Categories: OLD Media Moves

WSJ reporter Ybarra dies in fall at Yosemite

Michael J. Ybarra, an extreme-sports correspondent for The Wall Street Journal‘s Leisure & Arts page, died this weekend on a recreational climb of the Sawtooth Ridge, a rugged area near Yosemite National Park. He was 45.

Larry Gordon of the Los Angeles Times writes, “In a statement, the Wall Street Journal described Ybarra as ‘an extraordinary journalist. In the best traditions of his profession he enlightened and engaged readers on a wide array of topics in clear, vivid prose.’

“His Journal column often described his own exploits and travels, such as a recent white-water kayaking trip: ‘When I’m on a whitewater run, I often feel like a pinball: shooting downstream, bumping off rocks, wildly paddling through waves to keep from being capsized. The potential for disaster seems to be everywhere.’

“Last year, Ybarra described in a Journal column how he fell — but was not hurt — during a icy mountain climb. ‘Climbing in the mountains is serious business. Mistakes carry consequences — for yourself and your partner. At night I lay awake wondering if I should just go back to gym climbing or find a more sensible sports, such as table tennis,’ he wrote.”

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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.