| Submit your comments on this article |
| Iraq |
| Atlantic Monthly Editor Killed in Iraq |
| 2003-04-04 |
| Michael Kelly, the Atlantic Monthly editor-at-large and Washington Post columnist who abandoned the safety of editorial offices to cover the war in Iraq, has been killed in a Humvee accident while traveling with the Army's 3rd Infantry Division. Kelly, the first American journalist killed in the war, had also served as editor of the New Republic and National Journal. But his decision to join up with U.S. forces marked a return to his reporting roots, since he covered the first Persian Gulf War as a magazine freelancer and turned his observations into a book, "Martyrs' Day." While one Australian and two British journalists have been killed covering the war, Kelly's death is the first among the 600 correspondents participating in the Pentagon's embedding program. He revitalized The Atlantic Monthly, which last year ran that amazing three-part story on Ground Zero. Why, oh why, couldn't it have been Lewis Lapham instead? |
| Posted by:growler |
| #10 This is a great loss, nobody more clearly made the case for this war than Michael Kelly, and now it has taken him, when I heard this news this morning I balled like a child, my thoughts and prayers go out to his family. |
| Posted by: Wills 2003-04-04 19:57:37 |
| #9 This war's Ernie Pyle. RIP, Michael Kelly. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-04-04 15:32:24 |
| #8 Kelly is survived by his wife, Madelyn, and two sons, Tom, 6, and Jack, 3. From Wash. Post article. |
| Posted by: Dar Steckelberg 2003-04-04 13:26:51 |
| #7 In addition to being highly respected in his field, he was also very well liked as a person - see the tribute page at The Atlantic site. Hard to imagine leaving a better legacy than having people who've known you for years to have lots of good things to say about you. He will be sorely missed. My post, if you are interested, is here. |
| Posted by: Jeff Brokaw 2003-04-04 13:19:39 |
| #6 This is truly sad. A professional journalist who did a spectacular job covering a professional military (his last column, linked by Mike above, is a fine piece of work). RIP, Michael. |
| Posted by: Dar Steckelberg 2003-04-04 12:41:37 |
| #5 Exactly - one of the clear headed writers around today....damn |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-04-04 12:31:06 |
| #4 What a terrible loss. |
| Posted by: Fred 2003-04-04 11:16:40 |
| #3 This is terrible, terrible news. In memoriam, please go read the wonderful column he wrote in November of 2001: ``Good evening, and welcome to `All Is Lost,' the nightly public affairs program produced by National Public Radio and the British Broadcasting Corporation. Tonight, we discuss what has been called America's war against terror. I am your host, Perfectly Modulated Voice of Reason. ``With me, in our Washington studio, are: Fabled Newsman Who Was There When Saigon Fell ... Scientifically Trained Impartial Scholar ... and Bureau Chief of Second-Rate Regional Monopoly Newspaper Who Is Desperate to be Hired by The New York Times. From London, we are joined by our European affairs analyst, Loathes America and Prays for its Swift Destruction. There's more. Go read it all. |
| Posted by: Angie Schultz 2003-04-04 11:15:54 |
| #2 Kelly was a tremendous writer with a gift for clear-headed analysis. You can view an archive of his work here. His last column, published yesterday, was a vivid description of the advance of the Third Infantry over the Euphrates. He also wrote a masterful skewering of NPR's coverage of the Afghan campaign, "Perfectly Modulated Voice of Reason." Requiem in pace. |
| Posted by: Mike 2003-04-04 11:12:14 |
| #1 Great writer although I've only read his stuff for the last month. RIP, Kelly. Condolences to your family, too. |
| Posted by: Michael 2003-04-04 13:34:13 |