More Giants of 20th Century American Journalism Quiz

Answer: William Allen White

From his humble beginnings as editor of the Emporia (Kansas) Gazette, William Allen White (1868-1944) became a nationally-recognized spokesman for small town Americana. He was an influential player on both the national and international stages right up until his death. For example, FDR relied on White to drum up opposition to the isolationist sentiment in the U.S. leading up to World War Two.

In his famous editorial "What's the Matter with Kansas", he bemoaned the population loss that was occurring as more and more people left the state, and he blamed the Populist Party for the state's problems. His editorial was reprinted across the nation as a way of drumming up support for the 1896 Republican presidential candidate, William McKinley, and this brought him into contact with many national Republican Party leaders.

Answer: Baltimore Sun

Mencken was a lifelong resident of Baltimore, in contrast to many great journalists who tended to move around a lot as they climbed the career ladder. In fact, Mencken lived all but a few years of his adult life in the same house in which he grew up. Mencken began his editorial page column in 1911, at a time when the newspaper column as an institution in the U.S. was still in its infancy.

By the 1920s he was focusing his writing more and more on social criticism rather than on politics. It was Mencken, the social critic, who coined the term "Bible Belt", and who dubbed the Scopes trial the "monkey trial".

Answer: Dorothy Parker

Dorothy Parker (1893-1967) was an ardent defender of civil liberties, and wrote for several magazines during her long career, as well as writing a number of screenplays while living in Hollywood. The Algonquin Round Table consisted of a group of friends who met daily for lunch at the Algonquin Hotel in New York during the 1920s. The other choices are members of this group.

Answer: Paul Harvey

Harvey was known for his unique blend of news and commentary. He was seamless in his transition between news, commentary, and commercial messages, an approach which advertisers seemed to like.

Answer: Will Rogers

Rogers wrote and lectured in the style of Mark Twain, who died in 1910. Rogers was born in 1879, and died in a plane crash in 1935 while flying in Alaska with famous aviator Wiley Post.

Answer: The Saturday Evening Post

"The Saturday Evening Post" was started in 1821. The other three were part of the publishing empire begun by Henry Luce(1898-1967) with the start of "Time" magazine in 1923, to be followed by "Fortune" in 1929 and "Sports Illustrated" in 1954. "Life" magazine was also an important part of the Luce empire. Luce's widow, Claire Boothe Luce, was a noteworthy national figure in her own right, serving as a member of Congress, ambassador to Italy and Brazil, and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1983.

Answer: Ted Turner

Turner lived in the CNN network headquarters in Atlanta for the first five years of CNN's existence, not leaving for his own apartment until the network finally broke even in its fifth year. Other networks started by Turner in the latter part of the 20th century include TNT, TBS, and TCM.

In 1991 Turner became the first media figure to be named "Time" magazine's Man of the Year (now Person of the Year).

Answer: Kansas City Star

Although Hemingway's tenure at the "Star" was relatively brief, he always credited his editor there with improving his writing style. He frequently quoted the paper's style guide, which contained the admonition to "Use short sentences. Use short first paragraphs. Use vigorous English. Be positive, not negative."

Answer: Mike Royko

Mike Royko(1932-1997) won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1972. Herb Caen was a longtime San Francisco newspaper columnist, while Red Smith and Arthur Daley were famous New York sports columnists. All four choices are true journalistic giants.

Answer: Jimmy Breslin

"Can't Anybody Here Play this Game" is a book about the 1962 New York Mets season, which was pitiful. "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight" is a novel based on the life of mobster Joey Gallo.