CBS News took a look back at the career of Gay Talese, whose reporting and storytelling helped shape modern magazine journalism. His work has spanned about 70 years and has at times drawn both praise and controversy.
Talese’s 1969 book, The Kingdom and the Power, explored power struggles and family tensions at The New York Times, where he had worked his way up from copyboy to reporter. According to CBS News, the book became his first bestseller after taking him six years to finish.
Among Talese’s best-known pieces is the 1966 profile “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold,” which he wrote without direct access to Sinatra by interviewing more than 100 people around him. The story became one of the most famous magazine articles ever and helped establish Talese as a leading voice in what became known as New Journalism.
CBS News also noted that the New York Public Library has acquired Talese’s professional and personal archive. In the segment, writers and professors described him as unusually curious and praised the extra time and effort he brought to reporting.
