TWJ
If it hadn't been for Tom Jobson, who died Tuesday in Florida, I wouldn't be sitting here writing this blog .
Tom was the managing editor of the Asbury Park Press until he retired in 1987.
Tom taught me journalism at the then-Monmouth College in West Long Branch, then hired me to be a police checks' reporter on the 4 p.m. to midnight Saturday shift, then promoted me to a features writer, then gave me the newly created movie writer beat in 1985. In other words, Tom had a lot to do with giving my career direction and focus.
He rarely complimented you on a story but when he did it was big stuff. He now and then pointed out a flaw in a story (I confused Dover in northern New Jersey with Dover-Toms River, his home, in a story), and he occasionally made you defend your position.
If you gave a good argument, he would see the wisdom.
An example: When Orson Welles died in 1985, I wrote the editorial page appreciation. Tom read my copy before it was published, asked me to his office and wanted to know why we were writing an appreciation of a man who squandered his talent and lived a (reportedly) dissolute life.
Because, I said, he directed two of the greatest American films ever: "Citizen Kane'' and "The Magnificent Ambersons,'' and several near-great ones, such as "Touch of Evil,'' "The Trial,'' "The Lady From Shanghai,'' and that doesn't even include films that surfaced later, such as his definitive portrayal of Falstaff in "Chimes at Midnight.''
Tom said okay, you win on logic, and the appreciation ran, with only a minor change.
That was a classy thing to do, but Tom was a classy guy and a first-rate journalist.
I was lucky to know him.
Tom was the managing editor of the Asbury Park Press until he retired in 1987.
Tom taught me journalism at the then-Monmouth College in West Long Branch, then hired me to be a police checks' reporter on the 4 p.m. to midnight Saturday shift, then promoted me to a features writer, then gave me the newly created movie writer beat in 1985. In other words, Tom had a lot to do with giving my career direction and focus.
He rarely complimented you on a story but when he did it was big stuff. He now and then pointed out a flaw in a story (I confused Dover in northern New Jersey with Dover-Toms River, his home, in a story), and he occasionally made you defend your position.
If you gave a good argument, he would see the wisdom.
An example: When Orson Welles died in 1985, I wrote the editorial page appreciation. Tom read my copy before it was published, asked me to his office and wanted to know why we were writing an appreciation of a man who squandered his talent and lived a (reportedly) dissolute life.
Because, I said, he directed two of the greatest American films ever: "Citizen Kane'' and "The Magnificent Ambersons,'' and several near-great ones, such as "Touch of Evil,'' "The Trial,'' "The Lady From Shanghai,'' and that doesn't even include films that surfaced later, such as his definitive portrayal of Falstaff in "Chimes at Midnight.''
Tom said okay, you win on logic, and the appreciation ran, with only a minor change.
That was a classy thing to do, but Tom was a classy guy and a first-rate journalist.
I was lucky to know him.
posted by Eleanor's blog at 11:20 AM
3 Comments:
The great newsroom in the sky will snap into shape now that Twidge is there.
Thank you, dear Eleanor, for such a nice blog on TWJ. As Linda said, now that TWJ is the editor of the Heavenly Herald, he will insist all his celestial reporters have and USE dictionaries and that they GET IT RIGHT.
BY the way, I'm glad he saw the light about Orson Wells! Don't tell him I said this but TWJ was wrong about old Orson! How nice for the "student" to teach the teacher!
Eleanor, I blew it in my earlier blog -- I misspelled Orson Welles' last name. I just got bonked on the head by you-know-who, who now is in heaven! MEA CULPA (I looked the spelling up AFTER I posted the blog).
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