Obit

Coughlin, 91

AMERICAN JOURNALIST and newspaper editor William Coughlin died of liver cancer last May 8. He was 91.

Coughlin was the bureau chief of McGraw-Hill in London and Moscow. He covered Asia and the Middle East for The Los Angeles Times. (William Coughlin, 91, editor, dies; his newspaper exposed fouled water, The New York Times)

He also served as executive director of The Washington Daily News, a North Carolina newspaper.

Coughlin led the Daily News in winning a Pulitzer Prize for its report on carcinogens in the municipal water supply. (William J. Coughlin, who led small North Carolina newspaper to a Pulitzer, dies at 91, The Washington Post)

His survivors include three children, three grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter.

Potter, 72

AUSTRALIAN NEWSMAN Harry Potter died of cancer last May 8. He was 72.

Potter started his career at the Network Ten’s “Eyewitness News” in 1978 and worked there for 32 years. He was a journalist for more than 50 years. (Veteran Australian journalist Harry Potter dies at 72 after battle with cancer, Daily Mail)

He was the recipient of the John Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013.

In a statement on Potter’s death, Network Ten’s chief executive Hamish McLennan said: “Harry was in the front row of Australian police and crime reporting for the past half-century and became a household name, bringing Australia’s criminal underworld and all of its colourful characters into the lounge rooms of Ten’s viewers.” (Veteran TV crime reporter Harry Potter dies of cancer aged 72, The Guardian)

Ten’s executive director of news and current affairs, Peter Meakin, said: “Potter had a unique style, impeccable police contacts and genuine care for victims of crime. He was held in highest regard not only by his family at Ten, but by many police, families, journalists, and cameramen he has worked with over the years.” (Tribute to Harry Potter: Network Ten pays tribute to journalist who died overnight, The Daily Telegraph)

Potter is survived by his wife and four children.