Carl Morris, 73; Journalist Advocated Newsroom Diversity

Carl Morris, 73, a pioneering advocate for newsroom diversity as the first minority affairs director of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, died Aug. 27 at his home in Reston, Va., of complications from heart surgery.

Morris served as executive director of the National Assn. of Black Journalists, helping the group set up its first national office.

He later founded the National Assn. of Minority Media Executives, with which he published a nationwide directory of minority media executives, and became a watchdog of minority hiring practices in the news media.

Morris retired in 1995 but continued his monitoring work.

Morris was born in Pittsburgh, and served in the Air Force during the Korean War. He graduated from West Virginia State College after his discharge.

He started his journalism career at the St. Louis Argus, but returned to Pittsburgh in 1967 to work for the New Pittsburgh Courier as general manager and executive director. In 1978, he joined the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where he worked as a city hall reporter and a copy editor.