Collecting Jane Nickerson Articles
Today I am analyzing some of the article I have collected by New York Times food editor Jane Nickerson. They reveal a variety of topics, many that could be considered hard news.
In the limited world of newspaper food history, Craig Claiborne is
given enormous acclaim. In fact, in June 2011 the New School devoted a
panel to “Craig Claiborne and the Invention of Food Journalism.” The
program noted: “His career skyrocketed when The New York Times hired
him as its first food columnist in 1957. Claiborne’s columns, reviews
and cookbooks introduced Americans to a wide range of international
and ethnic food. Other newspapers followed The New York Times’s lead,
and soon a cadre of authoritative newspaper food writers helped attune
millions of Americans to the finer points of good food and cooking.”
This is an overstatement and excludes the career of Jane Nickerson,
who was at the New York Times prior to Claiborne and was likely the
first food editor at the newspaper. My examination of her work shows that too much credit has gone to Claiborne while Nickerson laid the groundwork for food news at the Times.
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