Relentless Undercurrent of Danger and Death: Dying Words and AIDS

Show #128 | Guest: Samuel G. Freedman is an award-winning author, columnist, and professor. A columnist for The New York Times and a professor at Columbia University, he is the author of seven acclaimed books. Kerry Donahue is Adjunct Faculty and Director, Radio Program at the Columbia Journalism School. She’s also an independent producer who specializes in program and host development with clients including PRX, PRI, and Tricycle Magazine. Her work has been heard on NPR, WNYC, “Marketplace” and WBGO. | Show Summary: Angie sits down with Samuel Freedman and Kerry Donahue whose incredible audio documentary and accompanying book Dying Words: The AIDS Reporting of Jeff Schmalz tells Schmalz's story on how he reported about AIDS while dying of the disease, and his impact and legacy on journalism. Jeff Schmalz was a journalistic prodigy. He was hired by The New York Times while still a college student, and he was essentially running its metropolitan coverage by his mid-20s. From his crisply pressed trousers and shirts to his unerring sense of how to structure a feature story, he was a consummate Timesman. People in the newsroom speculated that someday he could be “on the masthead” – the list of the top editors on the world’s most important newspaper. All the while, though, Jeff was struggling with his identity as a gay man.