"Serve It Up Hot and Brief": The Journalistic Innovations and Influence of Willard M. Kiplinger. Issue 2 (3rd April 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wells, Rob
• Is Part Of: American journalism. Volume 38:Issue 2(2021)
• Page Start: 177
• Page End: 201
• Publication Date: 2021-04-03
• Subjects: Journalism -- United States -- History -- Periodicals; Journalism -- History -- Periodicals; Journalism -- United States -- Periodicals; Periodicals; 071.309
• DOI: 10.1080/08821127.2021.1912982
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0882-1127

Abstract

Abstract : The newsletter format has witnessed a popular resurgence in digital media but little is known about the origins of this multi-billion dollar industry for specialized information. Newsletter industry pioneer Willard M. Kiplinger, whose Kiplinger Washington Letter claims to be the oldest continuously published newsletter in the US, perfected a type of reporting that influenced publications ranging from Newsweek to U.S. News & World Report, Bloomberg, Axios, and others. The Kiplinger Washington Letter was influential during the New Deal, with Kiplinger serving as a crucial bridge between conservative business leaders and New Deal regulators. Kiplinger's weekly newsletter nurtured a close reader engagement through a specialized research service and extensive correspondence with his subscribers, a type of early crowdsourcing that anticipated the active audience interaction in digital journalism.