Walter Winchel- An American Icon
Walter Winchell had great aspirations toward journalism and was a man who used gossip to gain power and influence the minds of people all over the United States and the rest of the world, all the while setting the standards for today’s news and tabloid world. From the late 1920’s to the 1950’s, Winchell “…added extraordinary zest to the language of tabloid journalism” (Weinraub1). As a journalist, Winchell had an uncanny ability to create his own terminology to make headlines, even if gaudy or tasteless. Through his use of eye-catching jargon, Winchell was able to captivate the minds of the entire country, having his column published in over two thousand newspapers, at the same time hosting the top-rated radio program as a reporter (Gabler 421). “He turned gossip into tawdry power. Walter Winchell, who climbed high and fell far, still scintillates us today” (Weinraub 1). Winchell reached over fifty million people with his journalism and gossip, and had an enormous impact on the way people of the time examined, criticized, and thought about what was happening in the world and the people who were involved. Winchell was born in 1897 to a family of Jewish immigrants from Russia and was raised in poverty
Walter Winchell was once America’s most powerful journalist. He planted himself in the heart of gossip, the brain of news, and at the eye of the public. Through his widely read gossip columns and his number-one rated gossip radio show, he made a famous name for himself amongst the “normal” people, and made an infamous name amongst celebrities and politicians alike. He affected the way people perceived their favorite stars, the way the government operated, and even the way the underground mob worked. Even still today Winchell is revered as a pioneering journalist, and one of the most influential ever. Winchell used his radio show to carry out personal vendettas. On one occasion he called all those who elected his enemies in Congress “damned fools,” but he was not reprimanded by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission). He attacked Mayor Bill O’Dwyer of New York for breaking a policeman to the ranks—the cop was a friend to the columnist—and insisted that the patrolman be restored to the rank of sergeant. This was to be done immediately warned Winchell, or the Mayor would not be welcome in Winchell’s favorite watering hole, the Stork Club. O’Dwyer restored the cop to sergeant. (Nash 413)
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Approximate Word count = 1429
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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