Dying Words Project

November 30, 2015 9:45 AM

The AIDS Reporting of Jeff Schmalz, and How It Transformed the New York Times.

Additional Material

posted by roomthreeseventeen (4 comments total)

Schmalz's 1993 NYT obit, which provides some context:

Jeffrey Schmalz, a journalist who wrote with passion and insight about the determination and despair of AIDS sufferers, died of complications of the disease yesterday at his home in Manhattan. He was 39.

When his illness was discovered three years ago, Mr. Schmalz, who spent his entire two-decade career as a reporter and editor at The New York Times, saw his situation not only as a patient but as a journalist.

Returning to work after a year of battling AIDS-related illnesses, he persuaded his editors to allow him to cover AIDS and gay issues. His writing gained him national attention as he brought readers into the world of gay politics and of people with AIDS in a blunt and sometimes startling way.
posted by ryanshepard at 10:10 AM on November 30, 2015 [1 favorite]

Are the two episodes on Soundcloud dependent on being listened to in a certain order?
posted by fiercecupcake at 12:41 PM on November 30, 2015

Thanks for posting this. Just in time for World AIDS day!
posted by giraffe at 6:46 AM on December 1, 2015

fiercecupcake, I wasn't able to load the second link, but I was able to listen to the radio doc at the first link.

Moving, illuminating, informative. Thank you for posting this.
posted by virago at 11:23 AM on December 1, 2015