Robert Boyd (journalist) facts for kids

Robert Skinner Boyd (born January 11, 1928 – died September 20, 2019) was an American journalist. He spent most of his career working for the Knight Newspaper Group. For twenty years, he was the head of their office in Washington.

In 1973, Robert Boyd and his colleague Clark Hoyt won a special award called a Pulitzer Prize. They won it for finding out that Senator Thomas Eagleton had some health problems. Senator Eagleton was chosen to be the Vice President by George McGovern. Instead of writing a news story right away, Boyd and Hoyt told McGovern's team what they found. Because of this, Eagleton decided not to be the Vice President candidate.

Early Life and Education

Robert Boyd was born in Chicago, Illinois. His parents were Alden W. Boyd and Mary A. Skinner Boyd. He went to Harvard University and earned two degrees in 1949. At Harvard, he studied old languages.

A Career in Journalism

Before becoming a journalist, Robert Boyd served in the U.S. Army from 1946 to 1947. He also worked for the U.S. State Department from 1950 to 1953.

He started his journalism career as a reporter for the Daily Advertiser in Louisiana from 1953 to 1954. Then, he worked as a state editor for the News-Palladium in Michigan from 1954 to 1957.

In 1957, Boyd joined the Detroit Free Press, which was part of the Knight Newspaper Group. He worked as a reporter there until 1960. From 1960 to 1967, he was a correspondent in the group's Washington, D.C. office. He then became the chief, or head, of that office from 1967 to 1987. After that, he became the chief Washington correspondent.

Reporting Around the World

Robert Boyd traveled a lot for his job. In 1961, he visited the Bay of Pigs battlefield in Cuba with Fidel Castro. In 1965, he reported on the revolution in the Dominican Republic. He also visited the Soviet Union in 1967 and spent two weeks in North Vietnam in 1970.

In 1972, he was one of only five journalists who went with President Nixon to China. They were allowed to stay in China even after President Nixon left.

Leading the Washington Bureau

For 20 years, Robert Boyd was in charge of the Knight Newspaper Group's Washington office. During this time, the team grew from 7 people to more than 50.

His colleague, James McCartney, said that Boyd was a great editor. He let his reporters do their work without getting in their way. The Washington Post reporter David Broder said Boyd was one of the most honest and fair reporters in Washington. Broder said he had no idea what Boyd's political views were, even after knowing him for 30 years. This shows how fair Boyd was in his reporting.

In 1993, Boyd became the science writer for Knight Ridder in Washington. When he was 71 years old, he spent weeks in Antarctica. He talked to scientists and even helped build igloos!

The Eagleton Story

In 1972, a big story came up during the presidential election. George McGovern, who was running for president, chose Senator Thomas Eagleton as his running mate for Vice President. Robert Boyd and his colleague Clark Hoyt received a tip that Senator Eagleton had some health issues in the past.

Boyd and Hoyt investigated the story. They looked through old newspaper files and found times when Eagleton seemed to disappear. They also found out that he had been treated for "exhaustion." They even found a doctor who had been present when Eagleton received a certain medical treatment. It became clear to Boyd and Hoyt that Eagleton had a medical history.

Instead of writing the story right away, Boyd and Hoyt decided to do something different. They went to North Dakota to meet with McGovern and his campaign manager. They showed them their findings and gave them a chance to respond. Boyd later said it was "the only fair and decent thing to do."

However, McGovern held a press conference on July 25, 1972. At this press conference, Eagleton announced that he had been in the hospital three times for "nervous exhaustion and fatigue." McGovern said he still trusted Eagleton's health. This meant Boyd and Hoyt lost their chance to be the first to report the story. On July 31, Eagleton decided to step down as the Vice President candidate.

Even though they didn't get the first news story, Boyd and Hoyt still won the Pulitzer Prize. They won for uncovering the facts about Eagleton's medical history. Some people said they won because of their careful and fair approach to the story.

Books and Honors

Robert Boyd wrote a novel called A Certain Little Evil with David Kraslow in 1964.

He also wrote a book called The Decline, but Not Yet the Fall, of the Russia Empire: The Lewis Cass Lectures, which came out in 1969.

In 1973, Robert Boyd and Clark Hoyt won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting. This award was for their work in revealing Senator Thomas Eagleton's medical history. This led to Eagleton withdrawing from the 1972 Vice Presidential race.

Boyd was also a John S. Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University. This is a special program for journalists.

Personal Life

Robert Boyd married Gloria L. Paulsen in 1949. They had four children: Tim, Suzy, Peter, and Andy. Robert Boyd passed away on September 20, 2019, in Philadelphia. He was in a nursing home and died from congestive heart failure.