Robert Wiedrich
Born: 1927 in Chicago, Illinois
Pen Name: None Connection to Illinois: Robert Wiedrich was born and lived his entire life in Chicago. Biography: Robert grew up in Chicago and was a News reporter for many years for the Chicago Tribune, where he started in 1950. He was one of the original watchdog reporters who went after Chicago's corrupt politicians and mobsters.The Tribune reporter and columnist exposed mob enterprises and police corruption and went on to become one of the most influential newspapermen of his time.
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Selected Titles
Windy City watchdog : ISBN: 1441589309 OCLC: 607073976 Xlibris Corporation, Bloomington, IN : 2009. "Bob Wiedrich for many years was Chicago's foremost newspaper columnist, writing in the Chicago Tribune about crime, corrupt politicians, and major personalities. He made his mark shortly after mid-century, an era when the Mafia held a dominant role and the power of the press was at its zenith. In those days, the Tribune called itself the World's Greatest Newspaper. Hoodlums lived in fear of Wiedrich, who rooted out their nefarious activities, serving as a prod to law enforcement and the courts. It was a time when television and radio wer unable to push the newspapers aside and there was yet no cable TV, satellite communication, or the internet. In these pages, Wiedrich recounts his exploits and the highlights of a career that can never be duplicated, as the forces of new media continue to fragment the nation's press. In addition to the assassination of Robert Kennedy, Wiedrich writes of the deadly Our Lady of Angels elementary school fire, the trail of mass murderer Richard Speck, and efforts to quell Chicago gangland's sinister floating crap grame. As well, he documents his world travels to 17 countries, including Afghanistan, in pursuit of the global narcotics trade. Wiedrich's career spanned the newspaper era from the typewriter and Linotype machine to the digital age. He would not write 30 to his reporting until he was in hailing distance of a new millennium." (Found on book website). |