Jacob Charles "Jack" Landau (April 10, 1934 – August 9, 2008) 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 ...

, attorney, government official, and

free-speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...

activist. He was the founding first

executive director Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization. The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...

of the

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that provides pro bono legal services and resources to and on behalf of journalists. The organization pursues litigation, offers direct ...

.Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (August 15, 2008)
Reporters Committee's first Executive Director, Jack Landau, dies.
''

''Syeed, Nafeesa (August 15, 2008)
Jack Landau, reporter and 'First Amendment guerrilla,' dies.
''

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

''Holley, Joe (August 17, 2008).
Jack Landau; Founded Reporter Group.
''

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 ...

''Martin, Douglas (August 19, 2008
Jack C. Landau, Who Fought for Rights of News Reporters, Is Dead at 74.
''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''Slater, Dan (August 20, 2008)
Remembering Jack Landau, 'First Amendment Gurrilla'.
'

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

''First Amendment Center
Biography - Jack C. Landau.
''

First Amendment Center The First Amendment Center supports the First Amendment and builds understanding of its core freedoms through education, information and entertainment. The center serves as a forum for the study and exploration of free-expression issues, includin ...

Biography

Jack Landau was born to Jacob and Florence Landau (formerly Florence Binaghi). He spent his elementary school years in

Englewood, New Jersey Englewood is a city in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, which at the 2020 United States census had a population of 29,308. Englewood was incorporated as a city by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from por ...

, but the family moved to

New Rochelle, New York New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state of ...

, when he was 12 years old. Landau attended

New Rochelle High School New Rochelle High School (NRHS) is a public high school in New Rochelle, New York. It is part of the City School District of New Rochelle and is the city's sole public high school. Its student body represents 60 countries from around the world. I ...

, where he was a varsity swimmer and voted "most talkative boy." He then attended

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

, where he majored in history.Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard
Niemans in the News - Jack Landau Dies at 74.
''

Nieman Foundation for Journalism The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University is the primary journalism institution at Harvard. It was founded in February 1938 as the result of a $1.4 million bequest by Agnes Wahl Nieman, the widow of Lucius W. Nieman, founder of ' ...

'' After graduating from Harvard, Landau lived briefly in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, working retail jobs and trying to write fiction. Prior to the establishment of the Reporters Committee, Landau worked as a journalist for several national news organizations including the

Bergen Record ''The Record'' (also called ''The North Jersey Record'', ''The Bergen Record'', ''The Sunday Record'' (Sunday edition) and formerly ''The Bergen Evening Record'') is a newspaper in New Jersey, United States. Serving Bergen, Essex, Hudson and P ...

and ''

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 ...

''. His stories covered numerous topics, but his specialty was reporting on the American courts. Landau was a

graduate and legally trained reporter in an era when this was an oddity, having received a law degree from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

. His reports of inequities in the American military justice system are credited with having prompted the reform of that system into its current modern shape. He also covered the

Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution ( es, Revolución Cubana) was carried out after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état which placed Fulgencio Batista as head of state and the failed mass strike in opposition that followed. After failing to contest Batista in cou ...

for the

, stationed in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

(Landau spoke conversational

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

). Landau also served as the

press secretary A press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the news media and, using news management techniques, helps their employer to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage. Duti ...

United States Attorney General The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

John Mitchell. John Mitchell served as

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

under President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

. As the spokesman for Mitchell, Landau addressed the public concerning many of the difficult legal issues facing the U.S. Government during the late 1960s. During one incident, he addressed a hostile and abusive crowd of activists opposed to the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

who were demanding an audience with the Attorney General during a large-scale protest. Their leader was American

beat Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

poet

Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Gener ...

, who purportedly dismissed Landau as a tool of the establishment. Ironically, it was Landau’s organization, the

, that would rock the establishment by preventing

from destroying his records in the wake of the

Watergate The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's continual ...

scandal. Under Landau’s leadership, the Reporters Committee would become America’s foremost activist organization in furtherance of the rights of journalists and reporters. This work won Landau numerous awards and accolades. He had a falling-out with the Reporters Committee during the late 1980s, after which he left to write a popular column in the Newhouse News syndicate of daily newspapers. Landau was retired at the time of his death. He was divorced and had two children with former spouse, attorney Brooksley E. Born.

Honours and awards

* Nieman Fellow,

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

* Lovejoy Award,

Colby College Colby College is a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. It was founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, then renamed Waterville College after the city where it resides. The donations of Christian philanthr ...

Colby College
Honorary Degree Citation - Lovejoy Fellow Jack C. Landau.
''

'' * Honorary LLD,

* National Freedom of Information Act Hall of Fame (Charter Member),

First Amendment Center
National Freedom of Information Act Hall of Fame.
''

'' * Silver Gavel Award,

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

The American Bar Association
Silver Gavel Award Winners - 1960s.
''

'' * Fellows of the Society Award, Sigma Delta Chi Foundation,

Society of Professional Journalists The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University,2009 SPJ Annual Report, letter ...

Sigma Delta Chi FoundationFellows of the Society for Extraordinary Contributions to the Profession
''

References

External links

* Jacob Landau (November 16, 1978 at Colby College)
Convocation Address: The State of the First Amendment.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Landau, Jacob 1934 births 2008 deaths American male journalists 20th-century American lawyers Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award recipients Nieman Fellows People from Englewood, New Jersey Lawyers from New Rochelle, New York Harvard College alumni Journalists from New York (state) New York University School of Law alumni Activists from New Rochelle, New York 20th-century American journalists New Rochelle High School alumni