John L. Hess

John L. Hess (December 27, 1917 - January 21, 2005) was a prominent American journalist who worked for many years at The New York Times. He left the Times in 1978 and wrote a memoir about his years there, My Times: a Memoir of Dissent.

Related Topics:
December 27 - 1917 - January 21 - 2005 - American - Journalist - The New York Times - 1978

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Hess was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in history. He got his start in journalism with the Bisbee Daily Review in Bisbee, Arizona, but he left the newspaper when it refused to let him report on corrupt officials. He served in the merchant marine during World War II.

Related Topics:
Salt Lake City, Utah - University of Utah - Journalism - Bisbee Daily Review - Bisbee, Arizona - Merchant marine - World War II

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After jobs with United Press, the Associated Press, New York Daily News and The New York Post, Hess started working at the Times in 1954, first on the foreign copy desk, later becoming a night-shift reporter. In 1964, he moved to Paris to help start a European edition of the International Herald Tribune.

Related Topics:
United Press - Associated Press - New York Daily News - The New York Post - 1954 - 1964 - Paris - International Herald Tribune

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He returned to New York City in 1972 and was briefly the Time's food editor. Hess hated the term "gourmet", because he didn't want chefs to become complacent. He once gave all of the restaurants in Chinatown four stars. The Taste of America, which he co-wrote with his wife Karen, excoriated American cooking, and singled out such celebrity chefs as Julia Child and Craig Claiborne for being responsible for the decline of the American palate.

Related Topics:
New York City - 1972 - Chinatown - Chef - Julia Child - Craig Claiborne

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In 1974, he won a citation from the US Department of Health, Education and Welfare for an investigation into corrupt nursing home operators.

Related Topics:
1974 - US Department of Health, Education and Welfare - Nursing home

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After his retirement, Hess contributed regularly to The Nation and Counterpunch, among other publications. He also served as media watchdog for WBAI, the New York City listener sponsored radio station.

Related Topics:
The Nation - Counterpunch - WBAI

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In addition to his memoirs, Hess also published several other books: Vanishing France, The Case for De Gaulle and The Grand Acquisitors.

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