Les Payne served as an editor and columnist at Newsday and was a founder of the National Association of Black Journalists.
11 Facts About Les Payne
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In 1954, Les Payne moved with his mother to Hartford, Connecticut, where she remarried.
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The first member of his family to attend college, Les Payne graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1964 with a degree in English.
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Les Payne was interested in pursuing a career in journalism, but as an African American he found no opportunities in the mainstream press.
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Les Payne ended his Army career with two years as an information officer, writing speeches for General William Westmoreland and running the Army newspaper.
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Les Payne's reporting from South Africa during the 1976 Soweto Uprising was selected by the jury for a Pulitzer Prize in International Journalism, but the group's advisory board overruled their decision with no explanation.
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Les Payne started writing a weekly column for Newsday in 1980.
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William Westmoreland 8.
Les Payne served as Newsdays national editor and assistant managing editor for foreign and national news; at different times, he was responsible for the newspaper's coverage of health and science, New York City, and investigations.
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Les Payne was responsible for New York Newsday, the newspaper's short-lived attempt to compete in the New York City market.
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Les Payne's staff won many journalism awards, including six Pulitzer Prizes.
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Les Payne died on March 19,2018 following a heart attack.