Seymour Topping

Seymour Topping (December 11, 1921 –

November 8, 2020) was an American
journalist best known for his work as a
foreign correspondent covering wars in
China, Korea, Vietnam, Laos, and
Cambodia, and the Cold War in Europe.
From 1969 to 1986, he was the second
senior-most editor at The New York Times.
At the time of his death,[1] he was the San
Paolo Professor Emeritus of International
Journalism at Columbia University, where
he also served as administrator of the
Pulitzer Prizes from 1993 to 2002.
 Seymour Topping

Topping at the Reynolds Journalism Institute

(2008)
Born Seymour Topolksy
December 11, 1921
New York City, New
York, U.S.
Died November 8, 2020
(aged 98)
White Plains, New
York, U.S.
Occupation Journalist, author,
and professor
Language English
Alma mater University of Missouri
School of Journalism
Notable works On the Front Lines of
the Cold War
Journey Between Two
Chinas
Spouse Audrey Ronning (m. 1948)
Children 5

Early life
Topping was born as Seymour Topolksy
on December 11, 1921, in Harlem. His
father, Joseph, and mother, Anna
(Seidman), were Russian Jewish
immigrants. He grew up in Queens and
The Bronx and graduated from Evander
Childs High School in the latter borough in
1939. He went on to receive his
undergraduate degree in journalism from
the University of Missouri School of
Journalism in 1943.[2]

Career
Topping was a member of the Reserve
Officers' Training Corps and served as an
United States Army infantry officer in the
Philippines during World War II.[2] After this
stint with the army, he joined the
International News Service in Manila, and
was assigned to China to cover the civil
war in that region. He went on to join the
Associated Press in 1948 as a foreign
correspondent in China and Southeast
Asia.[3] In 1949, while covering the civil
war, he was taken a prisoner by the
advancing communist forces in Nanjing
and was released when the nationalist
forces surrendered.[2][4] In the 1950s, he
reported on the Korean War, and also was
the first U.S. correspondent in Vietnam
since World War II, where he covered the
French colonial war against the
communist forces led by Ho Chi Minh.[2]  

He joined The New York Times in 1959.

Over the next 34 years, he held a variety of
positions, including metropolitan reporter,
Moscow and Southeast Asia bureau chief,
foreign editor, assistant managing editor
(1969–1976), deputy managing editor
(1976), and managing editor (1977–1986).
From 1969 onward, he was noted for being
second only to executive editor A. M.
Rosenthal.[4] His partnership with
Rosenthal was credited with many
innovations at the newspaper, including
the introduction of feature sections and
magazine supplements, facilitating
unprecedented commercial success.[2]
Following a reorganization of the company
by Arthur Ochs Sulzberger in 1985,
Topping became director of editorial
development for The New York Times
Company in 1987. In this position, his
mandate was to focus on improving the
journalistic quality of the then 32 regional
associate newspapers owned by the
Times Company.[4][5]

During Topping's time as the Moscow

bureau chief, he covered the U-2 spy
incident (1960), the Sino-Soviet split (early
1960s), the Soviet space program (early
1960s), and the Cuban Missile Crisis
(1962).[2] Later, as Southeast Asian bureau
chief from 1963 to 1966, he covered the
Vietnam War, the Laotian Civil War, and the
Cambodian Civil War.[2] Some of the key
events that he covered therein include; the
Chinese Revolution, the First Indochina
War, and the Cold War in Europe.[2]

In 1993, he left The New York Times to join

the Pulitzer Prize Board as its secretary
and administrator. He held this position
until his retirement in 2002.[5] He also
taught at the Columbia University
Graduate School of Journalism as the San
Paolo Professor of International
Journalism from 1994 to 2002.[6]

Topping served as the president of

Emeritus Professors at Columbia,[7]
president of the American Society of
Newspaper Editors (1992–1993),
president of the International Advisory
Board of the School of Journalism at
Tsinghua University,[8] and chairman of the
ASNE's Committee on International
Communication.[9] He was also a member
of the National Committee on United
States–China Relations,[10] the Council on
Foreign Relations,[5] the Asia Society, and
the Century Association.[11][12] New York
Times journalist Robert D. McFadden
stated that Topping was "one of the most
accomplished foreign correspondents of
his generation and a newsroom leader
under the renowned executive editor A. M.
Rosenthal."[2] John Daniszewski of the
Associated Press described Topping as
"among the most accomplished foreign
correspondents of his generation for the
Associated Press and The New York
Times."[13]

Personal life
He was married to photojournalist,
documentary filmmaker, and author
Audrey Ronning Topping (the daughter of
Canadian diplomat Chester Ronning) on
November 10, 1948; they had five children.
From 1967 until his death, they lived in
Scarsdale, New York. One of their
daughters, Susan, died of cancer in
October 2015.[14][15]
Topping died on November 8, 2020 in
White Plains, New York, at age 98, from a
stroke.[2]

Bibliography
Topping was the author of:

On the Front Lines of the Cold War: An

American Correspondent's Journal from
the Chinese Civil War to the Cuban
Missile Crisis and Vietnam (2010). Baton
Rouge: Louisiana State University Press.
ISBN 9780807137307[16]
Journey Between Two Chinas (1972).
New York: Harper & Row.
 ISBN 9780060143299[17]
The Peking Letter: A Novel of the Chinese
Civil War (1999) New York: PublicAffairs.
ISBN 9781891620355[18]
Fatal Crossroads: A Novel of Vietnam
1945 (based partly on the experiences
of OSS officer A. Peter Dewey) (2005)
White Plains: Signature Books.
ISBN 978-1891936692[19]

Articles by Topping and his wife were

included in The New York Times Report
from Red China (New York: Quadrangle
Books, 1971).[20]

References
1. News, A. B. C. "Renowned world
correspondent Seymour Topping dead
at 98" . ABC News. Retrieved
November 10, 2020.
2. McFadden, Robert. "Seymour Topping,
Former Times Journalist and
Eyewitness to History, Dies at 98" .
New York Times. Archived from the
original on November 8, 2020.
Retrieved November 8, 2020.
3. "Seymour Topping" . Archived from
the original on September 21, 2020.
Retrieved November 8, 2020.
4. "archives.nypl.org – New York Times
Company records. Seymour Topping
papers" . archives.nypl.org. Archived
from the original on December 22,
2015. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
5. "Renowned world correspondent
Seymour Topping dead at 98" . ABC
News. Archived from the original on
November 8, 2020. Retrieved
November 8, 2020.
6. Glaberson, William (February 10,
1993). "Topping Leaving Times Co. To
Administer the Pulitzers (Published
1993)" . Archived from the original on
September 21, 2017. Retrieved
February 18, 2017 – via
NYTimes.com.
7. "Columbia Journalism – Seymour
Topping" . Archived from the original
on December 23, 2019.
8. "School of Journalism and
Communication's Founds International
Advisory Board-Tsinghua University
News" . news.tsinghua.edu.cn.
Retrieved November 8, 2020.
 9. "JOURNALISM PROGRAM
ANNOUNCED (Published 1984)" . The
New York Times. February 5, 1984.
ISSN 0362-4331 . Archived from the
original on January 30, 2018.
Retrieved November 8, 2020.
10. "National Committee on US China
Relations – Annual Report 2004–05"
(PDF). Archived (PDF) from the
original on November 8, 2020.
11. "archives.nypl.org – New York Times
Company records. Seymour Topping
papers" . archives.nypl.org. Archived
from the original on December 22,
2015. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
12. "NYT journalist Ellen Barry wins
Osborn Elliott Prize for Excellence in
Journalism on Asia" . The American
Bazaar. May 9, 2017. Archived from
the original on July 19, 2017.
Retrieved November 8, 2020.
13. Daniszewski, John (November 7,
2020). "Renowned world
correspondent Seymour Topping dead
at 98" . Associated Press. Retrieved
November 8, 2020.
14. Wilson, David McKay. "Scarsdale
mansion battles: Property owners
fight tax levies" . The Journal News.
Archived from the original on
December 10, 2018. Retrieved
November 8, 2020.
15. Mail, Arlene Shovald, Special to The.
"Susan Topping, 64, dies following
long battle with cancer" .
TheMountainMail.com. Archived
from the original on November 8,
2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
16. "On the front lines of the Cold War : an
American correspondent's journal
from the Chinese Civil War to the
Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam" .
Library of Congress. Archived from
the original on November 8, 2020.
Retrieved November 8, 2020.
17. "Journey between two Chinas" .
Library of Congress. Archived from
the original on November 8, 2020.
Retrieved November 8, 2020.
18. "The Peking letter : a novel of the
Chinese civil war" . Library of
Congress. Retrieved November 8,
2020.
19. Topping, Seymour (2005). Fatal
Crossroads: A novel of Vietnam, 1945.
White Plains, NY: Signature Books.
ISBN 978-1891936692.
OCLC 56599576 .
20. Durdin, Tillman; Reston, James;
Topping, Seymour (1971). The New
York Times Report from Red China .
Avon. Archived from the original on
November 8, 2020. Retrieved
November 8, 2020.

External links
Missouri School of Journalism –
Seymour Topping
 Appearances on C-SPAN

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"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Seymour_Topping&oldid=987988958"

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