Page 17 - Historical Dictionary of Political Communication in the United States

JOSEPH AND
ALSOP,
6
contempt
fying them only as "X, Y, and Z." This fueled the Federalist Party's STEWART
for the Republican Party and led to the passage of the acts. The acts were used
largely to prosecute journalists who criticized the Federalists and President John
Adams. There were 14 such prosecutions, and all resulted in convictions. The
acts became a major issue of the presidential election of 1800. With the defeat
of Adams by Thomas Jefferson, the acts were allowed to lapse.
SOURCE: Jack P. Green, Encyclopedia of American Political History, 1984.
Jacqueline Nash Gifford

ALSOP, JOSEPH (1910-1989) AND STEWART (1914-1974). These brother
columnists were among Washington's most prominent, influential, and contro-
versial post-World War II journalists. Joe got his start in the newspaper business
in 1932, right out of Harvard, because his grandmother was a friend of the New
York Herald-Tribune^ publisher. He was soon transferred to Washington and
began writing a column in 1937 with veteran newsman Robert Kintner called
"Capital Parade." After war service, despite Stewart's total lack of news ex-
perience, the brothers teamed up on a column called "Matter of Fact." The pair
quickly became known for their well-researched blend of gossip and opinion.
They were strident cold warriors, nicknamed "Doom and Gloom," but made
their mark opposing the communist witch-hunt of Senator Joseph McCarthy.
The collaboration lasted 12 years, until Stewart asked out of the arrangement,
in which he was subservient to his overbearing older brother. Stewart Alsop
went on to be a contributing editor for Saturday Evening Post and died of
leukemia in 1974. Joseph Alsop continued writing the column until 1975 and
became increasingly influential in the Kennedy and Johnson presidencies. In the
early 1960s, he left the faltering Herald-Tribune for the Washington Post and
was ultimately syndicated in almost 200 papers. He died at 78 of lung cancer
in 1989.
SOURCES: Leann Grabavoy Almquist, Joseph Alsop and American Foreign Policy,
1993; Richard Kluger, The Paper, the Life and Death of the New York Herald Tribune,
1986; Robert W. Merry, Taking on the World: Joseph and Stewart Alsop—Guardians
of the American Century, 1996.
Marc Edge

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF RETIRED PERSONS (AARP) is one of
the largest special interest groups, with more than 30 million members. Its goal
is to protect the rights and advance the causes of citizens over the age of 50.
Its main focus has been Social Security and health care. It publishes the mag-
azine Modern Maturity, which is distributed to members. Its circulation of more
than 21 million is the second highest of any magazine in the United States.
SOURCES: Allan J. Cigler and Burdett A. Loomis, Interest Group Politics, 1995; Kath-
leen Thompson Hill and Gerald N. Hill, Real Life Dictionary of American Politics, 1994.
Jacqueline Nash Gifford