William Worthy (Jr)

Abstract

This article examines the career of William Worthy Jr., an influential but overlooked African-American foreign correspondent whose activities and writings from the 1950s through the 1980s helped transform the role of modern foreign correspondence. The study argues that Worthy's successful challenges of government-ordered travel bans solidified the right of the media to report from anywhere in the world. An examination of approximately 50 articles identified the range of Worthy's foreign reporting which addressed imperialism, communism, race relations, and US practices and policies abroad. His work was important not simply because it changed how foreign news is gathered, but because it represented a missing voice and provided a distinctive perspective on world events and the impact of US government actions on the global community. Research on Worthy's career is significant not merely because it fills a void, but it is emblematic of African American foreign correspondence, an area of journalism with which contemporary scholars may have lost sight or perhaps are unaware.

Keywords:

• African American press
• alternative mass media
• foreign correspondence
• freedom of the press

Notes

1. McCarran Internal Security Act, 1950, 50 U.S.C., Section 781.

2. William Worthy Jr. v. Christian A. Herter, 1959, 270 F.2d.905, 106 U.S. App.DC. 153, retrieved from http://www.finddlaw.com, October 2008.

3. United States v. William Worthy, Jr., 1962, Cr. No. 214-62-M-Cr., retrieved from the personal collection of Randy Goodman, February 2008.

4. Probation Form, 1962, United States District Court, Southern District of Florida, September 17, 1962, retrieved from the personal collection of Ruth Worthy.

5. William Worthy v. United States, 1964, 328F.2d 386, Copy of case filing retrieved from the personal collection of Ruth Worthy, 17 March 2008. Case also retrieved from http://bulk.resource.org/courts.gov/c/F2/328/328.F2d.386.20062_1.html, October 2008.

6. William Worthy, et al. v. William H. Webster, et al., 1982, 82-0183, retrieved from the personal collection of Randy Goodman, February 2008 and American Civil Liberties Union Archives, Legal Case Files, Series 4, Frame Number: 0746; Box/Folder Number: 1856.