Anderson, Jack, with Gibson, Daryl. Peace, War, and Politics: An
Eyewitness Account. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 1999. 432 pages.
This autobiography of Jack Anderson chronicles the scoops and scandals
of his career. First hired by Drew Pearson in 1947 for $50 a week, Anderson
carried on after Pearson's death in 1969. His column was syndicated in 1,000
newspapers nationwide, and he had a national radio program, worked at Parade
magazine, appeared daily on Good Morning America for nine years, and wrote
a dozen books. Anderson's main function with the column was to manage his
staff of reporters -- "they have done most of the work, and I have gotten
most of the credit." Another perk is that once you become an institution or
industry, whistle-blowers come to you with juicy stories. At this level of
organization, it's almost like muckraking for fun and profit.
Anderson's Mormon teetotalism is reflected in his approach to
journalism. Politically he's a crusading centrist who goes after isolated
instances of hypocrisy, but without any discernible purpose or ideology, or
even hard feelings. He likes a good story, especially if no conclusions can
be drawn from it. When the lack of closure is too obvious, he goes for the
leap of faith. For example, Anderson knows that the JFK assassination was
a conspiracy, but also believes that Castro convinced the mob to do it.
For his readers, the important question is whether Anderson's brand of
muckraking challenges the established order, or actually strengthens it.
ISBN 0-312-85602-4
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