Categories: OLD Media Moves

Moffatt, ex-Philly Inquirer biz desk editor, dies at 80

James Moffatt, a former deputy business editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer, died Sunday at the age of 80 from colitis.

Bonnie Cook of the Inquirer writes, “While he held various titles at different times – copy chief and deputy business editor were two of them – a proud moment came in 1980 when he shared in a Pulitzer Prize for the paper’s coverage of the nuclear disaster at Three Mile Island.

“‘Moff,’ as he was called, was from the old school of newspapering; he emphasized precision editing, and snappy, thought-provoking headlines designed to catch the reader’s attention, said his colleague Alan J. Heavens, now the paper’s residential real estate and home improvement writer.

“‘He was a thoughtful boss, the kind of guy who didn’t think twice about giving you the shirt off his back, even if it was the only one he had,’ said Heavens, who worked for Mr. Moffatt as a copy editor.

“‘We had fun. He made us laugh. There was never a dull moment from the start to finish of our shift.’

Read more here.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.