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Health & Fitness

A Political Columnist Like No Other

This week is the anniversary of the life of political columnist Molly Ivins ( 8/1944-1/2007). Born in August, 1944 in Monterey, California she began her illustrious career as a reporter for the Minneapolis Tribune and became editor of the Texas Observer. Her syndicated column--satirizing the political career of George W. Bush--brought her to national prominence. She wrote six books, including Bushwhacked. Ivins died in 2007.

A woman of many firsts, she became Minneapolis’ first female police reporter. By 1976 she had become a political reporter and Rocky Mountain Bureau Chief for the New York Times. From there she was a Dallas Times-Herald columnist.By 2001 she was an independent journalist.

Her awards include the William Allen White Award from the University of Kansas, the Smith Medal from her alma mater, the Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Progress and Service and the Pringle Prize for Washington Journalism from Columbia University. She was elected to membership in the National Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her freelance work appeared in many national magazines, and she contributed essays to both the Lehrer News Hour and National Public Radio. She wrote several books, including, Shrub: the Short but Happy Political Life of George W. Bush. She is an active participant in the journalism network of Amnesty International and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

According to Americans Who Tell The Truth she was “singular in her profession not only for her willingness to speak truth to power but for her use of humor to lampoon the self-seeking, the corrupt and the incompetent in positions of public trust. Her wit and insight place her squarely in the tradition of America’s great political humorists like Mark Twain.”

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