The Noise of Typewriters

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W.H. Auden famously stated, "Poetry makes nothing happen," contrasting it with journalism's impactful role. In a compelling blend of memoir and critique, Lance Morrow reflects on his 40 years at TIME magazine, revisiting the Age of Typewriters and the 20th century's remarkable figures—statesmen, dictators, heroes, and the journalists who chronicled their actions. He explores how journalism has influenced the past century, shaping history and often altering its course. Morrow discusses Walter Duranty, the New York Times correspondent whose Pulitzer Prize-winning articles lauded Stalin during a time of mass starvation in Ukraine, resulting in millions of deaths. In contrast, he examines John Hersey's Hiroshima, revered as one of the greatest journalistic works. Morrow delves into the moral complexities of Hersey's reporting, first published in 1946. This work is also a personal reflection, as Morrow is the son of two journalists who covered Roosevelt and Truman. He recounts his early days as a typist alongside Carl Bernstein at the now-defunct Washington Star and acknowledges the influence of his friend and editor Walter Isaacson, who introduced him to computers at TIME. The narrative includes vivid profiles of iconic figures in journalism, capturing a golden age that waned with the rise of television and digital media.