Lester Markel was an American journalist, editor, lecturer, and a significant advocate for the freedom of the press.
14 Facts About Lester Markel
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Lester Markel's parents were Jacob Leo Markel and Lillian, both German immigrants.
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Helen Markel married Jack Stewart, head of the Book Division at the New York Times; Lester Markel's grandson is Mark L Stewart, a prolific writer and editor.
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Lester Markel's brother-in-law was Irwin Edman, the famous Columbia University philosopher, who dedicated his masterpiece "Philosopher's Holiday" to Meta and Lester.
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Lester Markel was hired as a reporter for the New York Tribune and progressed to the positions of city editor and night editor.
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Lester Markel enjoyed a friendship with Marilyn Monroe with whom he engaged in political discussions of the day.
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Subsequently, Lester Markel became an associate editor of the New York Times and head of its department of public affairs.
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In October, 1950, Lester Markel brought 34 editors from 15 countries to Columbia University in New York City for an initial discussion regarding the exchange of information among nations and the freedom of the press.
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Lester Markel subsequently convinced the American Society of Newspaper Editors to establish a five-person commission to further explore these topics.
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Lester Markel penned the objectives for the new organization that eventually would become the International Press Institute: 1.
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Lester Markel organized the financing to support the fledgling organization, initially raising $20,000 from about 20 newspapers.
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From 1963 to 1970, Lester Markel edited and moderated a television program, "News in Perspective," a nationally broadcast public-program which reviewed and discussed the most important news of the week.
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Lester Markel was joined on the program by prominent New York Times colleagues Clifton Daniel, James Reston, and Tom Wicker, Pulitzer-prize winner Max Frankel, and Washington-insider Douglass Cater.
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Lester Markel clarified three approaches to the news: first, there is the reporting of basic facts; second, there is the interpretation of these facts; and third, there is commentary on the facts.