Carl Greenberg
Encyclopedia
Carl Greenberg was an American newspaper reporter who began as a police reporter; most of his career he was a reporter covering California and U.S. national politics. He worked for the Los Angeles Examiner
until it closed in 1962; later he worked for The Los Angeles Times
and became its political editor.
- and Russian
-speaking Jewish immigrants from Novogradvolynsk
, today in Ukraine
, who had emigrated in the 1890s to Boston, where he was born. The family, including Greenberg's younger brother, Herbert, moved in the 1920s from Boston to Venice
, California
. Greenberg graduated from Los Angeles High School
in 1926 and subsequently attended the University of California, Los Angeles
. He married Gladys Bilansky 12 July 1930 and had a son, Howard, born in 1935. Coincidentally, Bilansky's father had also emigrated from Novogradvolynsk. During World War II
Carl served as a coxswain
in the United States Coast Guard Reserve
. He resided in Park La Brea during the late 1950s and early 1960s and in Culver City at the time of his retirement in 1973 until his death. He is entombed at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery
in Culver City.
paper, the Los Angeles Examiner
1933-1943, where he was promoted to political editor 1943-1962. After the Examiner folded he became a political writer for the Los Angeles Times
from 1962 until his retirement in 1973; at the Times he also served as political editor 1966-1968 and as a member of the paper's editorial board from 1962-1968. He also served as disaster acting governor (in line of succession after the lieutenant governor) of California 1959-1967. He retired from his newspaper career at the Times in 1973. He received a number of awards for his reporting, including first prize for the best news story from the Southern California Newspaper Writers, Los Angeles chapter of Theta Sigma Phi in 1944; the Silver award from the California-Nevada Associated Press in 1957; and was a co-recipient of a Pulitzer Prize
for general local reporting in 1966
.
." Greenberg was noted for his journalistic integrity
as evidenced in a celebrated incident following Richard Nixon's
failed bid for the California Governor's seat in 1962
. In an attack on the press (during which he also famously remarked "You won't have Dick Nixon to kick around any more"), Nixon accused the Los Angeles Times
of bias against him but singled out Greenberg as "the only reporter on the Times that fits this thing, who wrote every word I said. He wrote it fairly. He wrote it objectively. Carl, despite whatever feelings he had, felt that he had an obligation to report the facts as he saw them," in response to which Greenberg proffered his resignation from the paper. His Times colleagues convinced him that he had no reason to resign.
In an article in Time
his ethics were explained in terms of his background as a police reporter:
The incident continued to be discussed also as an example in the shift in political discourse in the US press in the 1960s. In a 2007 radio interview Tom Brokaw
, discussing his book Boom!: Voices of the Sixties Personal Reflections on the '60s and Today, noted that "Carl was the one that Nixon singled out on that infamous news conference in which he said you won’t have Dick Nixon to kick around anymore. And the only fair reporter, he said, was Carl. So you know, rhetoric did change. The politics didn’t operate within the confines of smoke rooms anymore. You couldn’t go to a few bosses and get the story. It was spread out across the landscape, and he was having a hard time keeping track of all that."
Los Angeles Herald-Examiner
The Los Angeles Herald Examiner was a major Los Angeles daily newspaper, published Monday through Friday in the afternoon, and in the morning on Saturdays and Sundays. It was part of the Hearst syndicate. The afternoon Herald-Express and the morning Examiner, both of which had been publishing in...
until it closed in 1962; later he worked for The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
and became its political editor.
Personal life
Greenberg's parents were YiddishYiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
- and Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
-speaking Jewish immigrants from Novogradvolynsk
Novohrad-Volynskyi
Novohrad-Volynskyi is a city in the Zhytomyr Oblast of northern Ukraine...
, today in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, who had emigrated in the 1890s to Boston, where he was born. The family, including Greenberg's younger brother, Herbert, moved in the 1920s from Boston to Venice
Venice, Los Angeles, California
Venice is a beachfront district on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is known for its canals, beaches and circus-like Ocean Front Walk, a two-and-a-half mile pedestrian-only promenade that features performers, fortune-tellers, artists, and vendors...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Greenberg graduated from Los Angeles High School
Los Angeles High School
Los Angeles High School is the oldest public high school in the Southern California Region and in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Its colors are blue and white and the teams are called the Romans....
in 1926 and subsequently attended the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
. He married Gladys Bilansky 12 July 1930 and had a son, Howard, born in 1935. Coincidentally, Bilansky's father had also emigrated from Novogradvolynsk. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Carl served as a coxswain
Coxswain
The coxswain is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives us a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from cox, a coxboat or other small vessel kept aboard a ship, and swain, which can be rendered as boy, in authority. ...
in the United States Coast Guard Reserve
United States Coast Guard Reserve
The United States Coast Guard Reserve is the reserve component of the United States Coast Guard. It is organized, trained, administered, and supplied under the direction of the Commandant of the Coast Guard through the Director of Reserve and Leadership....
. He resided in Park La Brea during the late 1950s and early 1960s and in Culver City at the time of his retirement in 1973 until his death. He is entombed at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery
Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery
The Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary is a Jewish cemetery located at 6001 West Centinela Avenue, in Culver City, California, USA. Many Jewish people from the entertainment industry are buried here.-Notable interments:*Irving Aaronson, composer...
in Culver City.
Professional life
Greenberg was a reporter for the Los Angeles Evening Express 1926-1928, the City News Service of Los Angeles 1928-33, and for the HearstHearst Corporation
The Hearst Corporation is an American media conglomerate based in the Hearst Tower, Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. Founded by William Randolph Hearst as an owner of newspapers, the company's holdings now include a wide variety of media...
paper, the Los Angeles Examiner
Los Angeles Herald-Examiner
The Los Angeles Herald Examiner was a major Los Angeles daily newspaper, published Monday through Friday in the afternoon, and in the morning on Saturdays and Sundays. It was part of the Hearst syndicate. The afternoon Herald-Express and the morning Examiner, both of which had been publishing in...
1933-1943, where he was promoted to political editor 1943-1962. After the Examiner folded he became a political writer for the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
from 1962 until his retirement in 1973; at the Times he also served as political editor 1966-1968 and as a member of the paper's editorial board from 1962-1968. He also served as disaster acting governor (in line of succession after the lieutenant governor) of California 1959-1967. He retired from his newspaper career at the Times in 1973. He received a number of awards for his reporting, including first prize for the best news story from the Southern California Newspaper Writers, Los Angeles chapter of Theta Sigma Phi in 1944; the Silver award from the California-Nevada Associated Press in 1957; and was a co-recipient of a Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
for general local reporting in 1966
1966 Pulitzer Prize
-Journalism awards:*Public Service:** The Boston Globe, for its campaign to prevent confirmation of Francis X Morrissey as a Federal District Judge in Massachusetts.*Local General or Spot News Reporting:...
.
Ethical stance and legacy
In his early years covering Los Angeles politics, Greenberg was considered the Examiners "political powerbroker inside Los Angeles City HallLos Angeles City Hall
Los Angeles City Hall, completed 1928, is the center of the government of the city of Los Angeles, California, and houses the mayor's office and the meeting chambers and offices of the Los Angeles City Council...
." Greenberg was noted for his journalistic integrity
Journalism ethics and standards
Journalism ethics and standards comprise principles of ethics and of good practice as applicable to the specific challenges faced by journalists. Historically and currently, this subset of media ethics is widely known to journalists as their professional "code of ethics" or the "canons of journalism"...
as evidenced in a celebrated incident following Richard Nixon's
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
failed bid for the California Governor's seat in 1962
California gubernatorial election, 1962
The California gubernatorial election, 1962 was held on November 6, 1962. The Democratic incumbent, Pat Brown, ran for re-election against former Vice President Richard Nixon...
. In an attack on the press (during which he also famously remarked "You won't have Dick Nixon to kick around any more"), Nixon accused the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
of bias against him but singled out Greenberg as "the only reporter on the Times that fits this thing, who wrote every word I said. He wrote it fairly. He wrote it objectively. Carl, despite whatever feelings he had, felt that he had an obligation to report the facts as he saw them," in response to which Greenberg proffered his resignation from the paper. His Times colleagues convinced him that he had no reason to resign.
In an article in Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
his ethics were explained in terms of his background as a police reporter:
Why Nixon did not also disparage Carl Greenberg is perhaps partly explained by Greenberg's approach to political reporting. "He covers politics," says a colleague, "as if it were some sort of crime." Greenberg was, in fact, a police reporter before turning to political coverage, and on the precinct beat he learned a valuable lesson: that a police reporter, like a cop, has no business playing judge. He brought this conviction to the political scene, first for Hearst's Los Angeles Examiner and since 1961 for the Times. "I feel," says Greenberg, "that even if I hate a man, I have an honest responsibility to my readers to report what he said and did."
The incident continued to be discussed also as an example in the shift in political discourse in the US press in the 1960s. In a 2007 radio interview Tom Brokaw
Tom Brokaw
Thomas John "Tom" Brokaw is an American television journalist and author best known as the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News from 1982 to 2004. He is the author of The Greatest Generation and other books and the recipient of numerous awards and honors...
, discussing his book Boom!: Voices of the Sixties Personal Reflections on the '60s and Today, noted that "Carl was the one that Nixon singled out on that infamous news conference in which he said you won’t have Dick Nixon to kick around anymore. And the only fair reporter, he said, was Carl. So you know, rhetoric did change. The politics didn’t operate within the confines of smoke rooms anymore. You couldn’t go to a few bosses and get the story. It was spread out across the landscape, and he was having a hard time keeping track of all that."