected by peers and still admired long after his or her death?
Who is the greatest columnist of all time?
Easy questions for me.
The answer is Ernie Pyle.
Pyle did it all. On-the-road dispatches from across America. Front-line reporting
during World War II. Beloved and, of course, still remembered by many readers.
But at the height of his popularity, the Pulitzer Prize winner died in a way
almost impossible to imagine by today's celebrity-writer standards: He was
shot in the head by a Japanese sniper near the front lines.
The date was April 18, 1945.
I wrote Tammeus about my idea. He liked it. Eventually, the NSNC passed a
resolution written by Tammeus proclaiming April 18th as National Columnists Day.
The resolution said, in part: "The anniversary of the April 18, 1945 death of
the great Ernie Pyle is a time to reflect on the way newspaper columnists connect,
educate, comfort, encourage, celebrate, outrage and occasionally even amuse
readers and a time to express appreciation for them for their hard work."
In 1995, on the 50th anniversary of Pyle's death, the NSNC marked the day
for the first time. The society continues to honor the day each year.
Fortunately, I became a columnist and got to tell this story to my readers.
And I keep a drawing of Pyle taped to my computer for inspiration.
Happy National Columnists Day!
http://www.columnists.com/day_story.htm
I Love to Create Mischief Day
by Erik Deckers
There's one reason we columnists do what we do (no, the other thing).
There's one reason we churn out columns every week for little or no pay.
We don't do it for money, glory, or the adoring fans who gush and squeal
like 12-year-old girls at an N'Sync concert.
We do it because we love to write.
That, and because we harbor a secret dream that a Hollywood producer
will make a blockbuster movie from our
"How the Dog Ate the Thanksgiving Turkey" column.
Since we love to write, we need our own holiday. So, thanks to Delaware
writer John Riddle, November 15th, 2002 is the very first "I Love to Write Day."
Although for some writers, it's also "Good Thing I Still Have My Day Job Day."
Riddle started I Love To Write Day at -- where else? -- www.ilovetowrite.com,
so "people of all ages will discover the joy that comes from writing."
Having discovered that joy years ago, I'm now waiting to discover the joy
that comes from making money at it.
Riddle believes ILTWD (as I now call it because I'm too lazy to write it out)
could start a person down the road to writing. "(It) has the potential to
launch the career of the next John Grisham, Mary Higgins Clark, Stephen King,
or Toni Morrison."
Personally I wouldn't want to be the next Mary Higgins Clark. It would be
extremely hard to explain to my wife and children,
and family reunions would be awkward.
Riddle says he got the idea while driving to a writers' conference. On the
other hand, I've driven hundreds of thousands of miles, and have never been
struck with anything so noble as creating an entire holiday. Instead I argue
with myself over which is cooler: to be able to fly or turn invisible.
But ILTWD is for all writers, whether you write technical manuals,
short stories, or hate-filled graffiti on your boss' car. But,
there's a special day reserved just for columnists.
Unfortunately, National Columnists Day has an identity crisis:
it's observed on two different days, April 18th and "every fourth
Tuesday in June." But secondly, and more importantly, "Columnists"
may or may not have an apostrophe.
And since no one can agree on a date, I'm doing what any good columnist
should: writing about it in November.
This conflict has caused some serious hand-wringing among columnists,
though no one seems to care about the apostrophe. And although no one
will say it, I believe this debate is responsible for many of society's
problems, including the Martha Stewart scandal.
The National Society of Newspaper Columnists (to which I used to belong)
observes the April 18th event. Dave Lieber, secretary of the NSNC and
Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist, and Bill Tammeus of the Kansas City Star
co-created the holiday. Since they wanted to commemorate columnist Ernie Pyle,
who died during World War II on April 18th, 1945, the NSNC passed a resolution
declaring April 18th, 1995 the first National Columnists Day.
WITHOUT the apostrophe.
But in 1988, Gloucester County (New Jersey) Times columnist Jim Six created
his own National Columnists' Day "as an attempt to be humorous." He declared
every fourth Tuesday in June was National Columnists' Day.
WITH the apostrophe.
In an email interview, Lieber told me, "...I applaud Jim Six for coming
up with National Columnists Day in the great tradition of a columnist --
he was desperate for a subject to write about that day." But Lieber holds
true to the NSNC's higher purpose: "We chose the day to remember (Pyle)
with the hope that some of his gallantry would rub off on us. For that
reason, we hold firm to the idea that National Columnists Day is April 18."
Six says he started his holiday by asking several syndicated columnists
to send a special greeting (Dave Barry sent a postcard). In 1989, at Six's
request, New Jersey Governor Tom Kean issued an official proclamation
declaring the fourth Tuesday of June 1989 (and every June thereafter)
National Columnists' Day -- six years before the NSNC's.
And there's the problem. On one hand, a large international organization
says National Columnists Day is on April 18th, and chose the date for purely
noble and selfless reasons. On the other hand, a single writer started the
holiday as a joke seven years earlier, and got New Jersey's Governor to
issue a proclamation and Dave Barry to send a postcard.
Obviously both arguments have merit, but neither side will give up their
holiday, so what's a humor writer to do? I could stay out of it and not take
sides. I could celebrate twice by reprinting the same column on both days.
Or I could just write a column about it to stir up trouble and declare
November 19th "Ha Ha You Don't Know Where I Live Day."
http://www.justlaugh.net/online/vol3issue16/deckers_mischief.php
There are even cards for this special day. Honest! LOL
See 'em here:
Annie's June Cards
And lastly, on any given day, if you are wondering what
is going on in my life -- or just extremely bored with yours
-- you can go here BIG BUG and read MY column. ~smile~
When you get there, under publications, click on "Big Bug".
Once there, click on "Columns". VOILA!
(No, as I patiently explain to all and sundry, the paper was NOT
named in my honor. It was named after the corridor, which is named
after the creek, which is named after the mine, which is named after ...
you got it! ... a big bug found at the site of a gold strike!!)
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