Joseph Lelyveld Dies: Former New York Times Executive Editor, Pulitzer Prize Winner Was 86

Bruce Haring
·2-min read

Joseph Lelyveld, who won the 1986 Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction for his book, Move Your Shadow: South Africa, Black and White, and was a former executive editor and foreign correspondent for The New York Times, died on Friday at his Manhattan home.

He was 86 and succumbed to complications of Parkinson’s disease, according to Janny Scott, his partner of 19 years and a former Times reporter.

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Lelyveld was reported from Washington, Congo, India, Hong Kong, Johannesburg and London during his long career.

He served as the Times executive editor from 1994 to 2001, arguably the most powerful post in American journalism. He oversaw a newspaper transitioning to the digital age, ushering in the New York Times website and the beginning of 24-hour news coverage.

Lelyveld retired a week before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. However, in June 2003, he returned to the top post in the wake of disclosures of journalistic fraud and plagiarism by a reporter, Jayson Blair. He served in the role for six weeks, Bill Keller, a columnist and former Times correspondent, was named the executive editor.

In a statement on Friday, former publisher Arthur Sulzberger, now chairman emeritus of The New York Times Company, said: “Everyone knows Joe as a giant in journalism, but first and foremost he was a thoughtful, compassionate man who cared deeply about his colleagues. He was not only a great executive editor who steered The Times through some challenging moments at the advent of the internet, but he also returned to help heal the newsroom at a very low point. He will be remembered by many for journalistic triumphs and his humanity. I will always remember him as my dear friend.”

In addition to Janny Scott, Lelyveld is survived by two daughters from his marriage, Amy and Nita Lelyveld, and a granddaughter.

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