Voting Station

E.W. Scripps

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Publisher

The Resume

    (June 18, 1854-March 12, 1926)
    Born in Rushville, Illinois
    Birth name was Edward Willis Scripps
    Founded or bought 34 newspapers in 15 states
    Founded the media conglomerate E.W. Scripps Company (1878) and the news service United Press (1906)

Why he might be annoying:

    He got his start as an office boy at a newspaper owned by his older half-brother James.
    He had few qualms about editorializing within the news stories in his papers.
    A critic wrote, 'He owns papers that presume and declare that they are the champion of the common people [and as a result] Scripps has acquired wealth beyond what was once considered the dreams of avarice.'
    According to an assistant, he drank a gallon of whiskey a day and spent almost every waking moment with a lit cigar in his mouth.
    Having become estranged from his wife and most of his children, he spent much of his time at sea on his yacht to avoid his family.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He maintained his newspapers' editorial independence, despite frequent pressure from advertisers.
    His papers frequently exposed corruption in local governments.
    He founded the first syndicate to provide feature stories, illustrations, and cartoons to newspapers (1902).
    He and his half-sister Ellen provided all of the funding for the Scripps Institution of Oceanography during its first decade (1907-17).

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 19 Votes: 42.11% Annoying