Death of I.F. Stone, ‘Conscience of Investigative Journalism’

Where is I.F. Stone now that we really need him? The incomparable Izzy sure picked a hell of a time to up and die: our country besieged by personal and corporate greed; a headlong retreat to institutionalized racism; foreign policy myopia.

These “worst of times” would have been the best of times for I.F. Stone and his crusading journalism based on where we fall painfully short of living up to our stated ideals.

Make no mistake: Stone in his prime exerted a price for those of us who admired him. I jeopardized several family and friendship situations by making sure Stone’s perceptions were more widely known.

We can rest easy in one respect. I.F. Stone may have gone to his reward, but it’s guaranteed business as usual for him: shaking things up by keeping the heavenly choir and their compatriots on the straight and narrow.

ALAN HARVEY

Arleta