Morton Mintz
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Morton Mintz (born January 26, 1922) is an American investigative journalist who in his early years (1946–1958) reported for two
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
, newspapers, the '' Star-Times'' and the '' Globe-Democrat''; and then, most notably ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' (1958–1988). He exposed such scandals as
thalidomide Thalidomide, sold under the brand names Contergan and Thalomid among others, is an oral administered medication used to treat a number of cancers (e.g., multiple myeloma), graft-versus-host disease, and many skin disorders (e.g., complication ...
and the Dalkon Shield. Since 2004 he has been a Senior Adviser to Nieman Watchdog.


Career

In 1955, at the ''Globe-Democrat'', Mintz did the nation's first newspaper series on the plight of the mentally retarded. At the ''Post'', he broadened conventional definitions of "news" with people-oriented reporting on issues mainly involving the pharmaceutical, medical-device, tobacco, oil, auto and insurance industries. At the ''Post'', in 1962, Mintz broke the story of
thalidomide Thalidomide, sold under the brand names Contergan and Thalomid among others, is an oral administered medication used to treat a number of cancers (e.g., multiple myeloma), graft-versus-host disease, and many skin disorders (e.g., complication ...
, the sedative/tranquilizer that caused several thousand children worldwide to be born without arms, legs, or without any limbs at all. Although the press greeted the advent of the original oral contraceptive uncritically, he revealed that in approving
The Pill The combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP), often referred to as the birth control pill or colloquially as "the pill", is a type of birth control that is designed to be taken orally by women. It is the oral form of combined hormonal contra ...
, in 1960, the FDA had launched the greatest uncontrolled medical experiment in human history. Tens of millions of healthy human beings would take The Pill 20 or 21 days a month, often throughout their child-bearing lifespan, on the basis of inadequate scientific evidence of safety. Mintz also reported on numerous unsafe and/or ineffective medicines and medical devices, including cholesterol-lowering MER/29, which afflicted thousands with cataracts; Oraflex, a killer anti-arthritis drug withdrawn by the manufacturer only a few months after sales began, and the Dalkon Shield and Cu-7 IUDs. Starting in 1965, and continuing into 1999, he reported on the tobacco industry, including the 1988 smoker-death trial in which cigarette makers were compelled to disclose for the first time what they knew of the dangers of smoking and when they knew it. In 1993, Mintz wrote ''Allies: The ACLU and the Tobacco Industry,'' which exposed the
American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. T ...
's conflict of interest in advocating a key industry cause in Congress and soliciting and accepting money from that industry, both while disclosing nothing to ACLU members of either activity. In 1966, Mintz broke the story of the tailing of
Ralph Nader Ralph Nader (; born February 27, 1934) is an American lawyer and political activist involved in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes. He is a Perennial candidate, perennial presidential candidate. His 1965 book '' ...
by a private detective retained by
General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...
and for years covered automotive-safety issues. He was often alone in reporting grave corporate crime and misconduct. Mintz covered the Supreme Court's 1965 and 1978-1980 terms. In 1983, he reported on the refusal of the United States during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
to bomb the rail lines to the gas ovens at
Birkenau Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) d ...
and the
Auschwitz Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It consisted of Auschw ...
death camp itself. He based the story on an exclusive interview with
John J. McCloy John Jay McCloy (March 31, 1895 – March 11, 1989) was an American lawyer, diplomat, banker, and high-ranking bureaucrat. He served as United States Assistant Secretary of War, Assistant Secretary of War during World War II under Henry L. Stims ...
, who as an assistant Secretary of War had played a key role in the episode.


Personal life

Mintz lives in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
He
turned 100 A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100. Because life expectancies at birth worldwide are well below 100, the term is invariably associated with longevity. The United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living centenarian ...
in January 2022.


Awards

: Source: *Columbia Journalism Award, Columbia University (1983) *Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild Award for Public Service (twice) *
Playboy Foundation The Playboy Foundation is a corporate-giving organization that provides grants to non-profit groups involved in fighting censorship and researching human sexuality. It gives grants and in-kind contributions, such as advertising space in the ''Playb ...
's Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award for Lifetime Achievement *Worth Bingham Memorial Award *Heywood Broun Memorial Award *
Raymond Clapper Memorial Award The Raymond Clapper Memorial Award, later called the Washington Reporting Raymond Clapper Award, was an American journalism award presented from 1944 to 2011. Named in honor of Raymond Clapper (1892–1944), the award was given "to a journalist ...
(1962) *George Polk Memorial Award


Books


Authored

*''At Any Cost: Corporate Greed, Women, and the Dalkon Shield'' (1985) *''The Pill: An Alarming Report'' (1970) *''By Prescription Only: A report on the roles of the United States Food and Drug Administration, the American Medical Association, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and others in connection with the irrational and massive use of prescription drugs that may be worthless, injurious, or even lethal'' (1967). It updated: *''The Therapeutic Nightmare: A report on prescription drugs, the men who make them, and the agency that controls them'' (1965)


Co-authored

* ''America, Inc.: Who Owns and Operates the United States'' (1971), with Jerry S. Cohen * ''Power, Inc.'' (1976), with Jerry S. Cohen *''Quotations from President Ron'' (1987), with Margaret Mintz *''President Ron's Appointment Book'' (1988), with Anita Mintz


References


External links

*
Morton Mintz - Investigating power
— career timeline * Mort Wants To Know: Tompaine.com series on questions the press should but doesn't ask of federal candidate
Excerpts
* Nieman Watchdog Project
Senior adviser Morton Mintz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mintz, Morton St. Louis Globe-Democrat people Living people 1922 births American men centenarians