Abraham Michael "A.M." Rosenthal (May 2, 1922 – May 10, 2006), born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, was a New York Times executive editor (1977-88) and columnist (1987-1999) and New York Daily News columnist (1999-2004). He joined the New York Times in 1943 and worked for the Times for 56 years - from 1943 to 1999. Rosenthal won a Pulitzer Prize in 1960 for international reporting. ^[1] As an editor at the newspaper, Rosenthal oversaw the coverage of a number of major news stories including the Vietnam war, the Pentagon Papers, and the Watergate scandal. May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (123rd in leap years). ... Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 130th day of the year (131st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: Motto: Naturally Gifted Coordinates: , Country Canada Province Ontario District Algoma District Incorporated 1887 (town), 1912 (city) Government  - City Mayor John Rowswell  - Governing body The Corporation of the City of Sault Sainte Marie  - MPs Tony Martin  - MPPs David Orazietti Area  - City  276 sq mi (715 km²) Elevation  630 ft (192... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Official languages English (de facto) Government - Lieutenant-Governor David C. Onley - Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 106 - Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the year. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the year. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... The Pulitzer Prize is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in print journalism, literary achievements, and musical composition. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... The Pentagon Papers is the colloquial term for United States-Vietnam Relations, 1945-1967: A Study Prepared by the Department of Defense, a 47 volume, 7,000-page, top-secret United States Department of Defense history of the United States political and military involvement in the Vietnam War from 1945... The Watergate building. ...

Early years

Rosenthal was born on May 2, 1922, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario to a family of Jewish descent. His father was a farmer named Harry Shipiatsky who emigrated to Canada in the 1890's and changed his name to Rosenthal. His father worked as a fur trapper and trader around Hudson Bay, where he met and married Sarah Dickstein, Rosenthal's mother.^[2] Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Official languages English (de facto) Government - Lieutenant-Governor David C. Onley - Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 106 - Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... Emigration is the action and the phenomenon of leaving ones native country to settle abroad. ... Hudson Bay, Canada. ...

Rosenthal was the youngest of six children. When he was still a child, his family moved to the Bronx, New York, where Rosenthal's father found work as a house painter. During the 1930s, though, tragedy would hit the family, with Rosenthal's father dying in a job accident and four of his siblings dying from various causes. Rosenthal also developed the bone-marrow disease osteomyelitis, causing him extreme pain.^[3] The Bronx is one of the five boroughs of United States. ... Osteomyelitis is an infection of bone, usually caused by pyogenic bacteria or mycobacteria. ...

After several operations Rosenthal recovered enough to attend public schools in New York and graduate from City College. In 1943, while at City College, he became the campus correspondent for The New York Times. In 1944, he became a staff reporter. This article is about the state. ... City College of The City University of New York The City College of The City University of New York (known more commonly as the City College of New York or simply City College) is a senior college of the City University of New York, in New York City. ...

According to his son, Andrew Rosenthal, Rosenthal was a member of the Communist Party USA.^[4] Andrew Rosenthal is an American journalist and editorial page editor of The New York Times. ... The Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA) is a Marxist-Leninist political party in the United States. ...

International reporting and Pulitzer Prize

As a foreign correspondent for the New York Times, Rosenthal spent a number of years overseas. In 1954, he was assigned to New Delhi and reported from across South Asia. His writings from this time were honored by the Overseas Press Club and Columbia University.^[5] In 1958, the New York Times transferred him to Warsaw, where he reported on Poland and Eastern Europe. In 1959 Rosenthal was expelled from Poland dispatch after writing that the Polish leader, Władysław Gomułka, was "moody and irascible" and had been "let down—by intellectuals and economists he never had any sympathy for anyway, by workers he accuses of squeezing overtime out of a normal day's work, by suspicious peasants who turn their backs on the government's plans, orders and pleas."^[6] , This article is about the urban region that is the capital of India. ... Alma Mater Columbia University is a private university in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. ... For other uses, see Warsaw (disambiguation) and Warszawa (disambiguation). ... Pre-1989 division between the West (grey) and Eastern Bloc (orange) superimposed on current national boundaries: Russia (dark orange), other countries of the former USSR (medium orange),members of the Warsaw pact (light orange), and other former Communist regimes not aligned with Moscow (lightest orange). ... WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw GomuÅ‚ka (February 6, 1905, Krosno – September 1, 1982) was a Polish Communist leader. ...

Rosenthal's expulsion order stated that the reporter had "written very deeply and in detail about the internal situation, party and leadership matters. The Polish government cannot tolerate such probing reporting." For his reporting from Eastern Europe and Poland, Rosenthal won a Pulitzer Prize in 1960 for international reporting.^[7] The Pulitzer Prize is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in print journalism, literary achievements, and musical composition. ...

Editorial coverage of stories

In 1969, Rosenthal became managing editor of the New York Times with overall command of the paper's news operations.^[8] During the 1970s he directed coverage of a number of important news stories, including the Vietnam war and the Watergate scandal. A managing editor is a senior member of a publications management team. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... The Watergate building. ...

Rosenthal reportedly played a decisive role in the paper's decision to publish the Pentagon Papers in 1971.^[9] Because this secret government history of the Vietnam War was classified, publication of the papers could have lead to charges of treason, lawsuits, or even jail time for paper staff.^[10] Rosenthal pushed for publishing the papers (along with Time's reporter Neil Sheehan and publisher Arthur Ochs Sulzberger). The Nixon administration sued to stop publication, resulting in a Supreme Court decision upholding the right of the press to publish items without "prior restraint" on the part of the government.^[11] The Pentagon Papers is the colloquial term for United States-Vietnam Relations, 1945-1967: A Study Prepared by the Department of Defense, a 47 volume, 7,000-page, top-secret United States Department of Defense history of the United States political and military involvement in the Vietnam War from 1945... Classified information is secret information to which access is restricted by law or corporate rules to a particular hierarchical class of people. ... For other uses, see Treason (disambiguation) or Traitor (disambiguation). ... Cornelius Mahoney Neil Sheehan (born October 27, 1936) is an American journalist. ... Arthur Ochs Punch Sulzberger (b. ... Nixon is the surname of some prominent people: Richard Nixon - 37th President of the United States Patricia Nixon - First Lady to President Richard Nixon Tricia Nixon Cox - older daughter to Richard and Pat Nixon Julie Nixon Eisenhower - younger daughter to Richard and Pat Nixon John B. Nixon - oldest inmate executed... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  US Government Portal      The Supreme Court of the United States (sometimes colloquially referred to by the...

Editorial policy and political views

Columnist Wesley Pruden said this about Rosenthal's editorial policy: Wesley Pruden is the editor-in-chief of The Washington Times, a position he has held for 13 years. ...

Like all good editors, Abe was both loved and loathed, the former by those who met his standards, the latter mostly by those who couldn't keep the pace he set as City Editor, Managing Editor and finally Executive Editor. He brooked no challenges to his authority. He once told a reporter who demanded to exercise his rights by marching in a street demonstration he was assigned to cover: "OK, the rule is, you can [make love to] an elephant if you want to, but if you do you can't cover the circus." We call that "the Rosenthal rule."^[12]

Writer Mark Hertsgaard cited the Times as having the Iran Contra story a year before it broke (in November 1986) but wrote that Rosenthal killed the story because of his support for Ronald Reagan. In the Iran-Contra Affair, United States President Ronald Reagans administration secretly sold arms to Iran, which was engaged in a bloody war with its neighbor Iraq from 1980 to 1988 (see Iran-Iraq War), and diverted the proceeds to the Contra rebels fighting to overthrow the leftist and... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... Reagan redirects here. ...

Rosenthal supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq and openly suggested that the U.S. should give Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Syria and Sudan an ultimatum that orders these countries to deliver documents and information related to weapons of mass destruction and terrorist organizations. Otherwise, "in the three days the terrorists were considering the American ultimatum, the residents of the countries would be urged 24 hours a day by the U.S. to flee the capital and major cities, because they would be bombed to the ground beginning the fourth day."^[13] This article is about the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... An ultimatum (Latin: ) is a demand whose fulfillment is requested in a specified period of time and which is backed up by a threat to be followed through in case of noncompliance. ... For the Xzibit album, see Weapons of Mass Destruction (album). ...

Rosenthal has also been reported to be extremely homophobic, with his views supposedly affecting how the New York Times covered issues regarding gay people (such as AIDS).^[14] According to former New York Times journalist Charles Kaiser, "Everyone below Rosenthal (at the New York Times) spent all of their time trying to figure out what to do to cater to his prejudices. One of these widely perceived prejudices was Abe’s homophobia. So editors throughout the paper would keep stories concerning gays out of the paper."^[15] Homophobia is a term used to describe: A culturally determined phobia manifesting as fear, revulsion, or contempt for homosexuality. ... For other uses, see AIDS (disambiguation). ...

Death

The headstone of A.M Rosenthal in Westchester Hills Cemetery

The epitaph of A.M. Rosenthal

A.M. Rosenthal died in Manhattan in May, 2006 at age 84. He is interred in Westchester Hills Cemetery in Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y. An interesting epitaph is inscribed on his grave marker: "He kept the paper straight." Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... The Westchester Hills Cemetery, approximately 20 miles north of New York City, was established at 400 Saw Mill River Road in Hastings-on-Hudson, Westchester County, New York. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... The Westchester Hills Cemetery, approximately 20 miles north of New York City, was established at 400 Saw Mill River Road in Hastings-on-Hudson, Westchester County, New York. ... Hastings-on-Hudson is a village located in Westchester County, New York. ...

Titles at the New York Times

• 1943-1945 -- General assignment reporter: New York.
• 1945-1954 -- Reporter: United Nations.
• 1954-1967 -- Foreign correspondent: India, Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan, Ceylon, New Guinea, Vietnam, Switzerland, Poland, Africa and Japan.
• 1963-1967 -- Metropolitan editor.
• 1967-1968 -- Assistant managing editor.
• 1968-1969 -- Associate managing editor.
• 1969-1977 -- Managing editor.
• 1977-January 1, 1988 -- Executive editor.
• 1988-1999 -- Columnist.

Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... UN and U.N. redirect here. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... Also: 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the year. ...

Awards

• Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting (1960)
• The Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award
• An honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Colby College
• The Light of Truth Award (1994)
• The Guardian of Zion Award (1999)
• The Presidential Medal of Freedom (2002)

The Pulitzer Prize is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in print journalism, literary achievements, and musical composition. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Elijah Parish Lovejoy (November 9, 1802 – November 7, 1837), the son of Daniel Lovejoy, a Congregational minister, was an American minister and journalist who was murdered for his abolitionist views. ... Doctor of Laws (Latin: Legum Doctor, LL.D) is a doctorate-level academic degree in law. ... Colby College, founded in 1813, is an elite liberal arts college located on Mayflower Hill in Waterville, Maine. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... The Guardian of Zion Award is an annual award given to Jews who have been supportive to the State of Israel. ... This article is about the year. ... The Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is one of the two highest civilian awards in the United States and is bestowed by the President of the United States (the other award which is considered its equivalent is the Congressional Gold Medal, which is bestowed by an... Also see: 2002 (number). ...

References

External links

Obituaries

• „A. M. Rosenthal, Editor of The Times, Dies at 84“, New York Times, May 11, 2006 and video (4:48 min.)
• Obituary by Charles Kaiser, former NY Times reporter
• „A.M. Rosenthal, who reshaped the Times, dies in NYC“, CBC, May 11, 2006
• „Just the circus, and no elephants“, Washington Times, editorial with Rosenthal anecdotes
• „A.M. Rosenthal (1922-2006). Ugly genius“, Slate, May 11, 2006

Books by Rosenthal and Arthur Gelb

• 1967 One More Victim: The Life and Death of a Jewish Nazi. New York: The New American Library.

Rosenthal articles

• How the U.S. Can Win the War, September 14, 2001
• Get the Taliban & Saddam, Too, September 28, 2001