Obit

Perez, 55

FILIPINO JOURNALIST Jaime “Jimmy” Perez died last August 7. He was 55.

Perez was a sports writer for the Times Journal before joining the Philippine News Agency in 1984. He later resigned and worked for Ang Pahayagang Malaya. Because of the paper’s shortage of police reporters, Perez was temporarily assigned to the police beat and covered rallies and protests against the Marcos regime. He was one of the original staffers of Malaya.

Perez then resigned in 1994 and joined Today. He also worked as the media director for a Malacañang anti-smuggling group.

In an essay recalling the state of the press during the Marcos regime, Perez said: “The Malaya of yore is definitely now part of our history. We the original staffers are definitely a part of that history. But we chose to keep it to ourselves whatever contributions we shared in the attainment of genuine press freedom. We content ourselves with the thought that we did our best and put our lives on the line so that future generations would have the freedom to express thoughts without fear of persecution.”

(Source: “‘MALAYA’ | From the newsroom in the sky, Jimmy Perez tells the story of the press that freed us all“, InterAksyon.com)

Germond, 85

AMERICAN JOURNALIST Jack Worthen Germond died last August 14 of complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was 85.

Germond worked for the newspaper chain, Gannett, and later became its Washington bureau chief in 1969. In 1974, he joined The Washington Star as a political editor. He also wrote for The Baltimore Evening Sun in 1981 until 1995. Germond later joined its sister publication, The Baltimore Sun, and stayed there until 2001. (“Jack Germond, Political Reporter of the Old School, Dies at 85” ; The New York Times)

From 1977 to 2001, Germond teamed with Jules Witcover of The Washington Post to write the column “Politics Today”. He also appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press and The Today Show as well as on other public affairs television programs like The McLaughlin Group and Inside Washington. He was also a political analyst for NBC and CNN.

Germond was the co-author of books including “Blue Smoke and Mirrors: How Reagan Won and Why Carter Lost the election of 1980” (1981), “Wake Us When It’s Over: Presidential Politics of 1984” (1985), “Whose Broad Stripes and Bright Stars? The Trivial Pursuit of the Presidency, 1988” (1989), and “Mad As Hell: Revolt at the Ballot Box, 1992” (1993). (“Jack Germond, syndicated columnist and TV commentator, dies at 85” ; The Washington Post)

He also wrote “Fat Man Fed Up: How Amercian Politics Went Bad” (2004) and “Fat Man in the Middle Seat: Forty Years of Covering Politics” (2002). He had recently finished writing his first and last novel, “A Small Story for Page Three”.

Walter Mears, a former political writer for the Associated Press and a friend and rival of Germond, said in his article: “Jack Germond led the way in political reporting because he covered the field starting at the bottom. While other reporters were interviewing big names and often learning little, Jack was talking with precinct chairmen, county committee members, the people who built the political structures on which national figures stood. He had little use for press briefings longer on rhetoric than on information.” (“Walter R. Mears: Jack Germond ‘loved his calling’” ; Politico)

“Jack Germond was one of a kind. His talent was immeasurable, his company was a delight, his friendship a treasure. To have seen and shared them was among the great privileges of my career,” said Mears.