American journalist
Gerald M. Boyd
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/23/Boyd_Gerald.jpg/220px-Boyd_Gerald.jpg) |
Born
| Gerald Michael Boyd
(
1950-10-03
)
October 3, 1950
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Died
| November 23, 2006
(2006-11-23)
(aged 56)
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Occupation(s)
| Journalist, newspaper editor, journalism consultant, lecturer
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Known for
| Managing editor of
The New York Times
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Spouse
| Robin Stone
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Children
| 1
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Gerald Michael Boyd
(October 3, 1950 – November 23, 2006) was an American
journalist
and editor. He was the first
African-American
metropolitan editor and managing editor at
The New York Times
, after joining the newspaper in 1983 in its Washington, D.C. bureau. A controversy in 2003 about the reporting of
Jayson Blair
forced both Boyd and the executive editor,
Howell Raines
, to resign that year.
Boyd started his journalism career in 1973 at the
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
, in his hometown city, after graduating from the
University of Missouri
. In 1977 he and a colleague, George Curry, founded the Greater St. Louis Association of Black Journalists. In addition, they established a program to train black high school students in the business. Raines received a
Nieman Fellowship
in 1979.
Biography
[
edit
]
Born in
St. Louis, Missouri
, Boyd had an older brother and younger sister. After their mother's death at a young age from sickle cell anemia, their father left the family and they were raised by their paternal grandmother. He attended local schools, including Soldan High School. There he worked on the high school newspaper and after school at a grocery store to earn money for the family. He won a full
scholarship
to the
University of Missouri
sponsored by the
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
, which also guaranteed him a job after graduation.
[1]
He joined the newspaper in 1973. Together with colleague, George Curry, in 1977 the two reporters founded the Greater St. Louis Association of Black Journalists. In addition, they established a program to train black high school students in the business.
[1]
After joining
The New York Times
in 1983, Boyd worked in the Washington, DC bureau. By the early 1990s, he moved to New York City, where he led coverage that won three
Pulitzer Prizes
:
[1]
Boyd also shared the leadership of
The Times
reporting following the
September 11, 2001 attacks
. The newspaper's coverage, including its published biographies of all known victims, earned a total of seven Pulitzer prizes.
[1]
In 2002 Boyd won
National Association of Black Journalists
"Journalist of the Year" award.
[2]
Boyd and executive editor
Howell Raines
resigned in June 2003 in the wake of the
Jayson Blair
reporting controversy related to
plagiarism
and fabrication. They were said to have lost the support of the newsroom. He was succeeded by co-managing editors
Jill Abramson
and
John M. Geddes
.
After resigning, Boyd worked as a consultant. He also kept an office at the
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
. Boyd died in Manhattan at age 56 of complications from
lung cancer
.
Personal life
[
edit
]
Boyd was married three times. He and his third wife Robin Stone had a son.
[1]
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
- Barringer, Felicity (November 24, 2006), "Gerald M. Boyd, Who Broke Barriers as an Editor at The Times, Dies at 56"
,
The New York Times
.
- "Gerald M. Boyd."
Who's Who Among African Americans,
16th ed. Gale Group, 2003. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2006.
http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC
Document Number: K1645541403
- Long, Colleen (November 24, 2006), "Ex-NY Times managing editor dies at 56"
,
Associated Press
via Yahoo.com.]
- Appearances
on
C-SPAN
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International
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National
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Other
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