The downside of Marines as newspaper editors
Some of the smartest, toughest editors I’ve known, like Peter Braestrup, came out of the Marine Corps. I didn’t know Richard Harwood, who was before my time at the Washington Post, but he had a terrific reputation for hard-nosed skepticism, even among people who didn’t know he fought in four island campaigns in the Pacific ...
Some of the smartest, toughest editors I've known, like Peter Braestrup, came out of the Marine Corps. I didn't know Richard Harwood, who was before my time at the Washington Post, but he had a terrific reputation for hard-nosed skepticism, even among people who didn't know he fought in four island campaigns in the Pacific in World War II, including Iwo Jima, where he was wounded.
The downside of Marines in the newsroom is that if you call them a really bad name, they might take a swing at you, as happened last Friday in the Post's Style section. This makes me nostalgic for the good old days of journalism, when being a reporter was fun and newspapers made money.
Some of the smartest, toughest editors I’ve known, like Peter Braestrup, came out of the Marine Corps. I didn’t know Richard Harwood, who was before my time at the Washington Post, but he had a terrific reputation for hard-nosed skepticism, even among people who didn’t know he fought in four island campaigns in the Pacific in World War II, including Iwo Jima, where he was wounded.
The downside of Marines in the newsroom is that if you call them a really bad name, they might take a swing at you, as happened last Friday in the Post‘s Style section. This makes me nostalgic for the good old days of journalism, when being a reporter was fun and newspapers made money.
(HT to Mr. Andrew Sullivan for video illustration)
Flickr user BL1961
More from Foreign Policy


Is Cold War Inevitable?
A new biography of George Kennan, the father of containment, raises questions about whether the old Cold War—and the emerging one with China—could have been avoided.


So You Want to Buy an Ambassadorship
The United States is the only Western government that routinely rewards mega-donors with top diplomatic posts.


Can China Pull Off Its Charm Offensive?
Why Beijing’s foreign-policy reset will—or won’t—work out.


Turkey’s Problem Isn’t Sweden. It’s the United States.
Erdogan has focused on Stockholm’s stance toward Kurdish exile groups, but Ankara’s real demand is the end of U.S. support for Kurds in Syria.