John Fetterman (reporter)
Encyclopedia
John Fetterman was a Pulitzer Prize
-winning reporter for the Louisville Courier-Journal
. He was awarded the 1969 Pulitzer Prize for local, general, or spot-news reporting for his story “PFC Gibson Comes Home.” About the death of a soldier in Vietnam, it focused on the young man's family in Knott County, Kentucky
and the wider community. Fetterman also contributed to a Courier-Journal series on strip mining that won a Pulitzer Prize in 1967.
, Fetterman served in the U.S. Navy before enrolling at Murray State University
under the G.I. Bill. After his graduation in 1949, he served on the staffs of the Murray Ledger and Times and the Nashville Tennessean. After graduate school at the University of Kentucky
, Fetterman joined the staff of the Louisville, Kentucky
newspaper.
.
John Fetterman's freelance writing also appeared in The Saturday Evening Post
, National Geographic, Time
, and Life
.
Daughter Mindy Fetterman, also a newspaper journalist, is known for her work as a reporter, columnist and financial editor of USA Today
.
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...
-winning reporter for the Louisville Courier-Journal
The Courier-Journal
The Courier-Journal, locally called "The C-J", is the main newspaper for the city of Louisville, Kentucky, USA. According to the 1999 Editor & Publisher International Yearbook, the paper is the 48th largest daily paper in the United States and the single largest in Kentucky.- Origins :The...
. He was awarded the 1969 Pulitzer Prize for local, general, or spot-news reporting for his story “PFC Gibson Comes Home.” About the death of a soldier in Vietnam, it focused on the young man's family in Knott County, Kentucky
Knott County, Kentucky
Knott County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1884. As of 2000, the population was 17,649. Its county seat is Hindman. The county is named for James Proctor Knott, Governor of Kentucky . It is a prohibition or dry county. Notable inhabitants include U.S....
and the wider community. Fetterman also contributed to a Courier-Journal series on strip mining that won a Pulitzer Prize in 1967.
Early Life and education
Born in Danville, KentuckyDanville, Kentucky
Danville is a city in and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,218 at the 2010 census.Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Boyle and Lincoln counties....
, Fetterman served in the U.S. Navy before enrolling at Murray State University
Murray State University
Murray State University, located in the city of Murray, Kentucky, is a four-year public university with approximately 10,400 students. The school is Kentucky’s only public university to be listed in the U.S.News & World Report regional university top tier for the past 20 consecutive years...
under the G.I. Bill. After his graduation in 1949, he served on the staffs of the Murray Ledger and Times and the Nashville Tennessean. After graduate school at the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
, Fetterman joined the staff of the Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
newspaper.
Journalism career
He was the author of the 1967 book Stinking Creek, about life in Knox County, KentuckyKnox County, Kentucky
Knox County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 31,795. Its county seat is Barbourville. The county is named for General Henry Knox...
.
John Fetterman's freelance writing also appeared in The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post is a bimonthly American magazine. It was published weekly under this title from 1897 until 1969, and quarterly and then bimonthly from 1971.-History:...
, National Geographic, 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...
, and Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
.
Daughter Mindy Fetterman, also a newspaper journalist, is known for her work as a reporter, columnist and financial editor of USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
.