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A Tribute to John Cooley of ABC News Radio
August 08, 2008 7:22 AM
Mike Lee, ABC News, London
Former ABC News Radio Correspondent John Cooley
John Cooley was my hero. You may not know it, but he was your hero too. John was a journalist's journalist. But that says too little. He was a deeply intelligent, perceptive, committed and generous colleague who was unfailingly generous with his time, and with his considerable knowledge of world events.
As a radio correspondent, and an editorial sidekick to Peter Jennings, John was highly influential in helping to shape the foundations of ABC News when it was growing into itself as a world-class news organization in the early 1980s. You probably never knew John, unless you were a world leader, or intelligence operative, a secret source in an outlawed group,or an expert in the major issues of the day. I used to look at John and imagine that his skull was a massive Rolodex. That was before the first personal computers were widespread. I'm still not sure that John ever really needed something as slow as a microchip.
How can I describe him in the flesh? Do you remember those early James Bond films? John Cooley was Q, the inventor who furnished 007 with an endless supply of wondrous gadgets. If you squint your eyes, there is an element of that in JC's relationship with PJ. But Peter was never dismissive of a Cooley cocktail of cold fact and insight. Both men were smart and committed, and complemented one another in a way that provided ABC with a behind-the-scenes rocket booster.
So, John Cooley was no Brad Pitt or George Clooney. But we mustn't be too hard on Brad and George. Very few men, or women, I've known in the media have had John's ability to grasp complex issues, and with such passion. The fact that he did not have the face of a matinee idol was, well, television's loss. But, as they say, he had a great face for radio, and I believe that ABC News radio was lucky to have him.
Others will no doubt speak of John's other considerable body of work as a writer of books on hot-button issues such as terrorism. When did he find the time? At ABC he used to write impossibly long story briefings and proposals that most of us joked about, in part, I think, to cover up for our own lack of detailed knowledge and research. He was scary.
But he was a consummate gentleman, and a life-enhancer. He often seemed lost in thought, but he would always hit the pause button when you interrupted with a question. His answers were generous in detail, and sometimes in length. John was an intellectual rock you could rub against to sharpen yourself. It wasn't just his great friend Peter Jennings who benefited in the early formative days of ABC News, it was all of us who knew him.
I will miss John Cooley. And, know it or not, so might you.
August 8, 2008 in Mike Lee | Permalink | User Comments (1)
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Thank you, Mr. Lee, for writing this tribute. I have always had such respect and awe for superior journalists who add so much to the world around them. You have reminded me that Mr. Cooley added immeasurably to the world and he will be greatly missed. Another great pen is silenced when the world needs their words and thoughtfulness. A lesser place indeed.
Posted by: dconstab | Aug 8, 2008 11:20:39 AM
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