Articles

William J. Lederer, NF ’51

Lederer (1912–2010), best known for co-authoring “The Ugly American,” arrived at Harvard a career Naval officer and public relations specialist I mentioned to sociology professor [Samuel A.] Stouffer that USA…

Harold Hayes, NF ’59

Hayes and art director George Lois created some of the magazine’s most striking covers  When Hayes (1926–1989) arrived at Harvard, he was locked in a battle with Clay Felker for…
Murrey Marder, NF ’50

Murrey Marder, NF ’50

Washington Post reporter Marder (1919–2013) made his name on the “red beat,” where he was among the first to challenge U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy I also had a lot of…
Amy Ellis Nutt, NF ’05

Amy Ellis Nutt, NF ’05

Nutt, a reporter at The Star-Ledger in Newark, New Jersey, won a Pulitzer for her feature story about the mysterious sinking of a fishing boat My proposed project for my…
H.G. “Buzz” Bissinger, NF ’86

H.G. “Buzz” Bissinger, NF ’86

Bissinger’s narrative nonfiction book “Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream” inspired an acclaimed show that ran for five seasons on NBC People say, “Why’d you begin…
Philip Meyer, NF ’67

Philip Meyer, NF ’67

A reporter in the Washington bureau of the Knight newspapers, Meyer arrived at Harvard to learn how to apply social science research to reporting. The result: The invention of precision…
A.B. Guthrie Jr., NF ’45

A.B. Guthrie Jr., NF ’45

Guthrie (1901–1991), who spent 21 years at The Lexington (Ky.) Leader, called the Nieman Fellowship his “big break.” English professor Theodore Morrison helped him write the novel “The Way West,”…

Larry L. King, NF ’70

King (1929–2012) had a wide range, from “Confessions of a White Racist,” nominated for a National Book Award, to the Playboy article that inspired “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”…
Mary Schmich, NF ’96

Mary Schmich, NF ’96

A columnist at the Chicago Tribune since 1992, Schmich won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. She writes about politics, the personal, and the culture of Chicago When I left…
Simeon Booker, NF ’51

Simeon Booker, NF ’51

Working for Jet magazine, Booker covered the civil rights movement for 53 years The Nieman program under Louis M. Lyons was eons ahead of the nation’s press when it came…