Morton Mintz (born January 26, 1922) is an American

investigative journalist Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years rese ...

who in his early years (1946–1958) reported for two

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, newspapers, the '' Star-Times'' and the ''

Globe-Democrat The ''St. Louis Globe-Democrat'' was originally a daily print newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1852 until 1986. When the trademark registration on the name expired, it was then used as an unrelated free historically themed paper. Orig ...

''; and then, most notably ''

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 ...

'' (1958–1988). He exposed such scandals as

thalidomide Thalidomide, sold under the brand names Contergan and Thalomid among others, is a medication used to treat a number of cancers (including multiple myeloma), graft-versus-host disease, and a number of skin conditions including complications of ...

and the Dalkon Shield. Since 2004 he has been a Senior Adviser to Nieman Watchdog.

Career

In 1955, at the Globe-Democrat, Mintz did the nation's first newspaper series on the plight of the mentally retarded. At the Post, he broadened conventional definitions of "news" with people-oriented reporting on issues mainly involving the pharmaceutical, medical-device, tobacco, oil, auto and insurance industries. At the Post, in 1962, Mintz broke the story of

, the sedative/tranquilizer that caused several thousand children worldwide to be born without arms, legs, or without any limbs at all. Although the press greeted the advent of the original oral contraceptive uncritically, he revealed that in approving

The Pill The combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP), often referred to as the birth control pill or colloquially as "the pill", is a type of birth control that is designed to be taken orally by women. The pill contains two important hormones: progesti ...

, in 1960, the FDA had launched the greatest uncontrolled medical experiment in human history. Tens of millions of healthy human beings would take The Pill 20 or 21 days a month, often throughout their child-bearing lifespan, on the basis of inadequate scientific evidence of safety. Mintz also reported on numerous unsafe and/or ineffective medicines and medical devices, including cholesterol-lowering MER/29, which afflicted thousands with cataracts; Oraflex, a killer anti-arthritis drug withdrawn by the manufacturer only a few months after sales began, and the Dalkon Shield and Cu-7 IUDs. Starting in 1965, and continuing into 1999, he reported on the tobacco industry, including the 1988 smoker-death trial in which cigarette makers were compelled to disclose for the first time what they knew of the dangers of smoking and when they knew it. In 1993, Mintz wrote ''Allies: The ACLU and the Tobacco Industry,'' which exposed the

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...

's conflict of interest in advocating a key industry cause in Congress and soliciting and accepting money from that industry, both while disclosing nothing to ACLU members of either activity. In 1966, Mintz broke the story of the tailing of

Ralph Nader Ralph Nader (; born February 27, 1934) is an American political activist, author, lecturer, and attorney noted for his involvement in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes. The son of Lebanese immigrants to the Un ...

by a private detective retained by

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

and for years covered automotive-safety issues. He was often alone in reporting grave corporate crime and misconduct. Mintz covered the Supreme Court's 1965 and 1978-1980 terms. In 1983, he reported on the refusal of the United States during

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 ...

to bomb the rail lines to the gas ovens at

Birkenau Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...

and the

Auschwitz Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...

death camp itself. He based the story on an exclusive interview with

John J. McCloy John Jay McCloy (March 31, 1895 – March 11, 1989) was an American lawyer, diplomat, banker, and a presidential advisor. He served as Assistant Secretary of War during World War II under Henry Stimson, helping deal with issues such as German sa ...

, who as an assistant Secretary of War had played a key role in the episode.

Personal life

Mintz lives in

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, ...

He turned 100 in January 2022.

Awards

*Columbia Journalism Award, Columbia University (1983) *Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild Award for Public Service (twice) *Playboy Foundation's Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award for Lifetime Achievement *Worth Bingham Memorial Award *Heywood Broun Memorial Award *Raymond Clapper Memorial Award *George Polk Memorial Award

Books

Authored (4)

*''At Any Cost: Corporate Greed, Women, and the Dalkon Shield'' (1985) *''The Pill: An Alarming Report'' (1970) *''By Prescription Only: A report on the roles of the United States Food and Drug Administration, the American Medical Association, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and others in connection with the irrational and massive use of prescription drugs that may be worthless, injurious, or even lethal'' (1967). It updated: *''The Therapeutic Nightmare: A report on prescription drugs, the men who make them, and the agency that controls them'' (1965)

Co-authored (4)

* ''America, Inc.: Who Owns and Operates the United States'' (1971), with Jerry S. Cohen * ''Power, Inc.'' (1976), with Jerry S. Cohen *''Quotations from President Ron'' (1987), with Margaret Mintz *''President Ron's Appointment Book (1988), with Anita Mintz

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mintz, Morton St. Louis Globe-Democrat people Living people 1922 births Men centenarians American centenarians