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Malcolm Browne

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The Resume

    (April 17, 1931-August 27, 2012)
    Born in New York City, New York
    Reporter and photographer for Associated Press (1959-65), ABC (1965-66), The New York Times (1968-77,1985-2000) and Discover (1977-85)
    Wrote 'The New Face of War' (1965)
    Won the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting for his coverage of events in Vietnam (1964)
    Won World Press Photo of the Year for his picture of the self-immolation of Thich Quang Duc (1963)

Why he might be annoying:

    He always wore red socks, saying they were easy to match.
    He had never owned a TV set before joining ABC.
    He resigned from ABC within a year over repeated conflicts with management.
    Although he was a science writer for The New York Times during his second stint at the paper, he covered the Gulf War and the break-up of Yugoslavia. ('Since science covers just about every aspect of human activity... I can sort of do what I please -- within the limits imposed by my very indulgent editors, of course.')
    Although he considered himself primarily a reporter, his obituaries identified him as a photographer first.
    He said about the photo of Thich Quang Duc, 'In the years since, I've had this searing feeling of perhaps having in some way contributed to the death of a kind old man who probably would not have done what he did — nor would the monks in general have done what they did — if they had not been assured of the presence of a newsman who could convey the images and experience to the outer world.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    He survived being shot down in combat aircraft three times.
    He got a story past Vietnamese government censors by putting it in a hand written note that he taped onto an innocuous photo being sent to Tokyo.
    He was placed on a South Vietnam hit list of enemies to be eliminated.
    When South Vietnamese officials tried to arrest his wife, who had ticked off the government by quitting her job as a censor in the information ministry, he stared them down, standing in their doorway brandishing a souvenir submachine gun.
    He wrote a book of advice for new reporters covering the war in Vietnam, including 'If you're crawling through grass with the troops and you hear gunfire, don't stick your head up to see where it's coming from, as you will be the next target.'
    John F. Kennedy said about his photo of Thich Quang Duc, 'No news picture in history has generated so much emotion around the world as that one.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 9 Votes: 44.44% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 9 Votes: 44.44% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 15 Votes: 53.33% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 105 Votes: 73.33% Annoying