Alfred Friendly (December 30, 1911 – November 7, 1983) was an American
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
,
editor
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...
and
writer
A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...
for ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
''. He began his career as a reporter with the ''Post'' in 1939 and became Managing Editor in 1955. In 1967 he covered the Mideast War for the ''Post'' in a series of articles for which he won the
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
for International Reporting in 1968. He is credited with bringing the ''Post'' from being a local paper to having a position of national prominence.
[
]
Background
Alfred Friendly was born on December 30, 1911, in
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
. In 1933, he graduated from
Amherst College
Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...
. His parents were Edward Rosenbaum and Harriet Friendly.
[
]
Career
In 1933, Friendly came to Washington, DC, to look for work. A former professor who worked in the Commerce Department hired him, but his appointment to a high position at such a young age earned him criticism in the press and he resigned. For the next year he traveled the country in the middle of the Depression, eventually returning to become a reporter at ''The Washington Daily News
''The Washington Daily News'' was an afternoon tabloid-size newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.
History
''The Washington Daily News'' was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company. The newspaper was born on November 8, 1921, an ...
'', writing a column for government employees. Less than two years later he was hired to write the same kind of column for the ''Post'', where he was soon assigned to cover war mobilization efforts and anti-war strikes.[
When ]World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
broke out he entered the Army Air Force, rising to the rank of major before leaving in 1945. While in the military he was involved in cryptography and intelligence operations, finally becoming the second in command at Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park is an English country house and estate in Bletchley, Milton Keynes ( Buckinghamshire) that became the principal centre of Allied code-breaking during the Second World War. The mansion was constructed during the years following ...
, and the highest ranking American officer there. After the war he remained in Europe as press aide to W. Averell Harriman, supervisor of the Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred over $13 billion (equivalent of about $ in ) in economic re ...
.[
A year later he returned to Washington and to the ''Post'', where he became assistant managing editor in 1952 and managing editor in 1955. In 1966 he became an associate editor and a foreign correspondent based out of London. Hearing rumors of war in 1967 he headed to the Middle East where he was present throughout the ]1967 War
The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states (primarily Egypt, Syria, and Jordan) from 5 to 10 Jun ...
and wrote his series of award-winning articles. He retired from the ''Post'' in 1971, though he continued writing occasional editorial
An editorial, or leading article (UK) or leader (UK) is an article written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper, magazine, or any other written document, often unsigned. Australian and major United States newspapers, suc ...
s and book review
__NOTOC__
A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is merely described (summary review) or analyzed based on content, style, and merit.
A book review may be a primary source, opinion piece, summary review or scholarly revie ...
s.[
]
Personal life and death
Friendly married Jean; they had five children.[
In 1983, at age 71, Friendly, who had developed both lung and throat cancer, committed suicide by shooting himself.][
]
Awards
* 1958: Honorary Doctorate, Amherst College[
* 1968: Pulitzer Prize][
]
Legacy
After his death, the Alfred Friendly Foundation was established. It administers the Alfred Friendly Press Partners to bring foreign journalists to the United States for internships at prominent news organizations. The Archives and Special Collections at Amherst College holds a collection of his papers.[
]
Works
During his retirement, Friendly wrote several books:
*''Crime and Publicity'' (1967)
*''Beaufort of the Admiralty'' (1977)
*''The Dreadful Day: The Battle of Manzikert, 1071'' (1982)
Articles:
"McCarthyism Revisited"
See also
* Alfred Friendly Foundation
* ''The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
''
References
External links
Alfred Friendly Papers, Amherst College Archives and Special Collections
Alfred Friendly Foundation, Press Fellowships
{{DEFAULTSORT:Friendly, Alfred
The Washington Post people
Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting winners
American male journalists
20th-century American journalists
Amherst College alumni
1911 births
1983 deaths
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American non-fiction writers
1983 suicides