Scotty: James B. Reston And the Rise And Fall of American Journalism

by John F. Stacks

When President Kennedy finished his most difficult meeting ever with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, the first person he talked to was not one of his advisers, not his vice president, and not his wife. Walking out of the meeting, still steamed and shocked, Kennedy spoke first with James Reston.
And so it was for others, for president after president, from Truman through Eisenhower, JFK, LBJ, Nixon, Ford, and Carter. James Reston was the most powerful, most admired, most influential newspaper columnist America had ever seen, the best journalist of his time, and perhaps the best of any time. Reston, who emigrated from Scotland as a boy, tapped into his vast reserves of intelligence, hustle, and ambition to rise steadily up the New York Times ranks, and helped make it the greatest paper in the world. As a writer, he was read by more Americans than any other on public affairs. As a talent spotter, he brought into the Times a galaxy of future stars. He was the model of what a young journalist wanted to wise, fair, able to speak in his own voice, and so well respected by those in power that he was routinely granted access to the greatest secrets of the world he covered.
But in time, some of Reston's greatest virtues would become liabilities, and proximity to power would take its toll. And thus Reston's story encompasses not only the life of one great man, but also the rise and fall of American journalism. More than brilliant biography, Scotty is a secret history - of one man's life, of what went on behind closed Washington doors, of the stories that shaped our world and the stories that never made the papers.

Genres: Biography, Politics

372 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Ernst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vivid history of the end of the pre-Watergate era of journalism, when high level politicians and even Presidents told reporters what they actually thought and trusted them to figure out what to keep secret, what to clean up, and how to report it. Reston was the king of journalism in that time, and his calamitous failure to figure out that Kissinger was using him was almost as important to the end of the era as Watergate itself. Great stories of John Kennedy, Halberstam, and other people Reston helped.

[Peter Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good solid biography of an influential US newspaperman.Easy to read giving info on many of the issues in the Cold War.Late in life his career suffered from his closeness to Kissinger who fed him false stories about the Paris Peace Talks to end the Vietnam War which soon were shown to be false.He rose from poverty to wealth so the American Dream worked for him by sporting ability,luck and an engaging personality.Hard to imagine who’d read it today,perhaps students of history.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book because of my prior experience in journalism, plus the fact that while doing research at the University of Illinois's archives, I would walk past the office holding Reston's papers. Overall, this is an interesting book, but not exceptional. It is an easy read, and Stacks has a pleasing writing style, but again, it isn't anything special.

[Joe Alewine · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mediocre book about a mediocre columnist who was nonetheless very powerful in his day. Not too insightful, but at least it's a fast read.

[Michael Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

An APL Recycled Reads find. This is a well written story of the early days of print journalism and of two time Pulitzer winner Scotty Reston's professional life. A fascinating story well told.