From today’s Wall Street Journal Political Diary…

The ‘Prince of Darkness’ Was a Prince

Robert Novak had planned to continue writing his three-times-a-week newspaper column and appearing on TV as an analyst until, as he told me, "the good Lord decides my time is up." The discovery of a malignant brain tumor a year ago upset his plans and forced him into early retirement. But he continued writing occasional articles until late last year and was able to lucidly discuss current events after that as he battled the disease that claimed him yesterday at age 78.

Bob Novak and his late partner Rowland Evans created a unique column when they teamed up in 1963. Although it clearly had a point of view and drew conclusions about public policy (increasingly conservative as time went on), it relied on shoe-leather reporting.

When I joined Bob and Rowly as the first reporter ever hired to work with the duo back in 1982, I asked Bob what made him most proud about the column. He told me he was pleased that every column the pair wrote contained at least one nugget of news that hadn’t appeared elsewhere.

Their columns weren’t everyone’s cup of tea when it came to ideology, but they were avidly read by thousands of insiders for their insight into the political game. The influential Washington Post was never under any obligation to run the column, but it stood by Bob and published every single one until his sudden retirement last year — even in 2003 when the Post came under bitter attack after Novak’s revelation that Valerie Plame, wife of a former ambassador who had criticized Bush administration policy in Iraq, was an employee of the CIA.

That revelation violated no law, but brought Bob enormous grief. However, he stood by his original source — Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage — and refused to give up his name. After Mr. Armitage belatedly acknowledged he was the source, Novak told me how disappointed he was that so many journalists had wanted him to throw First Amendment principles over the side and reveal the name. His press colleagues suddenly became less vocal once they learned that Mr. Armitage, a favorite of then Secretary Colin Powell and an opponent of the Iraq War, had been the original leaker of Ms. Plame’s identity.

Bob Novak taught me the basics of journalism that I try to use to this day. He told me before I left to work for the Wall Street Journal that I was joining one of the finest news organizations ever, one that had given him the break of his life when the Journal hired him as its Congressional correspondent in the late 1950s. He said the Journal had solidified in him the basics of good journalism: Get your facts right, don’t take "no" for an answer until you have to, spend the time to read the documents other journalists don’t, and don’t become too enamored of invitations to the White House or embassy parties. He gave me the best possible start in my career. I cherish both the time I spent working for him and the many words of advice he gave me in the years following.

— John Fund

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.