John Black Atkins

John Black Atkins (5 November 1871 – 1954)[1] was a British journalist. He served as the war correspondent for the Manchester Guardian in the Spanish–American War, the Greco-Turkish War and in the Second Boer War. He also wrote the biography of William Howard Russell.[2]

Life

He was the third son of James Bucknell Atkins of Anerley, born on 5 November 1871. He was educated at Marlborough College, matriculating in 1889 at Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1892 and M.A. in 1896.[3] At Cambridge, he ran against William Beach Thomas of Oxford University when competing in the Cambridge University athletics team.[4]

After Cambridge, Atkins joined the Manchester Guardian. He left England on 23 April 1898[5] as the first special correspondent of the newspaper[1] to cover the Spanish–American War of 1898 in both Cuba and Puerto Rico.[6] Atkins covered the Battle of El Caney[6] and accompanied General William Rufus Shafter's army in the Capture of Santiago[7] in Cuba. In Puerto Rico he covered the attack on Asomante Heights and interviewed General Nelson A. Miles.

Atkins was specially chosen by Charles Prestwich Scott, the then editor of the Manchester Guardian to cover the Second Boer War for his journalistic skills. Scott who sought to reflect his newspaper as a neutral force in the opposition of the war chose Atkins for his non-imperialistic views. Yet as the war progressed Atkins tended to support the war effort sticking only to the facts.[8]

Atkins made friends with fellow correspondent Winston Churchill (who later went on to be the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom) whom he described as "slim, slightly reddish-haired, pale, lively, frequently plunging along the deck".[9] He later published the book The Relief of Ladysmith based on his experience in the Boer War.[6] On his return to England he was promoted to London editor in 1901.[1] He left the Manchester Guardian in 1907 and joined The Spectator as an assistant editor. He held that position until 1926.[3]

Bibliography
  • John Black Atkins (1899). The War in Cuba, the Experiences of an Englishman with the United States Army, by John Black Atkins. With Frontispiece and Maps. Smith.
  • John Black Atkins (1947). Incidents and reflections. Christophers.
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References
  1. Mitchel P. Roth (1 January 1997). Historical Dictionary of War Journalism. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-313-29171-5.
  2. Perry, James M. "The World's Greatest War Correspondent (book review)". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  3. "Atkins, John Black (ATKS889JB)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  4. Atkins, J. B. (15 September 1950), Sir William Beach Thomas, The Spectator, retrieved 13 November 2013
  5. John Black Atkins (11 February 1899). "The War in Cuba". The Spectator. p. 23. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  6. Mark Barnes (2 September 2010). The Spanish–American War and Philippine Insurrection, 1898 1902: An Annotated Bibliography. Taylor & Francis. pp. 115–116. ISBN 978-0-203-84682-7.
  7. Albert Bushnell Hart (1 July 2002). American History Told by Contemporaries: Welding of the Nation 1845 - 1900. The Minerva Group, Inc. p. 586. ISBN 978-1-4102-0100-3.
  8. John Simpson (3 February 2011). Unreliable Sources: How the Twentieth Century Was Reported. Pan Macmillan. pp. 19–21. ISBN 978-0-230-75010-4.
  9. Foden, Giles (10 April 2010). "Unreliable Sources: How the 20th Century Was Reported, by John Simpson". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
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