New York Observer's Peter Kaplan dies at 59 - Poynter.org

by Sandra Oshiro^[1] Published Nov. 30, 2013 12:37 pm

The New York Times | The New York Observer | The Huffington Post
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Peter Kaplan, The New York Observer’s editor from 1994 to 2009, died Friday of cancer, The New York Times and Observer reported. He was 59.

The New York Observer^[5] described Kaplan as “an outsized figure at the newspaper and across the city itself, not least for launching the careers of writers in every corner of journalism, book publishing and beyond.”

The Observer reprinted Kaplan’s tribute to editor Clay Felker as an example of Kaplan’s adage: “Never hold your best stuff.”

The Huffington Post wrote^[6] of Kaplan’s tenure at the Observer:

During his time there its distinctive salmon-colored pages gained a reputation as an authoritative source on the activities and the foibles of New York’s notables. More importantly, the paper became a breeding ground for journalistic talent^[7] , and Kaplan pioneered a sharp, sardonic tone that would go on to influence the entire architecture of the media world.

The New York Times reported his survivors include his second wife, Lisa Chase, and their son, David. He was also previously married to Audrey Walker and they had three children. Other survivors include his brothers, James and Robert.

Tags: Obituaries, Peter Kaplan^{[8] [9]}

References

1. ^{^} Posts by Sandra Oshiro (www.poynter.org)


2. ^{^} The New York Times (www.nytimes.com)


3. ^{^} The New York Observer (observer.com)


4. ^{^} The Huffington Post (www.huffingtonpost.com)


5. ^{^} The New York Observer (observer.com)


6. ^{^} The Huffington Post wrote (www.huffingtonpost.com)


7. ^{^} breeding ground for journalistic talent (www.buzzfeed.com)


8. ^{^} Obituaries (www.poynter.org)


9. ^{^} Peter Kaplan (www.poynter.org)