David Halberstam Biography
David Halberstam
David Halberstam, winner of a Pulitzer Prize and author of over twenty books, was a writer who in a sense, redefined journalism during the Vietnam War era. He did this in the way he stood up for what he believed in, despite efforts by others to stifle his journalistically piercing and truthful voice. He stayed true to himself and the lesson he delivered to students at prestigious Columbia University in 2005 that, QUOTE “Never let them intimidate you. Never. If someone tries, do me a favor and work just a little harder on your story.” ENDQUOTE Halberstam also said, at the same Columbia University address, that QUOTE “By and large, the more famous you are, the less of a journalist you are.” ENDQUOTE Ironically enough, Halberstam himself remains the exception to the rule, as post-mortem, he is perhaps more famous than ever for his exploits in reporting and writing, and his legacy in journalism remains as significant as it ever was.
Halberstam covered a plethora of topics ranging from the civil rights movement and America’s involvement in Vietnam in the early 1960s to the American sports scene later in his career. Controversial in his time for his extremely liberal reporting, Halberstam’s contribution to journalism remains palpable to this day, especially when examining coverage of the Iraq War. His honesty and mission to cover the Vietnam War with complete objectivity, at times abrading with top military officers and even the president himself, has influenced other journalists to cover the current Iraq War with similar honesty, at times delivering more truth to the American people than the government itself.
Halberstam made his first major and lasting impact on journalism during the spring of 1967. Halberstam travelled from New York City to Cleveland to Berkeley with Martin Luther King, Jr. himself in order to write an article for Harper’s titled “The Second Coming of Martin Luther King.”
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