Walter E. Hussman, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 5, 1947 Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media. Columbia University |
| Occupation | CEO of WEHCO Media |
| Spouse | Robena Kendrick Hussman |
| Children | Three children |
| Parent(s) | Walter E. Hussman, Sr. Betty Palmer Hussman |
| Relatives | Former brother-in-law Richard S. Arnold |
Walter Edward Hussman, Jr. (born January 5, 1947), is a third-generation newspaper publisher and chief executive officer of a mass media conglomerate known as WEHCO Media, Inc. He is the publisher of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in Little Rock, the largest newspaper in Arkansas, directs a chain of smaller newspapers, including the Chattanooga Times Free Press and the Texarkana Gazette, and owns cable television companies in four states.
Early years and education
editHussman was born in Texarkana, Texas, but moved in 1949 to Camden, Arkansas, with his parents, Walter E. Hussman, Sr. (1906–1988) and the former Betty Palmer (1911–1990), and two older sisters. Hussman, Sr., published the The Camden News, which he had purchased from his father-in-law, Clyde E. Palmer (1876–1957).[1]
Hussman graduated from the Lawrenceville School in 1964.[2] He earned his bachelor's degree in journalism at the University of North Carolina UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media and his master's of business administration from Columbia University. In 1970, Hussman worked as a reporter for Forbes magazine. Later he became his father's administrative assistant, then general manager of The Camden News. He moved to Hot Springs in 1973 to become vice president and general manager of the Palmer Newspapers, which became a division of WEHCO Media.[1]
In 1974, Hussman left Hot Springs for Little Rock when WEHCO purchased the Arkansas Democrat and he was named publisher.[1]
Newspaper work and philosophy
editHussman made a lot of creative business decisions at the Arkansas Democrat and throughout WEHCO. He moved the paper to a morning paper in 1979 and began using color in the Democrat in 1982.[3] He fought - and won - a newspaper "war" with the competing Arkansas Gazette, publishing the joint Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in October 1991.[3] Hussman was opposed to newpapers providing free content online, writing in a 2007 Wall Street Journal op-ed column that newspapers should stop providing free content online, calling the online posting of so much of the newspaper product a "self-inflicted wound."[4] He implemented a shift from delivering newspapers in print to delivering them on iPads in 2018.[5]
Hussman is a former chairman of the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association (SNPA) and was the first recipient of SNPA's Frank W. Mayborn award,[6] given in honor of the late publisher of the Temple Daily Telegram in Temple, Texas.
Starting in 2017, Hussman began printing his "Core Values" on page 2 of the ten papers that WEHCO publishes.[7] This statement includes: "Impartiality means reporting, editing and delivering the news honestly, fairly, objectively, and without personal opinion or bias. Credibility is the greatest asset of any news medium, and impartiality is the greatest source of credibility." The full statement of Core Values are available on the paper's website as well.[8]
Awards & Honors
edit- In 2004, Hussman was honored as the first recipient of the Frank W. Mayborn Leadership Award by the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association.[9]
- In 2008, Hussman was named Publisher of the Year by Editor and Publisher, a trade publication.[10]
- In 2012, Hussman was inducted in the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame.[11]
- In 2014, Hussman was inducted into the NC Media and Journalism Hall of Fame.[12]
Hussman School of Journalism & Media at UNC
editIn 2019, Hussman wrote in the Wall Street Journal that "Journalism schools need to adopt similar statement of core journalistic values."[7] In support of that, Hussman and his family made a $25 million gift to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Hussman School of Journalism and Media. Susan King, dean of the Hussman School, said, "The Hussman family’s passion for journalism is based on unwavering values. Their generosity and vision extend transformational support across all of the media disciplines that we teach and research and serve. Core values are at the root of all we do."[13]
"The School has come a long way in the 50 years since I graduated with a journalism degree," Hussman said. "But what has not changed are those bedrock values, principals and standards of journalism that I learned half a century ago."[14]
Personal Life
editHussman lives in Little Rock with his wife, the former Robena Kendrick (b. June 26, 1946). They have three children. The late federal Judge Richard S. Arnold of Texarkana and Little Rock, was Hussman's former brother-in-law. Arnold was married to Hussman sister, Gale, from 1958-1975. His other sister is Marilyn Augur of Dallas, Texas.
External links
edit- Walter E. Hussman, Jr., speech to the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association, 100th anniversary edition, November 2004, reprinted in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. [15]
- Entry on Mass Media from the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.[16]
- McConnell, Jerry (2016). The Improbable Life of the Arkansas Democrat: An Oral History.[17]
- Arnold v. Camden News Pub. Co., 353 Ark. 353 (Ark. 2003).[18]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Walter E. Hussman Jr. (1947–)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Notable Alumni". The Lawrenceville School. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Arkansas Democrat-Gazette". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Hussman, Jr, Walter E. (2007-05-07). "How to Sink a Newspaper". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
- ^ Monteith, David (2019-11-26). "Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Nearing Completion Of Digital Rollout". www.ualrpublicradio.org. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Hussman wins first Mayborn Leadership Award". Plainview Daily Herald. 2004-10-13. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
- ^ a b Hussman, Jr., Walter (2019-09-10). "Opinion | Impartiality Is the Source of a Newspaper's Credibility". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Statement of Core Values". www.arkansasonline.com. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
- ^ "Walter Hussman Jr. honored". Southern Newspaper Publishers Association. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
- ^ E&P Staff. "Walter Hussman Jr. Named 'E&P' Publisher of the Year – Editor & Publisher Magazine". Retrieved 2019-11-12.
- ^ "Walter E. Hussman, Jr". Arkansas Business Hall of Fame, Walton College, University of Arkansas. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Walter E. Hussman, Inducted 2014". NC Media and Journalism Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "A historic announcement: $25 million gift transforms journalism and media at Carolina". UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media. 2019-09-10. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "The Hussman family ensures a bright future for students of media and journalism". UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media. 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Hussman, Jr., Walter E. "Palmer-Hussman Family History". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Mass Media". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ McConnell, Jerry (2016). Improbable life of the Arkansas Democrat: an oral history. ISBN 9781557286864. OCLC 929545704.
- ^ 353 Ark. 522 (2003-06-12). "Arnold v. Camden News Pub. Co". Findlaw (Arkansas Supreme Court Opinion). Retrieved 2019-11-19.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: url-status (link)