William A. Hilliard facts for kids

William Arthur Hilliard (born May 28, 1927 – died January 16, 2017) was an important American journalist. He became the editor of The Oregonian, a big newspaper in Portland, Oregon. He held this job from 1987 to 1994. William Hilliard was the first African-American editor of that newspaper. He also led the American Society of Newspaper Editors from 1993 to 1994.

Growing Up and School

William Hilliard was born in Chicago on May 28, 1927. He lived in Arkansas until he was eight years old. Then, his family moved to Portland, Oregon. When he was young, he wanted to be a newspaper delivery boy for The Oregonian. But his application was turned down. This was because the newspaper worried that white customers might not want a black delivery boy.

He went to Benson Polytechnic High School. There, he worked on the school newspaper. After high school, he joined the U.S. Navy for a year. This was at the end of World War II.

Hilliard then studied journalism at Vanport College. This school is now called Portland State University. He also studied at the University of Oregon. In 1950, he moved to Pacific University in Forest Grove. He graduated from Pacific University in 1952 with a degree in journalism. While at Pacific, he was a top editor for the university's newspaper, The Pacific Index.

His Career in Journalism

After college, Hilliard started his own newspaper. It was called the Portland Challenger. This weekly paper was made for the local black community. He was both the publisher and editor. The paper stopped publishing after about a year and a half. Then, he got a job at The Oregonian as a copy boy. He hoped to become a reporter there one day.

William Hilliard worked at The Oregonian for a long time, from 1952 to 1994. He started as a copy boy. Then, he became a clerk, a sports reporter, and a reporter for religion and general news. In 1965, he became an assistant city editor. By 1971, he was the city editor. In 1982, he became the executive editor. He helped combine The Oregonian with another newspaper, the Oregon Journal, in 1982.

One of his first big stories was about the Holt Korean Babylift in 1956. When he became city editor, it was such big news that Time Magazine wrote an article about it. In 1980, he was one of four people who questioned President Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan in a nationally televised debate.

Becoming Editor of The Oregonian

In 1987, Hilliard was named the main editor of The Oregonian. This meant he had full control over the newspaper's news and opinion sections. He was the first African-American person to hold this important job at the newspaper.

As editor, he made many changes. He started covering suburban areas more closely. He also expanded news about minority issues. He worked to hire more minority staff members at the paper. During his time as editor, some staff members pointed out that certain sports team nicknames were disrespectful to Native Americans. Because of his leadership, The Oregonian stopped using these nicknames in 1992. The newspaper also stopped saying a person's race in crime stories unless it was really important.

Leading National Organizations

Hilliard became the president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE) from 1993 to 1994. He was the first African-American to be chosen for this role. In 1993, the National Association of Black Journalists gave him their President's Award. They called him a role model for others.

He stayed as editor of The Oregonian until he retired in 1994. During his last year, he let his chosen successor, Sandra M. Rowe, take over many of the editor's duties. This allowed him to focus on his work with ASNE.

In 1998, the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association gave Hilliard the Oregon Newspaper Hall of Fame Award. This award honored his great work in journalism.

In 2002, a reporter from USA Today named Jack Kelley was found to have made up some of his stories. USA Today asked Hilliard, along with other experienced editors, to help watch over the investigation.

His Passing

William Hilliard passed away on January 16, 2017. He was 89 years old. He died in Portland from heart failure.