SOURCE: "A Study of New Yorker Profiles of Famous Journalists," in Journalism Quarterly, Vol. 23, No. 4, December, 1946, pp. 370-80.

An American educator and journalist, Drewry wrote on communications and American media. In the following excerpt, he surveys New Yorker profiles of famous journalists, including cartoonists, press agents, and radio commentators, that appeared during the magazine's first twenty years of publication.

When my Post Biographies of Famous Journalists appeared in 1942, Professor R. E. Wolseley, then of the Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, and now of Syracuse University, wrote, "I hope you will bring together the New Yorker's Profiles that deal with journalists … for that would make a good companion volume."

This suggestion, seconded by several other reviewers of the Post book, led to an examination of the New Yorker file and the preparation of this study of the Profiles of newspapermen, authors, publishers, cartoonists, press agents, playwrights, and radio...