Meg Greenfield

Summary

Mary Ellen Greenfield (December 27, 1930 – May 13, 1999), known as Meg Greenfield, was an American editorial writer who worked for the Washington Post and Newsweek. She was also a Washington, D.C., insider, known for her wit. Greenfield won a Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing.

Meg Greenfield
Born
Mary Ellen Greenfield

(1930-12-27)December 27, 1930
DiedMay 13, 1999(1999-05-13) (aged 68)
Alma mater
OccupationEditorial writer
Employers

A book she authored was published posthumously.[1][2]

Life and career edit

Greenfield was born in Seattle, the daughter of Lorraine (Nathan) and Lewis James Greenfield.[3] Her family was Jewish. She attended The Bush School and graduated summa cum laude from Smith College in 1952. She also studied at Cambridge University as a Fulbright Scholar and was friends there with Norman Podhoretz, who also went on to a career in journalism.

She became influential in a male-dominated world and a close confidante of Post publisher Katharine Graham. She spent 20 years as the editorial page editor for The Washington Post and 25 years as a columnist for Newsweek. She influenced generations of Washington Post writers.[4]

When diagnosed with cancer, Greenfield partly retired to Bainbridge Island in her native Washington, where she wrote a posthumously published memoir entitled Washington. She died of the disease, at age 68.[5][6]

Greenfield was portrayed by Carrie Coon in 2017 film, The Post.

Awards and honors edit

Bibliography edit

  • Greenfield, Meg (2001). Washington. Public Affairs. ISBN 978-1586480271.

References edit

  1. ^ Jill Abramson (April 23, 2001). "Meg Greenfield's Secret Book Offers Insights but No Dish". The New York Times.
  2. ^ Adam Clymer (April 29, 2001). "Big Potomac High School: Posthumously, Meg Greenfield says what she thinks of Washington". The New York Times.
  3. ^ Harmon, Daniel P. "Meg Greenfield Biography". University of Washington. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  4. ^ McManus, Jeanne (May 25, 2014). "My Mercurial, brutal, brilliant woman boss". The Washington Post. p. A17.
  5. ^ Smith, J. Y. (May 14, 1999). "Newsweek Columnist Meg Greenfield Dies". The Washington Post. p. A1.
  6. ^ Barringer, Felicity (May 14, 1999). "Meg Greenfield, Who Shaped Washington Post's Editorial Page, Dies at 68". The New York Times.
  7. ^ "Meg Greenfield of The Washington Post". Pulitzer Prize. Retrieved January 12, 2018.

External links edit