In the summer of Dr. Ink’s 16th year, his grandfather, the great Papa Ink, took his skinny grandson to the convention of the New York State Republican Party. This was in 1964, when Goldwater Conservativism had seized control of the national GOP. The puny Doc sat in wonder as he listened to speeches from the likes of Nelson Rockefeller, Thomas Dewey, Clare Booth Luce, Kenneth Keating, Jacob Javits, and other Republican greats of the time.
And there at a corner table of the hotel ballroom was a short bundle of energy furiously scribbling in a reporter’s notebook. His name was Gabe Pressman. That was almost 40 years ago. On a recent visit to the Big Apple, Dr. Ink turned to NBC News, Channel 4, and there Pressman was offering a vivid report from the Middle East on the violence between the Israelis and Palestinians. Wow, thought the Doc, Gabe’s still got it!
Pressman is a legend in New York, but not as well known as he should be outside of Metropolis. Before you consider his resume, ponder the name: Gabe Pressman. Has there ever been a better name for a reporter? Gabe, wielding the clarion power of angelic trumpets. And Pressman, a street reporter’s moniker, even for a famed broadcast journalist.
Any young reporter would do well to find out all he can about Pressman’s storied career. Squat and uncharismatic, Pressman built his career upon a distinctive combination of shoe-leather, watch-doggedness, and empathy for the poor and downtrodden.
Born in the Bronx, Pressman worked as a cub reporter for a local newspaper through his high school years. He fought in World War II, graduated from Columbia, and worked briefly for the Newark Evening News and the New York World-Telegram and Sun.
He began his broadcast career at WRCA radio as a “roving reporter” in 1954 and then switched to television in 1956. It’s hard to think of an important New York story that he hasn’t had a piece of, but Pressman’s perspective has never been insular. The master of breaking news on the street, he has always been an internationalist devoted to foreign correspondence. And he always saw the need to find the time for enterprise reporting and watchdog investigations. His work has received countless awards, including eight Emmys.
Here’s what Governor Pataki said about Pressman upon presenting him with the Jackie Robinson Empire State Medal of Freedom: “For the entire second half of the 20th century, from the front lines of foreign wars to the front steps of urban strife and social injustice, Gabe Pressman has been an uncompromising voice for the common man. He simply does not recognize obstacles when he poses questions of the most vital consequence to everyday New Yorkers. His ability to never stop fighting for the truth has made him more than a reporter; he has in fact become an institution. His passion for truth and accountability will forever be his legacy.”
