Donald A. Ritchie, The Columnist: Leaks, Lies, and Libel in Drew Pearson’s Washington

The work of Drew Pearson (1897-1969) is not unfamiliar to scholars of American journalism and politics. Between the 1930s and 1960s, Pearson’s syndicated “Washington Merry-Go-Round” column divulged government secrets, prognosticated, crusaded for liberal causes, and made life miserable for crooks, scoundrels, and any officeholder with something to hide. But Pearson has faded from public memory. The columnist is sometimes confused with the Dallas Cowboys’ hall-of-fame wide receiver who shared ...