Theodore M. Bernstein
Encyclopedia
Theodore Menline Bernstein (November 17, 1904 – June 1979) was an assistant managing editor of The New York Times
and from 1925 to 1950 a professor at the Columbia University School of Journalism
.
in 1924. Among many other responsibilities in the 1950s and 1960s, it fell to Bernstein and his colleague, Lewis Jordan, to make up the next day's front page of the Times. His colleagues often saved his drafts on particularly newsworthy days. During the run-up to the Bay of Pigs Invasion
fiasco in 1961, the two settled on a four-column lead headline that put the invasion into dramatic perspective. However, under pressure from President John F. Kennedy
, publisher Orvil Dryfoos
ordered that the story be toned down, and the headline reduced to one column. Bernstein and Jordan were both infuriated, even after Dryfoos personally explained his decision to them. The story is told in detail in Without Fear or Favor by former Times editor Harrison Salisbury
.
and usage
, which have all been reprinted and republished since their first appearances. They are:
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and from 1925 to 1950 a professor at the Columbia University School of Journalism
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is one of Columbia's graduate and professional schools. It offers three degree programs: Master of Science in journalism , Master of Arts in journalism and a Ph.D. in communications...
.
Biography
Bernstein obtained his B.A. from Columbia UniversityColumbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1924. Among many other responsibilities in the 1950s and 1960s, it fell to Bernstein and his colleague, Lewis Jordan, to make up the next day's front page of the Times. His colleagues often saved his drafts on particularly newsworthy days. During the run-up to the Bay of Pigs Invasion
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs Invasion was an unsuccessful action by a CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles to invade southern Cuba, with support and encouragement from the US government, in an attempt to overthrow the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. The invasion was launched in April 1961, less than three months...
fiasco in 1961, the two settled on a four-column lead headline that put the invasion into dramatic perspective. However, under pressure from President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, publisher Orvil Dryfoos
Orvil Dryfoos
Orvil Eugene Dryfoos was the publisher of The New York Times from 1961 to his death in 1963. Dryfoos entered The Times family via his marriage to Marian Sulzberger, daughter of then-publisher Arthur Hays Sulzberger....
ordered that the story be toned down, and the headline reduced to one column. Bernstein and Jordan were both infuriated, even after Dryfoos personally explained his decision to them. The story is told in detail in Without Fear or Favor by former Times editor Harrison Salisbury
Harrison Salisbury
Harrison Evans Salisbury , an American Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist , was the first regular New York Times correspondent in Moscow after World War II. He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota...
.
Publications
He wrote or co-wrote 7 books on grammarGrammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
and usage
Usage
Usage is the manner in which written and spoken language is used. H. W. Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage "defines usage as 'points of grammar, syntax, style, and the choice of words'". The Oxford Dictionary of English defines usage as "the way in which a word or phrase is normally and...
, which have all been reprinted and republished since their first appearances. They are:
- Headlines and Deadlines: A Manual for Copy Editors (1933) (coauthored with Robert E. Garst) (ISBN 0-231-04816-5)
- Watch Your Language: A Lively, Informal Guide to Better Writing, Emanating from the News Room of the New York Times (1958) (ISBN 0-689-70531-X)
- More Language that Needs Watching: Second Aid for Writers and Editors, Emanating from the News Room of the New York Times (1962)
- The Careful Writer (1965) (ISBN 0-684-82632-1)
- Miss Thistlebottom's Hobgoblins: The Careful Writer's Guide To The Taboos, Bugbears, and Outmoded Rules of English Usage (1971) (ISBN 0374210438)
- Bernstein's Reverse Dictionary (1975) (with the collaboration of Jane Wagner) (ISBN 0812905660)
- Dos, Don'ts & Maybes of English Usage (1977) (with the assistance of Marylea Meyersohn and Bertram Lippman) (ISBN 0812906950)
Quotes
"Now, I am a firm believer in democracy, but I also believe that there are some fields of human activity in which a count of noses does not provide the best basis for law and order." -- from The Careful WriterExternal links
- 'Theodore M. Bernstein Papers 1922-1981 (Columbia University Library archive listing)