Description

Millard Grimes discusses his childhood in Newnan and LaGrange and working for the Columbus Ledger as a teenager. Grimes recall his work with The Red and Black and Pandora at the University of Georgia. He elaborates on his coworkers at The Red and Black and how his work there prepared him for work in the newspaper industry. Grimes discusses winning the Pulitzer Prize for an investigation into corruption in Phenix City with the Columbus Ledger. He elaborates on the circumstances of the investigation and his decision to begin a daily newspaper in Phenix City. Grimes discusses his later acquisition of the Opelika Daily News and how he expanded its circulation. Grimes recalls his return to the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer and the series of events that led him to become the editor. He discusses his book The Last Linotype: The Story of Georgia and its Newspapers since World War II. Grimes recalls outstanding journalists he worked with, including Wade Saye, Lewis Grizzard, Ray Jenkins, Grover Hall, Jim Bane, Jim Bellows, Rheta Grimsley Johnson, and Bob Fowler. He also elaborates on what makes a good newspaper and whether newspaper editorials shape public opinion. He specifically mentions influential editorials from Ralph McGill and Carl Sanders. Grimes discusses the administrations of Governors Sanders and Vandiver, the 1966 gubernatorial election, and the demise of the county unit system. He also discusses the importance of investigative reporting and the tension between segregationist publishers and African-American readers. Grimes discusses his interest in the history of Warm Springs and...

Record Contributed By

Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Georgia