Jacob Landau

Infobox journalist
name = Jacob C. Landau


birth_date = birth date|1934|4|10|df=y
birth_place = Englewood, New Jersey, USA
death_date = death date and age|2008|8|9|1934|4|10|df=n
death_place = Arlington, Virginia, USA
education = Harvard University
New York University Law School
occupation = Journalist and Lawyer
alias = Jack Landau

Jacob Charles "Jack" Landau (April 101934 – August 92008) was an American journalist, attorney, government official, and free-speech activist. He was the founding first Executive Director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

Biography

Prior to the establishment of the Reporters Committee, Landau worked as a journalist for several national news organizations including the Associated Press and "The Washington Post". His stories covered numerous topics, but his specialty was reporting on the American courts. Mr. Landau was a Harvard College graduate and legally trained reporter in an era when this was an oddity, having received a law degree from New York University. His reports of inequities in the American military justice system are credited with having prompted the reform of that system into its current modern shape.

Landau also served as the press secretary to United States Attorney General John Mitchell. John Mitchell served as Attorney General under President Richard Nixon. As the spokesman for Mitchell, Mr. Landau addressed the public concerning many of the difficult legal issues facing the U.S. Government during the late 1960s. During one incident, Mr. Landau addressed a hostile and abusive crowd of activists opposed to the Vietnam War who were demanding an audience with the Attorney General during a large-scale protest. Their leader was American beat poet Allen Ginsberg, who purportedly dismissed Landau as a tool of the establishment.

Ironically, it was Landau’s organization, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, that would rock the establishment by preventing Richard Nixon from destroying his records in the wake of the Watergate scandal. Under Landau’s leadership, the Reporters Committee would become America’s foremost activist organization in furtherance of the rights of journalists and reporters. This work won Landau numerous awards and accolades. He had a falling-out with the Reporters Committee during the late 1980s, after which he left to write a popular column in the Newhouse syndicate of daily newspapers.

Landau was retired. He was divorced with two children. Slater, Dan (August 20, 2008). [http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2008/08/20/remembering-jack-landau-first-amendment-guerrilla Remembering Jack Landau, 'First Amendment Gurrilla'.] "Wall Street Journal"] Martin, Douglas (August 19, 2008). [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/us/20landau.html?ex=1376971200&en=1a50bcdd17d09e2d&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink Jack C. Landau, Who Fought for Rights of News Reporters, Is Dead at 74.] "New York Times" ] Holley, Joe (August 17, 2008). [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/16/AR2008081602009.html Jack Landau; Founded Reporter Group.] "Washington Post"] Syeed, Nafeesa (August 15, 2008). [http://www.examiner.com/a-1539700~Jack_Landau__reporter_and__First_Amendment_guerrilla___dies.html Jack Landau, reporter and 'First Amendment guerrilla,' dies.] "Associated Press"] Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press"] First Amendment Center. [http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/biography.aspx?name=landau Biography - Jack C. Landau.] "First Amendment Center"] Colby College"] First Amendment Center. [http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/about.aspx?item=FOIA_Hall_of_Fame National Freedom of Information Act Hall of Fame.] "First Amendment Center"] The American Bar Association. [http://www.abanet.org/publiced/gavel/sg1960s.pdf Silver Gavel Award Winners - 1960s.] "American Bar Association "] [http://www.spj.org/sdx.asp Sigma Delta Chi Foundation] . [http://www.spj.org/a-fellowsOTSW.asp Fellows of the Society for Extraordinary Contributions to the Profession] "Society of Professional Journalists"]

Honours and awards

* Nieman Fellow, Harvard University
* Lovejoy Award, Colby College
* Honorary LLD, Colby College
* National Freedom of Information Act Hall of Fame (Charter Member), First Amendment Center
* Silver Gavel Award, American Bar Association
* Fellows of the Society Award, Sigma Delta Chi Foundation, Society of Professional Journalists

References

External links

* Jacob Landau (November 16, 1978 at Colby College), [http://www.colby.edu/academics_cs/goldfarb/lovejoy/recipients/jack-landau.cfm Convocation Address: The State of the First Amendment.]