Legend Al Neuharth

Journalist / Visionary / First Amendment Advocate |1980 INDUCTEE

Al Neuharth was born in Eureka, South Dakota, in 1924, and became a big name in the media world! Even though he faced challenges, like losing his dad young and having a tough start with his first sports newspaper called SoDak Sports, Al never gave up. 

As a kid, Al started working early as a newspaper carrier, delivering papers. He later went to the University of South Dakota, where he learned about journalism and even edited the school newspaper. After college, he worked for The Associated Press and later moved to Florida, where he was a reporter at The Miami Herald. 

In 1979, Al became president (the boss) of a huge company called Gannett Co. Inc., the biggest newspaper company in the U.S. He then created a famous newspaper called USA TODAY, changing how national news was shared. 

Al also started a foundation called The Freedom Forum to support free speech and journalism. He wrote books, spoke at events, and became famous for his work in the media. Al Neuharth showed that hard work, passion, and never giving up can lead to amazing success! 

Humble Beginnings...

Although Al became a famous newspaper publisher, he was poor growing up. After Al’s father died when he was two, his German-speaking mother earned money by washing dishes and doing other people’s laundry. Al always remembered how hard his mother had to work hard to ensure he and his older brother had food, a house and clothing. Al decided that when he became successful, he would hire a group of diverse people. Al kept this promise to himself when he became a chief executive and hired many women and minorities so they could also become successful, self-sufficient and take care of their families. Not all leaders made a commitment to hiring woman and minorities in the 1980s and 1990s.

Military Service

Al began his service in the United States Army in 1942. He was assigned to the 86th Infantry Division. During his service, Al fought in the famous Battle of the Bulge which was one of the most important battles of World War II. The battle lasted for five weeks and when it was over, it ended up being the last major conflict attempted by the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan) on the Western Front. After their defeat, Nazi Germany would retreat for the remainder of the war.

During his service in the U.S. Army, all was awarded the Bronze Star Medal.

Failure Leads to Success

In 1954, after graduating from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, SD, Al decided to start his own newspaper called SoDak Sports. The paper was not successful, and Al lost $50,000.00. However, he did not give up.

Next, he moved to Florida and worked at a large newspaper called the Miami Herald.

In 1963 he began working for Gannett, a company which owns many newspapers.

After working hard for years, Al became the president of Gannett in 1970 and the CEO of the company in 1973.

A Newspaper for All of America

In 1982, while he was still working at the Gannett company, Al announced he was starting a new newspaper called USA TODAY. The paper was very successful and is still in operation!

The USA TODAY paper reports news from around the United States.

Listening to World Leaders

During his time working at Gannett, Al met many famous people including:

• President Ronald Reagan

• President Jimmy Carter

• British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher

• Israel Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir

• Cuba leader Fidel Castro

Freedom of Speech

Al Neuharth, a lifelong journalist and First Amendment advocate, founded The Freedom Forum, a nonpartisan foundation that champions the First Amendment as a cornerstone of democracy, on July 4, 1991.

Books by Al

Reflection:

• How do you think Al’s mother influenced his work ethic?

• Al experienced failure with the SoDak Sports newspaper. What do you think kept him moving forward and continuing to try to find success in the newspaper business?

• Review the pictures of Al with leaders from around the world located above, in the Listening to World Leaders section. What leadership characteristics do you think he must have had that allowed him to feel comfortable with people from around the world?

• USA TODAY’s mission is to "serve as a forum for better understanding and unity to help make the USA truly one nation.” What does that mean to you?

• How does Al's story encourage you?

Choose one of the quotes below and discuss your thoughts.

“The difference between a mountain and a molehill is your perspective.”

“Don't just learn something from every experience, learn something positive.”

“I quit being afraid when my first venture failed and the sky didn't fall down.”

“When the voices of democracy are silenced, freedom becomes a hollow concept. No man or woman should be sentenced to the shadows of silence for something he or she has said or written.”