A TEXAS JOURNALIST’S JOURNALIST

Texas Torchbearer: BURL OSBORNE

"Burl: Journalism Giant and Medical Trailblazer” by Jane Wolfe is a captivating story of a man who had far-reaching impact

By David Muscari

To those who knew Burl Osborne, he was an extraordinary figure who touched many lives with his professionalism, profound vision, compassion, and wicked sense of humor.

His impact resonates to this day in Dallas and throughout journalism circles.

Released in September by Andrews McMeel Publishing, “Burl: Journalism Giant and Medical Trailblazer” is the captivating story of the former chairman of the Associated Press and editor and publisher of the Dallas Morning News.

Osborne upped the ante in nearly every corner of the newspaper and raised the standard of staff talent.

It thrusts readers into the remarkable life of a man at the forefront of both medicine and a golden age of journalism, a man who transformed the undistinguished Dallas Morning News into a Pulitzer Prize-winning juggernaut while waging — and ultimately winning — one of America’s last great newspaper wars.

“Burl” chronicles his improbable journey from hardscrabble Kentucky coal mining country to the very top of his profession through a series of memorable anecdotes and interviews.

Severe Medical Challenges

Osborne’s life was never easy. After being diagnosed with a fatal kidney disease as a child, he and his mother, Juanita, fought the illness. He pioneered home dialysis treatment and in 1966 received a kidney from her in what was only the 130th living donor kidney transplant.

While managing this debilitating illness, Osborne distinguished himself as a writer and reporter with the Associated Press.

Osborne began his journalism career in 1957 at his hometown newspaper, The Ashland Daily Independent in Kentucky, while attending the local college. After transferring to Marshall College in nearby Huntington, West Virginia, he worked as a reporter at WHTN-TV, Channel 13, the CBS affiliate. Upon graduation, he landed his dream job with the AP in the one-man bureau in small-town Bluefield, West Virginia.

He rose to AP managing editor and in 1980 was hired by A.H. Belo Corp., the oldest continually operating company in Texas, to be vice president and executive editor of the Dallas Morning News.

Against the advice of colleagues and doctors, he accepted the position and began to turn the Texas battleship in a much different direction, lofting Belo’s flagship newspaper into the

Osborne as a reporter for former CBS affiliate WHTN

Addressing the Associated Press

Osborne promoted women into powerful positions, including vice president and editorial page editor Rena Pederson and business columnist Cheryl Hall.

Preparing a speech for the American Society of News Editors

market’s leading news source and one of the largest operations in the U.S.

His experience in small markets gave him unique insights and a series of memorable monikers, including “Buckskin,” “Brownie,” “the General” and even the “Duke of Burl.” Every nickname stems from a story about the 5-foot-6-inch industry giant.

Osborne not only rose to editor and publisher of the Dallas Morning News and to Belo’s board, he also influenced national and international journalism during his 14 years on the AP board, where he was chair from 2002 until 2007.

Shaping Journalism Here and Abroad

Osborne upped the ante in nearly every corner of the newspaper and raised the standard of staff talent. He brought in longtime friend Ralph Langer to be managing editor at a time when the News had a history of promoting only from within. His hiring of sports editor Dave Smith from the Boston Globe ushered in a highly successful era of extensive reporting on franchises such as the Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers, and Dallas Mavericks.

Columnists like Blackie Sherrod and Frank Luksa, who were snatched from the Dallas Times Herald, and Randy Galloway penned award-winning stories.

Seasoned journalists ran the paper. Carl Leubsdorf led the Washington, D.C. bureau while Bob Mong headed several sections including business, which became a major calling card for the News.

By establishing bureaus across the U.S. and around the world in places such as Tel Aviv, Cuba, and Mexico City, the Dallas Morning News pushed boundaries to become, as Osborne liked to say, a “newspaper of distinction.”

Osborne also promoted women into powerful positions, including vice president and editorial page editor Rena Pederson and business columnist Cheryl Hall.

He renovated, innovated, and updated. For example, Osborne launched the “bulldog,” a special Sunday edition of the paper that went on sale Saturday afternoon.

Determined to make it work, employees took to calling it the “Burldog.” It was one of a series of improvements that gave the News an edge in its ongoing battle with the Dallas Times Herald.

The newspaper war became top of mind among journalists. There were features on the clash of the titans in Texas Monthly and other periodicals, and the two publishers even squared off on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

After years of combat, the 112-year-old Times Herald closed its doors in 1991, and Belo purchased the assets, leaving Osborne to run Dallas’s lone daily. It was the end of a historic newspaper war that was among the last of its kind in the U.S.

From there, Osborne’s focus on

We all have so much respect for Burl on levels that many people likely never knew about. He was a true visionary, and one of the smartest, most courageous journalists I have ever known.” — David Woo

Osborne was gifted cowboy boots when he moved to Dallas journalism ramped up. He launched the Arlington Morning News in 1996 and three papers in 2003: Collin County Morning News; Quick, a tabloid aimed at the younger market; and Al Día, a Spanish language paper. Only Al Día would survive the digital pressure on print media.

Osborne ushered in DallasNews.com and played a key role in the purchase of Rhode Island’s Providence Journal Co. and the liftoff of Texas Cable News (TXCN), a forward-thinking regional news hub that produced TV broadcasts designed for cable systems around the state.

Osborne was also instrumental in combining resources from broadcast, print, and the web to cover news together.

Along the way, Osborne earned the respect of business and national political leaders as well as reporters, editors, and publishers around the country.

Ironically, one of the top journalists in the world was the son of a father who could neither read nor write.

Robert W. Decherd, who was responsible for bringing Betty and Burl Osborne to Texas, wrote in the book’s foreword: “Burl’s newsroom…won six Pulitzers [the first in 1986] in just eight years for a newspaper that, before his arrival, was not particularly well known or admired on a national level.” Brigette and Jonathan Osborne and Betty and Burl Osborne

Betty Osborne’s Mission

After he passed away at age 75, his widow Betty made the publication of his life story her passion project. She selected Wolfe, a former Dallas Morning News reporter and author of two biographies of notable Texans, and worked tirelessly supplying personal stories and notes, letters, photos, medical records, and other memorabilia.

Betty and Burl Osborne were a Dallas power couple, and a love story for the ages. She was his closest confidant, traveling companion, soul mate, and deepest source of inspiration. Betty also grew up in Kentucky, understood her husband’s background, and joyously shared his triumphs, struggles, and their beloved son Jonathan.

“He was a great man, but an even greater father,” Jonathan says. “His love for my mother, Betty, was epic, as was hers for him, and his memories will live with and comfort her forever.”

David Woo, a decorated photojournalist who was on staff at the Dallas Morning News, helped Betty with photos for “Burl.”

“This project is a true labor of love,” says Woo, who lives in Colleyville and publishes books of his own. “We all have so much respect for Burl on levels that many people likely never knew about. He was a true visionary, and one of the smartest, most courageous journalists I have ever known.”