Jesuit High School (1965).
He graduated
magna cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...
from
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
(1969), where he majored in German literature. He studied at the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in contin ...
as a
Rhodes Scholar
The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...
, specializing in German literature and the work of
Thomas Mann
Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novella ...
.
After completing his studies during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, Amoss applied for conscientious objector status. Granted the designation, he worked as an orderly in Boston City Hospital. Upon returning to New Orleans two years later, Amoss enrolled in a night course at
Loyola University New Orleans
Loyola University New Orleans is a private Jesuit university in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans ( , ,[States-Item
''The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate'' is an American newspaper published in New Orleans, Louisiana, since January 25, 1837. The current publication is the result of the 2019 acquisition of ''The Times-Picayune'' (itself a result of th ...]
''.
His reporting included several investigations with reporting partner
Dean Baquet
Dean P. Baquet (; born September 21, 1956) is an American journalist. He served as the executive editor of ''The New York Times'' from May 2014 to June 2022. Between 2011 and 2014 Baquet was managing editor under the previous executive editor J ...
, including one into organized crime kingpin
Carlos Marcello
Carlos Joseph Marcello (; born Calogero Minacore ; February 6, 1910 – March 3, 1993) was an Italian-American crime boss of the New Orleans crime family from 1947 until the late 1980s.
Aside from his role in the American Mafia, he is also ...
.
After the merger of ''The States-Item'' with ''The Times-Picayune'' in 1980, Amoss was named bureau chief in
St. Bernard Parish before he became city editor in 1982, then metro editor in 1983 and associate editor in 1988. He was named editor of ''The Times-Picayune'' in July 1990. He was offered the position in the spring of 1990, after he had accepted a
Nieman Fellowship
The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University awards multiple types of fellowships.
Nieman Fellowships for journalists
A Nieman Fellowship is an award given to journalists by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University ...
at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
; he declined the fellowship.
In October 2012, he added the title of vice president of content for NOLA Media Group, a new company composed of the newspaper and its affiliate website,
NOLA.com.
During his tenure, ''The Times-Picayune'' evolved from being regarded as one of the nation's worst big-city newspapers to winning acclaim as one of its best. In a 1997 interview with the
American Journalism Review
The ''American Journalism Review'' (''AJR'') was an American magazine covering topics in journalism. It was launched in 1977 as the ''Washington Journalism Review'' by journalist Roger Kranz. It ceased publication in 2015.
History and profile
T ...
, Amoss said, "There is a false hypothesis that the ''Times-Picayune'' was floundering until Jim Amoss took over. When I took over from
redecessorCharlie Ferguson this was a paper that was sure of its mission and already had in place a substantial number of the building blocks to carry it out."
Colleagues have described Amoss as having a knack for "finding, promoting and deploying good editors"
coupled with a "low-key management style," in which "he would authorize his lieutenants ... to guide the paper as best we saw fit, and he would intervene ... only in the event that he saw problems."
In 2012, Amoss led meetings on May 24 announcing to the newspaper's staff that its owner,
Advance Publications
Advance Publications, Inc., doing business as Advance, is an American media company owned by the descendants of S.I. Newhouse Sr., Donald Newhouse and S.I. Newhouse Jr. It owns a large number of subsidiary companies, including Condé Nast, a ...
, had decided the print edition of the ''Times-Picayune'' would be published only three days a week (Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday) beginning that fall. On June 12, 2012, Amoss and other managers informed more than 200 members of the newspaper staff that their last day at the company would be September 30, 2012. Amoss oversaw a cut of 84 employees from the newsroom, nearly half of the staff of 175.
With new hiring, he said, the news gathering staff ultimately would total 151. Amoss the next day defended the decision in a front-page letter to readers, saying, "we made it in order to preserve and grow the journalism we and our community value."
In an interview with the
Columbia Journalism Review
The ''Columbia Journalism Review'' (''CJR'') is a biannual magazine for professional journalists that has been published by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961. Its contents include news and media industry trends, ana ...
published in March 2013, Amoss explained further: "I think fundamentally, newspapers right now are choosing between remaining as they are and hoping that somehow things will turn around, or restructuring radically in order to have a long-term future. When I say that I think that our owners have invested, I mean that they chose the second path. All the evidence points to—and this is why I decided to stay, by the way—their wanting to stay in business long-term, and figure out in an intellectually rigorous way how to do so."
NOLA.com announced on September 3, 2015, that Amoss would be stepping down as editor, remaining on the editorial board into the fall, when he would become an editor at large for
Advance Digital
Advance Digital provides sales and content strategy, product development and technology to the Advance Local media group, part of Advance Publications. Advance Publications is an American media company owned by the descendants of Samuel Irving N ...
, an affiliate of the news organization.
His replacement is state/metro editor
Mark Lorando. Amoss' last day at NOLA.com , ''The Times-Picayune'' was October 22, 2015, his 68th birthday.
Awards
Amoss was named Editor of the Year by the
National Press Foundation
The National Press Foundation is a nonprofit journalism training organization. It educates journalists on complex issues and trains them in reporting tools and techniques. It recognizes and encourages excellence in journalism through its awards.
...
in 1996 and by
Editor and Publisher
''Editor & Publisher'' (''E&P'') is an American monthly trade news magazine covering the newspaper industry. Published since 1901, ''Editor & Publisher'' is the self-described "bible of the newspaper industry."
Originally based in New York City, ...
in 2006, when he also won the
American Society of News Editors
The American Society of News Editors (ASNE) was a membership organization for editors, producers or directors in charge of journalistic organizations or departments, deans or faculty at university journalism schools, and leaders and faculty of ...
' award for Editorial Leadership.
In 2006 Amoss received the 2005
Henri Nannen Prize
Gruner + Jahr is a publishing house headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. The company was founded in 1965 by , , and Gerd Bucerius. From 1969 to 1973, Bertelsmann acquired a majority share in the company and gradually increased it over time. Afte ...
for his editorial work on ''The Times-Picayune''.
He served for nine years as a member of the
Pulitzer Prize Board and is a member of the Board of Visitors of the Manship School of Mass Communication at
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...
.
Nola Media Group established an annual employee award in his honor, the Amoss Award, in 2017. It recognizes "timeless journalism that earned the trust of the community and the respect of colleagues."
Amoss is a classical pianist
and describes himself as "hopelessly addicted to ice cream and good chocolate."
Notes
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amoss, Jim
Living people
Yale College alumni
American Rhodes Scholars
Writers from New Orleans
American newspaper journalists
American newspaper editors
1947 births