Martin Zama Agronsky ( ; January 12, 1915 – July 25, 1999), also known as Martin Agronski, was an American journalist, political analyst, and television host. He began his career in 1936 working under his uncle,

Gershon Agron Gershon Harry Agron ( he, גרשון אגרון, Gershon ʾAgron, ; russian: Гершон Агрон; , yi, גרשון אגראנסקי; 1 November 1959) was a Russian-born American-Israeli newspaper editor, politician, and the mayor of West Jer ...

, at the ''

Palestine Post Palestine Post ( ar, البريد الفلسطيني) is the company responsible for postal service in the State of Palestine. See also * Postage stamps and postal history of the Palestinian National Authority * Postage stamps and postal history ...

'' in Jerusalem before deciding to work freelance in Europe a year later. At the outbreak of

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 ...

he became a war correspondent for NBC, working across three continents before returning to the United States in 1943 and covering the last few years of the war from Washington, D.C., with

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

. After the war, Agronsky covered

McCarthyism McCarthyism is the practice of making false or unfounded accusations of subversion and treason, especially when related to anarchism, communism and socialism, and especially when done in a public and attention-grabbing manner. The term origin ...

for ABC; fearless against McCarthy, he won a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

for 1952. When broadcast journalism moved away from radio, Agronsky returned to NBC, covering the news as well as interviewing prominent figures, including Martin Luther King Jr. as a young man. He returned to Jerusalem for a time and won the Alfred I. duPont Award in 1961 for his coverage of the Eichmann trial there. At the end of 1962 he recorded a documentary aboard the submarine USS ''George Washington'' which received an award at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

. A prominent news reporter, and associate of

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

, he extensively covered the 1963 assassination of Kennedy. The following year he joined CBS, becoming reportedly the only journalist to work for all three commercial networks. With CBS, he moderated '' Face the Nation'' and won an

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for his interviews with

Hugo Black Hugo Lafayette Black (February 27, 1886 – September 25, 1971) was an American lawyer, politician, and jurist who served as a U.S. Senator from Alabama from 1927 to 1937 and as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1937 to 1971. A ...

, which marked the first television interview with a sitting Supreme Court Justice. He left major companies in 1968, joining a local network to helm his own show, ''Agronsky & Co.'' A success, the show pioneered the "

talking heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talkin ...

" news format. He added the ''Evening Edition'', an interview format, to his show, which became prominent for its coverage of the

Watergate scandal 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 ...

. Agronsky then joined

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

, swapping the ''Evening Edition'' for a longer interview show, ''Agronsky at Large''. In his later career, he also acted as variations on himself in film and television. A graduate of

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

, this institution would also award Agronsky an honorary Master of Arts and the Rutgers University Award (its highest honor), and the University inducted him into its Hall of Distinguished Alumni. He continued hosting ''Agronsky & Co.'' until 1988, when he retired from his over 50-year journalism career.

Early years

Martin Zama Agronsky was born Martin Zama Agrons in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, on January 12, 1915, to Isador and Marcia (née Dvorin),

Russian Jewish The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest pop ...

immigrants from

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

in present-day Belarus. Isador Agrons changed the family name from Agronsky to Agrons some time before Martin's birth, but Martin chose to use the original name when he began his journalism career. Members of the family variously used the names Agronsky, Agrons, and Agron. In his career, Agronsky had a friendship with

Harry Golden Harry Lewis Golden (May 6, 1902 – October 2, 1981) was an American writer and newspaper publisher. Early life Golden was born Herschel Goldhirsch (or Goldenhurst) in the shtetl Mikulintsy, Austria-Hungary. His mother Nuchama (nee Klein) was R ...

, who befriended and became a confidant to Isador. Agronsky's family moved to

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, when he was a young child, and he graduated from Atlantic City High School in 1932. He studied at

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.a member of Jewish fraternity Sigma Alpha Mu and represented them on the Interfraternity Council.

Career

1936–1945: Early career and World War II

Martin Agronsky 1942 press photo thumbnail

In 1936, upon his graduation, Agronsky was offered a job as a

reporter 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 ...

for the English-language ''Palestine Post'', precursor to today's ''

Jerusalem Post ''The Jerusalem Post'' is a broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, founded in 1932 during the British Mandate of Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''The Palestine Post''. In 1950, it changed its name to ''The Jerusalem Post''. In 2004, the paper w ...

'', which was owned by his uncle,

, and moved to

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. He left the newspaper in 1937 – he was uncomfortable working for Agron, calling it "pure

nepotism Nepotism is an advantage, privilege, or position that is granted to relatives and friends in an occupation or field. These fields may include but are not limited to, business, politics, academia, entertainment, sports, fitness, religion, an ...

", as he "wanted to make it on his own" – and moved to Paris to open a bookstore, before becoming a

freelance journalist ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

covering the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

. During his time in Europe, primarily Britain and France, he freelanced for various newspapers and translated

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

stories into

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

for the

International News Service The International News Service (INS) was a U.S.-based news agency (newswire) founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909.

; he notably wrote an in-depth piece for ''

Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and ...

'' magazine on the rise of

anti-Semitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

in Mussolini's Italy. This article caught the attention of the Paris bureau of the ''New York Times'', the newspaper at which Agronsky had long aspired to work. At the outbreak of

, he moved to

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

in Switzerland, where he met Max Jordan, the

National Broadcasting Company The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

(NBC) bureau chief in Europe, who initially asked Agronsky to work freelance writing radio stories. Agronsky sold his stories to both NBC and the ''New York Times''. Despite having no

broadcast journalism Broadcast journalism is the field of news and journals which are broadcast by electronic methods instead of the older methods, such as printed newspapers and posters. It works on radio (via air, cable, and Internet), television (via air, cable, ...

training, in April 1940 he was hired by NBC as a radio war correspondent when the company expanded their coverage. Agronsky was conflicted in taking the job, as on the same day he had been offered a foreign assignment job by ''The New York Times'', his dream job, but NBC was offering $250 per week plus expenses. Jordan wanted to put together an NBC presence throughout Europe to cover the British conflict with Germany in the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

and tapped Agronsky to be the bureau chief there. Joining NBC as their Balkan correspondent, Agronsky became accredited by the British military and

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

(RAF). He covered the war from all over the Balkans and much of Eastern Europe before opening a permanent NBC bureau in

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

, the capital of neutral Turkey. Although based in Ankara, Agronsky spent most of his time in Istanbul. He then became a

foreign correspondent A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...

in Europe and North Africa, transferring to

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

and being accredited to cover the

British Eighth Army The Eighth Army was an Allied field army formation of the British Army during the Second World War, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns. Units came from Australia, British India, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Free French Forces, ...

, in North Africa. Though NBC's European war coverage was not particularly celebrated, Agronsky "was a bright spot ..distinguishing himself under fire in the Balkans, North Africa, and the Middle East." He was also accredited to cover "

Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...

and the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

" in Southeast Asia; when NBC's Asia correspondent

John Young John Young may refer to: Academics * John Young (professor of Greek) (died 1820), Scottish professor of Greek at the University of Glasgow * John C. Young (college president) (1803–1857), American educator, pastor, and president of Centre Coll ...

had to leave

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

in November 1941 due to lack of British accreditation, Agronsky was sent in his stead, arriving from Ankara on December 22, 1941. After

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...

and Singapore were bombed by Japan on December 7–8, 1941, Agronsky, now considered a seasoned war correspondent, was sent to the

Pacific theater The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. His Pacific coverage would take him to Australia, where he was set to cover

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was C ...

's arrival in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. In Singapore, Agronsky first stayed at the Raffles Hotel with other journalists, but left the week after Christmas 1941, on the day

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

was declared, to stay outside the city. He was not allowed to send news of the implementation of martial law, due to the short length of his broadcasts, and was subject to the same censorship as the local press; fellow journalist Cecil Brown was ultimately completely censored, and Agronsky was not permitted to telegraph this news for several days. Brown had met Agronsky in Ankara in 1941, and described him then: "He is a jet-haired, zealous correspondent ... who gets almost all his information from the British Embassy. He works very hard ... and he and Burdett are busy cutting each other's throat to achieve what are euphemistically known as 'scoops.'" Agronsky was still in Singapore as the Japanese arrived, managing to catch the last plane out before the city was captured. He was then attached to MacArthur's troops and primarily covered Japan's conquest and the Allied retreat in Asia, nearly being captured by Japanese soldiers in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

and riding with the Dutch military on a Lockheed Lodestar for the final leg to Australia. He came to national attention in 1942 due to his reporting in the Pacific, after broadcasting news that the Allies were struggling in

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...

due to expired munitions and that the RAF had been turned away from Singapore as the Americans were not expecting them, suffering severe Japanese attacks in the confusion. He flew with the RAF on some bombing missions. NBC was ordered to divest its radio network through the Red and Blue Networks in 1943, and Agronsky's contract was among those assigned to the "Blue" network, which NBC chose to divest. The associated assets became the

American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It is the flagship property of the ABC Entertainment Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in Burbank, Cali ...

(ABC); smaller and less-renowned than the already-established networks, ABC did not have a television bureau. Agronsky returned to the United States in 1943 when he joined ABC. While other prominent war journalists found themselves able to take senior positions on television, Agronsky was instead assigned to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, where he did ''The Daily War Journal'' until the end of World War II.

1946–1955: ABC and McCarthy coverage

Agronsky maintained his prominence as a radio journalist for ABC following the war. An early proponent of

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

, when president

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

gave his speech to the NAACP in 1947, Agronsky was sceptical, suggesting that it was "a political gesture";

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

president Walter Francis White wrote to Agronsky to disagree, showing the NAACP's support for Truman. In 1948, Agronsky helped to pioneer television coverage of American

political convention The terms party conference (UK English), political convention ( US and Canadian English), and party congress usually refer to a general meeting of a political party. The conference is attended by certain delegates who represent the party memb ...

s, continuing to report from them with the first major television broadcasts in 1952. In 1948, Agronsky had the most sponsors in broadcasting, with 104. He then took a principled stance against growing

, also reporting on the Hollywood 10 and

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly dubbed the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloy ...

. While many reporters gave

milquetoast Caspar Milquetoast was a popular American cartoon character created by H. T. Webster. The term “milquetoast” has since come to be used for a meek or timid person. Milquetoast may also refer to: *Dr. Milquetoast, a character in "The Pacifist" ...

coverage of McCarthyism, said to be out of fear, Agronsky, like CBS's Edward R. Murrow after him, was openly critical of McCarthy and of the senators who enabled him. This bold stance saw Agronsky targeted with

anti-Semitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

hate mail and his show lose sponsors, apparently pressured to leave by McCarthy so that Agronsky's show would be taken off air; ABC, however, "congratulated him and took him to lunch", and encouraged him to continue with the criticisms. The conversation reportedly went: He won the

for 1952 for his coverage and criticism of Senator

Joseph McCarthy Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957. Beginning in 1950, McCarthy became the most visi ...

's excessive accusations, with the awarding committee noting that his ability to get "the story behind the story is distinctive". He summarized McCarthy by saying: "Joe didn't take criticism very well." In 1953, Agronsky questioned president

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

on investigating

communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

in churches and on

book burning Book burning is the deliberate destruction by fire of books or other written materials, usually carried out in a public context. The burning of books represents an element of censorship and usually proceeds from a cultural, religious, or politi ...

. ABC then became the only major network to broadcast the 1954

Army–McCarthy hearings The Army–McCarthy hearings were a series of televised hearings held by the United States Senate's Subcommittee on Investigations (April–June 1954) to investigate conflicting accusations between the United States Army and U.S. Senator Joseph ...

on television, growing their prominence and "sinking McCarthy" due to the public exposure to his excesses. Agronsky also did a one-on-one discussion show at ABC, ''At Issue'', which aired on Sunday evenings in 1953. One prominent episode dealt with the tobacco crisis in 1953; new medical reports were appearing that suggested a link between smoking and lung cancer, and the

tobacco industry The tobacco industry comprises those persons and companies who are engaged in the growth, preparation for sale, shipment, advertisement, and distribution of tobacco and tobacco-related products. It is a global industry; tobacco can grow in any ...

was keen to encourage suppression of this information. One of few shows to cover the reports, Agronsky's program nevertheless "ended on a favorable note after conferences

Hill & Knowlton Hill+Knowlton Strategies is an American global public relations consulting company, headquartered in New York City, United States, with over 80 offices in more than 40 countries. The company was founded in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1927 by John W. Hil ...

]", the public relations firm hired by Big Tobacco. ''At Issue'' was moved to Sunday afternoons as part of its block of public affairs programming in 1954, and ended later that year when ABC faced technical and sponsorship issues, scrapping its Sunday afternoon programming. Agronsky was a member of the

Radio and Television Correspondents' Association The Radio and Television Correspondents' Association of Washington, D.C. (RTCA) is an American broadcast journalism group of news reporters from around the world who cover the United States Congress.Richard Harkness Richard L. Harkness (1907-February 16, 1977) was an American journalist. He was the Washington correspondent for the National Broadcasting Company from December 1942 to 1970. In the 1940s he had a 15-minute Monday-Friday newscast on NBC radio. B ...

took the position) and becoming an ''ex officio'' member of its executive committee.

1956–1963: ''Look Here'', Eichmann trial, and NBC News

In 1956, with television now the leading broadcast medium, Agronsky left ABC (whose program was still weak) and returned to NBC, as a news correspondent. From 1957 through 1964, starting with the Dave Garroway-hosted '' Today'' show, he did all the interviews out of Washington, D.C. In 1960, the show (and so Agronsky) began interviewing executive Secretaries. During this period his reputation grew. He also hosted the one-on-one interview show ''Look Here'', where he interviewed, among others,

as a senator, and a young

Martin Luther King Jr Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 196 ...

. Agronsky interviewed King on multiple occasions, with King notably outlining his

nonviolence Nonviolence is the personal practice of not causing harm to others under any condition. It may come from the belief that hurting people, animals and/or the environment is unnecessary to achieve an outcome and it may refer to a general philosoph ...

beliefs and faith in God on ''Look Here''. Also speaking on God, an answer Kennedy gave to Agronsky on his faith – that he would "uphold the

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...

" above all – became a prolific quote he used throughout his presidential campaign. Agronsky covered the Eichmann trial, of

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

war criminal

Adolf Eichmann Otto Adolf Eichmann ( ,"Eichmann"
''

Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award The Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award honors excellence in broadcast and digital journalism in the public service and is considered one of the most prestigious awards in journalism. The awards were established in 1942 and administered ...

. Agronsky's reports were broadcast daily in a segment of the '' Huntley-Brinkley Report'' at 6:30a.m. as special reports; he interviewed

Holocaust survivors Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and Axis powers, its allies before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no unive ...

as well as figures of interest in Israel and Germany. There was much media attention given to the trial, but typically on the wider implications, with little focus on the case of Eichmann: Agronsky's updates, including a verdict interview on the ''Today'' show, were atypical in their regularity. Agronsky called the assignment the "most moving" story of his career. While in Jerusalem, he spoke to friend

Richard C. Blum Richard Charles Blum (July 31, 1935 – February 27, 2022) was an American investor and the husband of United States Senator Dianne Feinstein. He was the chairman and president of Blum Capital, an equity investment management firm. Blum was ...

, expressing his stress; Blum said that Agronsky was the go-to reporter in D.C. for Israel affairs. Also in 1961, Agronsky interviewed

Freedom Riders Freedom Riders were civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the segregated Southern United States in 1961 and subsequent years to challenge the non-enforcement of the United States Supreme Court decisions ''Morgan v. Virginia' ...

in the United States as the group was formed, and covered the

Vienna summit The Vienna summit was a summit meeting held on June 4, 1961, in Vienna, Austria, between President John F. Kennedy of the United States and First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev of the Soviet Union. The leaders of the two superpowers of the Cold W ...

In December 1962, Agronsky and a film crew underwent Navy training and joined the submariners of the USS ''George Washington'', part of the American Polaris program, undersea for almost three weeks during operational duty to film the documentary ''Polaris Submarine: Journal of an Undersea Voyage''. It won a variety of awards, including a documentary award, the St Mark's Plaque – First Prize, at the 1963

. Agronsky began television coverage of the

March on Washington The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, also known as simply the March on Washington or The Great March on Washington, was held in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963. The purpose of the march was to advocate for the civil and economic righ ...

in August 1963, at 8:30a.m. on ''Today'', giving a half-hour report. Coverage then continued in different bursts across networks; Agronsky reported with

Nancy Dickerson Nancy Dickerson (January 19, 1927 – October 18, 1997) was an American radio and television journalist and researcher for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. As famous as a celebrity and socialite as she was for her journalism, she later ...

from the

Washington Monument The Washington Monument is an obelisk shaped building within the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, once commander-in-chief of the Continental Army (1775–1784) in the American Revolutionary War and the ...

during the day. This same month, NBC wrote that Agronsky's "incisive questioning of Cabinet members Congressmen and other Washington .C.officials, as well as visiting statesmen from abroad, often results in important newsbreaks in the next day's papers." Later in 1963, Agronsky was given special permission to travel to Moscow to report on nuclear discussions, after NBC had been banned. Upon his return, he gave audiences his opinions on US foreign policy based on what he had witnessed, saying in such a global political climate, no country could remain a bystander, encouraging the general population to not be apathetic.

1963: Assassination of John F. Kennedy

In the four-day aftermath of the

assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...

of president

, Agronsky was one of the senior journalists to lead the large television news coverage. The coverage invented the breaking format of modern

television news News broadcasting is the medium of broadcasting various news events and other information via television, radio, or the internet in the field of broadcast journalism. The content is usually either produced locally in a radio studio or televis ...

. Sociologists from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, led by

Herbert Gans Herbert J. Gans (born May 7, 1927) is a German-born American sociologist who taught at Columbia University from 1971 to 2007. One of the most prolific and influential sociologists of his generation, Gans came to America in 1940 as a refugee fro ...

, interviewed a selection of the on-air journalists covering the assassination shortly afterwards to assess its affects; many were questioned about showing emotion. Agronsky's response, saying a journalist cannot show emotion as it would be imposing feelings on the viewer, was later said to typify the view of the issue at the time. When pressed further on the matter by Gans, Agronsky added: "I wanted to cry, but you don't". He was reported to be smoking as he delivered reports from Washington, D.C., during the coverage, while hiding his cigarettes from the camera. Historian

William Manchester William Raymond Manchester (April 1, 1922 – June 1, 2004) was an American author, biographer, and historian. He was the author of 18 books which have been translated into over 20 languages. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal and the ...

wrote that shortly after the shooting, Agronsky telephoned

Ted Kennedy Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...

to ask if he would be flying from D.C. to Dallas, one of limited communications Ted Kennedy received in the aftermath of his brother's assassination due to telephone lines overloading as people tried to call others to talk about the news. Agronsky covered Kennedy's lying in state on the '' Today'' show. He noted that he had also covered the funeral of

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

, describing the different mood by explaining that people mourning Kennedy seemed moved by his unfulfilled potential. On November 27, 1963, five days after the assassination, Agronsky conducted an interview with Texas governor John Connally from his bedside in

Parkland Memorial Hospital Parkland Memorial Hospital is a public hospital in Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the main hospital of the Parkland Health & Hospital System and serves as Dallas County's public hospital. It is located within the Southwestern Medical Dis ...

. Connally, to whom Agronsky was a good friend, had been riding in the seat ahead of Kennedy and was wounded. As Connally recovered, the press were desperate to hear his story, but his aides deemed him too weak to face a conference. Instead, the combined press accepted the proposal to use a single reporter as a pool, with all networks carrying the interview live. Connally's office chose Agronsky to be their reporter; he was found in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

late the night before and took a midnight flight to Dallas. Agronsky had interviewed John F. Kennedy in life, with segments re-run on the 20th anniversary of the assassination in television documentary ''Thank You, Mr. President'', and co-authored and edited the 1961 book ''Let Us Begin: The First 100 Days of the Kennedy Administration''.

1964–1969: CBS

Agronsky moved to CBS in 1964. While there he held positions as the CBS bureau chief in Paris and moderator of '' Face the Nation''. In 1969 he won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for his CBS News Special Reports television documentary ''Justice Black and the Bill of Rights'' or ''Justice Black and the Constitution'', the first television interview with Supreme Court Justice

, about Black's views on incorporation of the Bill of Rights. This was rebroadcast in 1971. From 1968 to 1969, Agronsky was the Paris bureau chief for CBS.

1969–1988: Eponymous programs

''Agronsky & Company''

Donald Rumsfeld with Martin Agronsky DD-SN-07-12957

Agronsky became a news anchor for WTOP-TV in Washington, D.C., in 1969, and in 1970 became host of the political discussion television program '' Agronsky & Company'', produced by the same station. The format had Agronsky introduce a short segment on the news with political reporters. Shortly afterward, Agronsky left the local evening news and ''Agronsky & Company'' became a stand-alone weekly show produced and syndicated by

Post-Newsweek stations Graham Media Group (formerly Post-Newsweek Stations) is the television broadcasting subsidiary of the Graham Holdings Company. It is now headquartered in Detroit, co-locating with its local NBC affiliate WDIV-TV, after spending 10 years in Chic ...

(WTOP's then-owner). The show was syndicated nationally by Post-Newsweek to local stations and the

Public Broadcasting Service The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educati ...

(PBS) nationally, including WETA in D.C. It was syndicated, in 1981, to twenty-five television stations, and

Mutual Broadcasting System The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual; sometimes referred to as MBS, Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the Old-time radio, golden ...

began carrying a radio format of the show in October 1981. In the 1970s and 80s, Agronsky also moderated a radio show, ''European Perspectives'', tackling international news with foreign correspondents based in Washington on the panel. ''Broadcasting'' magazine noted in 1981 that Agronsky "still finds himself in the center of most of the biggest stories of the day." He hosted ''Agronsky & Company'' until he retired in January 1988, and it proved to be one of the biggest successes of his career. It was renamed ''

Inside Washington ''Inside Washington'', formerly ''Agronsky & Co.'', was a political roundtable show hosted by the WJLA news presenter and chief political reporter Gordon Peterson that aired from 1988 to 2013. It was produced by Allbritton, then-owner of WJLA, ...

'' upon Agronsky's retirement, and was hosted by

Gordon Peterson Gordon Peterson (born 1938) is an American broadcast journalist and Washington, D.C.-based television news anchor. He was most recently the 6 p.m. co-anchor for ABC affiliate WJLA-TV and from 1988 to 2013 was also moderator and producer of ' ...

until it ended in 2013. The show generally is credited as having invented the preeminent roundtable ("

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talkin ...

") discussion format for public affairs and political television shows that feature prominent journalists discussing current events and offering their opinions about them. ''Agronsky & Company'' did not have the spirited arguments and shouting that came to characterize many of its imitators, however. Its regular panelists included

Hugh Sidey Hugh Swanson Sidey (September 3, 1927 – November 21, 2005) was an American journalist who worked for ''Life (magazine), Life'' magazine starting in 1955, then moved on to ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine in 1957. He covered presidents, from E ...

of ''Time'' magazine, Peter Lisagor of the ''

Chicago Daily News The ''Chicago Daily News'' was an afternoon daily newspaper in the midwestern United States, published between 1875 and 1978 in Chicago, Illinois. History The ''Daily News'' was founded by Melville E. Stone, Percy Meggy, and William Dougherty ...

'', and columnists

Carl Rowan Carl Thomas Rowan (August 11, 1925 – September 23, 2000) was a prominent American journalist, author and government official who published columns syndicated across the U.S. and was at one point the highest ranking African American in the United ...

James J. Kilpatrick James Jackson Kilpatrick (November 1, 1920 – August 15, 2010) was an American newspaper journalist, columnist, author, writer and grammarian. During the 1950s and early 1960s he was editor of ''The Richmond News Leader'' in Richmond, Virginia ...

Elizabeth Drew Elizabeth Drew (born November 16, 1935) is an American political journalist and author. Early life Elizabeth Brenner was born on November 16, 1935, in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is the daughter of William J. Brenner, a furniture manufacturer, and Es ...

, and George Will. Although some of the liberal-versus-conservative argumentation now common on American public affairs shows began with pointed arguments between ''Agronsky & Company'' panelists, Agronsky himself always exerted a calming influence. The show was held in generally high regard; Ted Kennedy once said that "everybody who is in public life watches Agronsky." It had been at the forefront of the changing face of journalism in format and in terms of personalities, particularly the rise of " buckraking", with its panelists becoming national figures and often sought-after as public speakers in later years. In 1986, it was overtaken in ratings by

John McLaughlin John or Jon McLaughlin may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John McLaughlin (musician) (born 1942), English jazz fusion guitarist, member of Mahavishnu Orchestra * Jon McLaughlin (musician) (born 1982), American singer-songwriter * John McLaugh ...

's copycat show '' The McLaughlin Group''; the major difference was said to be that "the pace of ''McLaughlin'' and its air of personal enmity give viewers the sense that they are watching genuine insider banter." After Agronsky's death, ''Agronsky & Co.'' commentator Hugh Sidey told the '' American Journalism Review'' of the show:

''Martin Agronsky's Evening Edition''

In 1970, in addition to hosting ''Agronsky & Company'' once a week, Agronsky started a five-night-a-week half-hour interview show, ''Martin Agronsky's Evening Edition'', produced by

Eastern Educational Network American Public Television (APT) is an American nonprofit organization and syndicator of programming for public television stations in the United States. It distributes public television programs nationwide for PBS member stations and independ ...

. An early daily news program, it became much-viewed during the

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 ...

reportedly watched the show avidly, sending Agronsky notes on his coverage. ''Evening Edition'' extensively covered Nixon's

presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified by a ...

, including the Cold War détente and

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 ...

. ''Evening Edition'' aired nightly and was on before, during and after the Watergate break-in hearings broadcast on PBS that led, ultimately, to Nixon's resignation on August 9, 1974. ''Evening Edition'' went off the air in late 1975. Due to PBS experiencing "escalating program costs", it cut many shows going into 1976, including ''Evening Edition''. Though Agronsky had been on coast-to-coast stations for many years, the relatively local programming which he headlined "did much to make Agronsky an influential national figure."

''Agronsky At Large''

For PBS, Agronsky and

Paul Duke Paul Welden Duke (October 16, 1926 — July 18, 2005) was an American newspaper, radio and television journalist, best known for his 20-year stint as moderator of '' Washington Week in Review'' on PBS. A native of Richmond, Virginia, Duke ...

interviewed president

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...

in 1975. Agronsky then did a one-hour interview show weekly on PBS during 1976 titled ''Agronsky at Large,'' where he interviewed such guests as

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

and

Anwar Sadat Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat, (25 December 1918 – 6 October 1981) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the third president of Egypt, from 15 October 1970 until his assassination by fundamentalist army officers on 6 ...

shortly before the Egyptian leader's assassination. He also interviewed

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

and

George F. Kennan George Frost Kennan (February 16, 1904 – March 17, 2005) was an American diplomat and historian. He was best known as an advocate of a policy of containment of Soviet expansion during the Cold War. He lectured widely and wrote scholarly histo ...

, a recording of which is held in the American Archive of Public Broadcasting's Peabody Awards collection. Interviewing Jody Powell, president

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

's press secretary, in 1977, Agronsky suggested that the "honeymoon" period between the media and new presidents had been effectively curtailed following the Vietnam War and Watergate.

Impact and legacy

During his 52-year journalism career (print from 1936 to 1940 and radio and television from 1940 to 1988) Agronsky worked for all three commercial networks in the United States. He is believed to be the only broadcast journalist/commentator to have worked for all three, and is the only person to work for all three and PBS. He was the first television reporter to interview a sitting Supreme Court Justice. The moderator-led panel discussion format of news shows was, in 1984, described as "Martin Agronski style". ''Agronsky & Company'' pioneered the "talking heads" news format. His papers, containing approximately 30,000 items, are held in a collection in the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

Personal life

Profiling him for his Peabody win, ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...

'' noted that Agronsky was a figure, being 5'11" and dark-haired. He married Helen Smathers on September 1, 1943. Smathers was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

nurse whom he met in 1942 while covering MacArthur in Melbourne. Agronsky returned to the U.S. in March 1943, whereupon he expedited Smathers's return. They were married in Baltimore, Maryland, at City Hall, grabbing a stranger off the street to be their witness. They went on to have four children: Marcia, Jonathan, David, and Julie. He built a modernist house for his family in Washington, D.C. in 1951, though grew sick of the style by 1953. In 1964, his home set on fire, suffering $35,000 worth of damage, and he broke his heel jumping from the second floor porch to get out. Helen died on February 18, 1969, of cancer. Agronsky then married Sharon Hines on April 22, 1971; the marriage produced one child, Rachel. Agronsky and Hines divorced after fifteen years. He died at his Rock Creek Park home in Washington, D.C., on July 25, 1999, of

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

. He was 84. Agronsky's son Jonathan Ian Zama Agronsky is an American journalist and biographer. He attended St. Albans School in Washington, D.C., before studying English at

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

; enrolling in 1964, he failed his studies twice before graduating with an AB in 1971. He used his studentship to avoid the draft for the

, something about which he has expressed embarrassment, despite disagreeing with the war. He began professionally writing in 1967. Though he followed his father's career, he had planned to be a

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

player, joining a team at the age of eight and playing varsity halfback at prep school before joining and, ten days later, quitting the team at Dartmouth due to injury and malcontent. Some of his earlier columns include contributing to the ''

Penthouse Penthouse most often refers to: *Penthouse apartment, a special apartment on the top floor of a building *Penthouse (magazine), ''Penthouse'' (magazine), a British-founded men's magazine *Mechanical penthouse, a floor, typically located directly u ...

'' Vietnam Veterans Advisor column in the 1970s and 1980s; he also wrote an article on Marion Barry in the magazine in 1991, a topic on which he was an expert, publishing a book on Barry the same year. At this time he worked for

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...

in Washington, D.C. He also wrote for the ''

Washington City Paper The ''Washington City Paper'' is a U.S. alternative weekly newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The ''City Paper'' is distributed on Thursdays; its average circulation in 2006 was 85,588. The paper's editorial mix is focused ...

''. As well as journalistic writing, he has written books and scripts for film and radio. His book on Barry, ''The Politics of Race'', was said by

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

to give "a careful, sober, and balanced account of Barry's decline and fall, and of a manipulation of the politics of race", but to "not explore the profound political cleavages evident in the result of Barry's trial". He has written on other legal matters, including in 1987 on ''Miranda'' rights in '' ABA Journal''. In 2009 he was included in '' The Nine Lives of Marion Barry'', a documentary film about the controversial politician. In 2020, he began writing a book on David Whiting.

Filmography

Awards and honors

In 1987, Agronsky gave the commencement address at San Diego State University.

Notes

References

Citations

Sources

;Audio-visual media * * * * * ;Bibliography * * * ;Collections * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ;Features * * * * * * * * ;Literature * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ;News * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ;Trade press * * ;Web * * * * * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Agronsky, Martin 1915 births 1999 deaths 20th-century American Jews American Ashkenazi Jews American people of Russian-Jewish descent Atlantic City High School alumni Peabody Award winners Television anchors from Philadelphia Rutgers University alumni Jewish American journalists Writers from Atlantic City, New Jersey