The Life of Kings

The Baltimore Sun and the Golden Age of the American Newspaper

Edited by Frederic B. Hill, Stephens Broening

Paperback - £19.99

Publication date:

01 November 2018

Length of book:

322 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781538122167

In an age when local daily papers with formerly robust reporting are cutting sections and even closing their doors, the contributors to The Life of Kings celebrate the heyday of one such paper, the Baltimore Sun, when it set the agenda for Baltimore, was a force in Washington, and extended its reach around the globe. Contributors like David Simon, creator of HBO’s The Wire, and renowned political cartoonist Kevin Kallaugher (better known as KAL), tell what it was like to work in what may have been the last golden age of American newspapers -- when journalism still seemed like “the life of kings” that H.L. Mencken so cheerfully remembered. The writers in this volume recall the standards that made the Sun and other fine independent newspapers a bulwark of civic life for so long. Their contributions affirm that the core principles they followed are no less imperative for the new forms of journalism: a strong sense of the public interest in whose name they were acting, a reverence for accuracy, and an obligation to keep faith with the reader.
Broening and Hill, two seasoned newspapermen from the Baltimore Sun, enlist their former colleagues—veteran reporters and editors—to document the splendid history of the newspaper. The book explores the Sun from the inside out, covering the company’s organizational makeup, journalistic standards and modes of operation, political affiliations and reputation in Washington, D.C., and readership, as well as development of specific features such as the op-ed page and political cartoons. There are personal remembrances and career highlights aplenty. The title refers to a remark by illustrious Sun alum H.L. Mencken, 'an important voice in the country’s intellectual conversation' who equated reporting to a privileged way of life. Certainly, the description of overseas assignments by foreign correspondent and Pulitzer Prize–finalist Gilbert A. Lewthwaite supports this point of view; he recalls staff receiving 'a royal welcome on their travels... though personal perks did nothing to detract from the serious professional intent.' As with any fraternity, there are favorites and the feared, among them the 'fabled' managing editor Charles H. Dorsey, Jr., a 'lifelong deskman who had ‘never been outdoors,’ ' writes reporter Ernest B. Furgurson, who served as the paper’s Washington bureau chief from 1975 to 1987. This is an informative exploration of a bygone era in print journalism, and the romantic reminiscences of the hardworking journalists who toiled to fill the Sun’s pages will resonate with baby boomers and media study students.