David Carr, one of The New York Times‘ most lauded and respected journalists, passed away on Thursday night. He died in the newsroom of the paper at which he had spent a huge amount of his professional career. He was 58 years old.
Over the course of 25 years, Carr proved himself to be an indispensable voice in journalism. He was an excellent reporter and writer, and had a keen mind for new media—few journalists his age (or any age) proved as adept at evolving along with the technology upon which his media relied. He was also praised as a fine conversationalist, a willing mentor and a decent human being, all of which are in short supply in today’s journalism. He also wrote extensively, and beautifully, about his recovery from cocaine addiction in The Night of the Gun. “He was the finest media reporter of his generation,” Times executive editor Dean Baquet wrote in an internal memo. “A remarkable and funny man who was one of our leaders in the newsroom” …
