A reader pointed out an unusual occurrence last week when media mogul and former Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi died. Obviously, The New York Times and The Washington Post had obits about him. The Times obit was written by Jason Horowitz and Rachel Donadio. The Post obit was written by … Jason Horowitz.
Yes, the same Jason Horowitz.
So how did that happen?
For famous people, news outlets often have obits prewritten and ready to publish, with maybe a few updates, as soon as that person dies. Horowitz used to work at the Post and was there during each of Berlusconi’s four terms as prime minister (spanning 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011).
Horowitz then moved over to the Times, where he is the Rome bureau chief. So, in that role, he would be the natural reporter to write about Berlusconi’s death.
It just goes to show the lasting impact of Berlusconi. Horowitz tweeted last week, “Silvio Berlusconi has been dominant for so long in Italy that I wrote his obit for both the @nytimes and the @washingtonpost.”
How do the obits compare?
The Times story — which, I should remind you, was co-written with another reporter — called Berlusconi a “brash media mogul who revolutionized Italian television using privately owned channels to become the country’s most polarizing and prosecuted prime minister over multiple stints in office and an often scandalous quarter-century of political and cultural influence.”
The Post story, which Horowitz wrote alone, touched on the same themes, calling Berlusconi a “media mogul who dominated and divided his country for decades through a combination of showman charm, scofflaw bombast, and ruthless application of financial and political power.”
Each obit used some of the same words about Berlusconi, including “showman.” Both obits, assuredly, had to include similar details of Berlusconi’s life. But Horowitz did a good job of not plagiarizing himself, not even accidentally. And both obits showed superb writing skills.
The Times story was much longer, and superiorly written as compared to the Post story. That’s not to say the Post story wasn’t well done. It was. But the Times obit was exceptional, with lines such as:
- “His often outrageous, norm-warping and personally sensational approach to public life, which became known as Berlusconism, made him the most influential Italian politician since Mussolini. He transformed the country and offered a different template for a leader, one that would have echoes in Donald J. Trump and beyond.”
- About his power as a media mogul, Horowitz wrote, “The impact on the country’s culture is hard to overstate. By turns clownish and devious, optimistic and cynical, down-to-earth populist and stratospheric elitist, he was the fault line along which Italy broke.”
- “Mr. Berlusconi’s family-friendly campaigns often had the support of the church. His faith in the entrepreneurial spirit was unwavering. But with all that came an unapologetic hedonism that valued riches, beauty and the adoration of youthful vigor, as illustrated by the showgirl image of the women he promoted on his television channels and sometimes in government. What emerged was an updated playboy ideal that has left its mark on the imaginations, and aspirations, of countless Italians.”
Then again, the Post obit had some excellent passages, too, such as:
- “For his entire time in the public eye, Mr. Berlusconi — 5-foot-5, pudgy in build, creative in hairline and tangerine in complexion — towered over all other debate topics.”
- “For more than three decades, the diminutive colossus bestrode the narrow Italian peninsula, monopolizing the media, manipulating the levers of power, and capturing the imagination of friends and foes alike.”
- “Mr. Berlusconi’s preoccupation with self-preservation — against enemies real, imagined and manufactured — often took priority over the regular business of the state.”
What this all really shows is a reporter who really had superb insight into what he was writing about and used his deft writing skills to paint a complete picture.
This piece originally appeared in The Poynter Report, our daily newsletter for everyone who cares about the media. Subscribe to The Poynter Report here.
