Walter Lippmann and the American Century — Introduction to the Transaction Edition

1. 1. Walter Lippmann declined to write his own memoirs because he disliked reflecting on his past and preferred living in the present.
2. 2. Lippmann cooperated fully with biographer Ronald Steel, granting access to his private papers and never interfering with the research or judgments.
3. 3. Lippmann was at the center of American political life for much of the 20th century, influencing major issues over six decades.
4. 4. Steel had to uncover Lippmann's private motivations to explain his political stances, such as supporting a Wall Street lawyer in 1924 and defying the foreign policy establishment later.
5. 5. Lippmann set unmatched standards of excellence and integrity in journalism, despite being fallible and making mistakes.
6. 6. No current pundit can be the 'next Walter Lippmann' because the media landscape is too atomized and no single person can command his authority.
7. 7. Lippmann was intellectually contrary, defying easy labels like liberal or conservative, and sometimes surprised readers by supporting Nixon in 1968.
8. 8. Lippmann is measured by his ability to provide thoughtful, unbiased insight into the world behind headlines, not by his access to headline-makers.