Obit

Harvey, 68

AUSTRALIAN TELEVISION journalist Peter Harvey died of pancreatic cancer last March 2. He was 68.

Harvey began his career as a copy boy at The Daily Telegraph. In 1975, he worked  for Channel Nine and covered significant events in Australian and world history. (Journalist Peter Harvey dies after battle with cancer, ABC News Online)

He also served as chief reporter of Nine’s Canberra bureau then joined the network’s Sydney team in 1997. (Tributes flow for Peter Harvey, 9News)

Harvey also worked at BBC Radio and The Express. He later moved to The Guardian. In 1973, he was given a British Reporter of the Year award for his stories about corruption in government departments. He also received a Walkley Award for his coverage of the 1964 gangland shootings in Australia. Harvey was also a member of the Canberra press gallery.

In a statement on Harvey’s death, Channel Nine’s CEO David Gyngell said: “This is the saddest of days for the Nine Network. Peter Harvey – Harves as he is known to everyone – is and will remain an indelible part of Nine.” (Peter Harvey, veteran TV reporter, has died aged 68, SMH National)

Laurie Oakes, Harvey’s fellow political correspondent, said: “Peter Harvey was a fierce competitor when we worked for rival networks, and a valued colleague in the 13 years we were together in the Nine Network’s Canberra Bureau.”  (Journalist Peter Harvey dies after battle with cancer, ABC News Online)

 

 

Syrigos, 65

GREEK SPORTS journalist Filippos Syrigos died of cancer last October 13. He was 65.

Syrigos worked was with  the Greek daily newspaper Eleftherotypia. (Greek Sports Journalist Filippos Syrigos Passes Away, Greek Reporter)

Syrigos reported on the doping cases in Greece and also wrote on hooliganism and dealings connected to the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Syrigos was also known for his basketball commentaries in the 1980s. (Sports Journalist Syrigos, voice of Greek 1987 basketball win, dies at 65, ekathimerini.com)

 

 

Fritz, 68

AMERICAN JOURNALIST Sara Fritz died of complications from a lung infection last October 16. She was 68.

Fritz started her career as a copy editor at the Pittsburgh Press. She later moved to Washington and covered the labor beat for the United Press International wire service. She also worked as White House correspondent for the U.S. News & World Report.  (Journalist Sara Fritz dies at 68, Washington Post)

Fritz joined the Los Angeles Times in 1983 and worked there as reporter and investigative editor. In 1997, she became the managing editor of Congressional Quarterly’s CQ Weekly Report.  In 1999 to 2004, Fritz served as the Washington bureau chief for the St. Petersburg Times, now the Tampa Bay Times. (Sara Fritz, former Times Washington bureau chief, dies, Tampa Bay Times)

Fritz won the Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for best reporting on Congress in 1989. Her winning piece, “What’s Wrong with Congress,” was a four-part series of articles that examined the failures of the Congress.  (Sara Fritz dies at 68; former Times journalist, Los Angeles Times)

Fritz also wrote “The Handbook of Campaign Spending” and “Gold-Plated Politics: Running for Congress in the 1990s.” (Sara Fritz, former Times Washington bureau chief, dies, Tampa Bay Times)

In a statement on Fritz’s death, Tampa Bay Times editor Neil Brown said: “Sara Fritz was one of Washington’s most respected watchdog reporters and she was a credit to our newsroom.”

Washington Post political correspondent and former Los Angeles Times correspondent Karen Tumulty said: “Sara had a sharp eye, a deep sense of perspective and a Rolodex full of sources who trusted her judgment and integrity. There was no subject that she couldn’t master — from healthcare to foreign policy to the sources of dysfunction and the corruption in our political system.” (Sara Fritz dies at 68; former Times journalist, Los Angeles Times)