Atomic Bill : a journalist's dangerous ambition in the shadow of the bomb

In Atomic Bill , Vincent Kiernan examines the fraught career of New York Times science journalist, William L. Laurence and shows his professional and personal lives to be a cautionary tale of dangerous proximity to power. Laurence was fascinated with atomic science and its militarization. When the Manhattan Project drew near to perfecting the atomic bomb, he was recruited to write much of the government's press materials that were distributed on the day that Hiroshima was obliterated. That instantly crowned Laurence as one of the leading journalistic experts on the atomic bomb. As the Cold War dawned, some assessed Laurence as a propagandist defending the militarization of atomic energy. For others, he was a skilled science communicator who provided the public with a deep understanding of the atomic bomb. Laurence leveraged his perch at the Times to engage in paid speechmaking, book writing, filmmaking, and radio broadcasting. His work for the Times declined in quality even as his relationships with people in power grew closer and more lucrative. Atomic Bill reveals extraordinary ethical lapses by Laurence such as a cheating scandal at Harvard University and plagiarizing from press releases about atomic bomb tests in the Pacific. In 1963 a conflict of interest related to the 1964 World's Fair in New York City led to his forced retirement from the Times . Kiernan shows Laurence to have set the trend, common among today's journalists of science and technology, to prioritize gee-whiz coverage of discoveries. That approach, in which Laurence served the interests of governmental official and scientists, recommends a full revision of our understanding of the dawn of the atomic era.

In Atomic Bill, Vincent Kiernan examines the fraught career ofNew York Times sciencejournalist, William L. Laurence and shows his professional andpersonal lives to be a cautionary tale of dangerous proximity topower. Laurence was fascinated with atomic science and itsmilitarization. When the Manhattan Project drew near to perfectingthe atomic bomb, he was recruited to write much of the government'spress materials that were distributed on the day that Hiroshima wasobliterated. That instantly crowned Laurence as one of the leadingjournalistic experts on the atomic bomb. As the Cold War dawned,some assessed Laurence as a propagandist defending themilitarization of atomic energy. For others, he was a skilledscience communicator who provided the public with a deepunderstanding of the atomic bomb. Laurence leveraged his perch atthe Times to engage in paid speechmaking, book writing,filmmaking, and radio broadcasting. His work for the Times declinedin quality even as his relationships with people in power grewcloser and more lucrative. Atomic Bill revealsextraordinary ethical lapses by Laurence such as a cheating scandalat Harvard University and plagiarizing from press releases aboutatomic bomb tests in the Pacific. In 1963 a conflict of interestrelated to the 1964 World's Fair in New York City led to his forcedretirement from the Times. Kiernan shows Laurence to haveset the trend, common among today's journalists of science andtechnology, to prioritize gee-whiz coverage of discoveries. Thatapproach, in which Laurence served the interests of governmentalofficial and scientists, recommends a full revision of ourunderstanding of the dawn of the atomic era.

This book examines the fraught career of New York Times science journalist, William L. Laurence and shows his professional and personal lives to be a cautionary tale of dangerous proximity to power. Laurence was fascinated with atomic science and its militarization. When the Manhattan Project drew near to perfecting the atomic bomb, he was recruited to write much of the government's press materials that were distributed on the day that Hiroshima was obliterated. That instantly crowned Laurence as one of the leading journalistic experts on the atomic bomb. As the Cold War dawned, some assessed Laurence as a propagandist defending the militarization of atomic energy. For others, he was a skilled science communicator who provided the public with a deep understanding of the atomic bomb. Laurence leveraged his perch at the Times to engage in paid speechmaking, book writing, filmmaking, and radio broadcasting. His work for the Times declined in quality even as his relationships with people in power grew closer and more lucrative. This book reveals extraordinary ethical lapses by Laurence such as a cheating scandal at Harvard University and plagiarizing from press releases about atomic bomb tests in the Pacific. In 1963, a conflict of interest related to the 1964 World's Fair in New York City led to his forced retirement from the Times. The book shows Laurence to have set the trend, common among today's journalists of science and technology, to prioritize gee-whiz coverage of discoveries. That approach, in which Laurence served the interests of governmental official and scientists, recommends a full revision of our understanding of the dawn of the atomic era. "An examination of the work of the New York Times reporter William L. Laurence in covering the Manhattan Project, development of the hydrogen bomb, and the early years of atomic weaponry"-- Provided by publisher