Alistair Cooke: America's Unconventional Press Critic

Abstract

Alistair Cooke occupies a unique place in American journalism. He began writing about American culture for the BBC in 1934. While correspondent for The Guardian, he introduced radio's longest running series. He was the host of Omnibus and later wrote and narrated America, the only television series to win Emmy awards for both information and entertainment. In spite of a distinguished career, he is sometimes overlooked as an influential commentator, one who has made American journalism central to his work. This study reviews the special attention he has given to journalism.