Acclaimed NYT Media Writer and Boston University Professor David Carr Dies at 58
Associated Press
Very upsetting news for the world of journalism, indeed: David Carr, The New York Times acclaimed media writer and Boston University professor, died on Thursday evening at the age of 58.
To state that David Carr is a pure talent would be an outright understatement. Carr wrote about media for over 25 years, and joined The New York Times in 2002 after writing for The Atlantic and New York magazine. His memoir The Night of the Gun is notably about his addiction and path to recovery, written as if investigating and reporting on himself.
The Page One documentary and his famous encounter with Vice is a classic glimpse at Carr at his finest, and will continue to be the most notable portion of Journalism 101. In 2014 he joined Boston University’s staff as a professor of media studies at the College of Communication. He gave a memorable interview prior to his first course, providing a hard-ass explanation on why journalism is serious. His lively class syllabus is here.
Boston University’s Thomas Fiedler, Dean of the College of Communications, said in a statement to The Boston Globe: “What an extraordinary talent and a remarkable human being…He was generous, kind, smart, funny, and we have felt so fortunate that he had decided to start what we hoped would be a long association with Boston University.”
Here, some of Boston’s journalism and media community reacts:
Oh fuck. It’s hard to be surprised by the death of a chain smoker w/a health history that should be taught in medical school. But just fuck.
— Seth Mnookin (@sethmnookin) February 13, 2015
I’d call him & we’d bark at each other & he’d start talking his own mumbo jumbo & then no matter what the sign off: I love you, brother.
— Seth Mnookin (@sethmnookin) February 13, 2015
When I heard that Bob Simon died, I immediately went to @carr2n‘s Twitter feed to see what he had to say. That was last night.
— Ratty (@HeyRatty) February 13, 2015
Will cry all over again when I pick it up from my doorstep. RT @MatthewKeysLive: The New York Times homepage: pic.twitter.com/aXDyrHxYuS
— Delia (@DeliaCabe) February 13, 2015
Had a chance to meet David Carr when he joined the faculty at BU. I’m heartbroken.
— Paul Flannery (@Pflanns) February 13, 2015
David Carr came out of alt weeklies, which for some reason meant a lot to me. Wanted to one day be important enough for him to criticize.
— David S. Bernstein (@dbernstein) February 13, 2015
I remember going to see David Carr speak at MIT with @deehan and @gintautasd in 2011(?) and was just wowed.
— Garrett Quinn (@GarrettQuinn) February 13, 2015
We all walk this earth feeling we are frauds. The trick is to be grateful & hope the caper doesn’t end any time soon. http://t.co/C6l2QmQV8p
— Jackie Tempera (@jacktemp) February 13, 2015
For people like me, David Carr showed that even though we made horrible choices in the past, we could still become working journalists
— Megan Johnson (@megansarahj) February 13, 2015
I wish I had more time to learn from you David Carr, RIP
— Heather Goldin (@HeatherGoldin) February 13, 2015
It's a saddening loss for @BU_Tweets and @nytimes communities following the death of esteemed Professor David Carr. pic.twitter.com/zJzMiOGc8s
— The Buzz (@TheBUBuzz) February 13, 2015
Advice for young journalists? Try to be like David Carr. Gritty and witty. Insightful and incisive. Never boring.
— Matt Viser (@mviser) February 13, 2015
Heartbroken for all who knew @carr2n & the ones wishing they could have. https://t.co/M1RP5Fxnxf pic.twitter.com/wS8WUJRakL
— Jenny Mackintosh (@JennyMack) February 13, 2015
Saw David Carr speak last fall. Refreshing to hear he was excited about and encouraging of our ideas instead of warning us to stay away
— Sarah Kirkpatrick (@Kirkpatrick_SJ) February 13, 2015
