Media columnist David Carr, who wrote the Media Equation column for The New York Times and penned a memoir about his fight with drug addiction, collapsed at his office and died. He was 58.
Just hours before his death Thursday, he had moderated a “Times Talks” conversation with Edward Snowden, director Laura Poitras and journalist Glenn Greenwald about the documentary “Citizenfour,” which chronicles Snowden’s leak of National Security Agency documents. Carr, engaged as always, drew them out with pointed questions and wry observations to speak candidly about the film.
The Times’ publisher, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr., said Carr had “formidable talent” and was “one of the most gifted journalists who has ever worked at The New York Times.” He called him “an indispensable guide to modern media.”
Executive Editor Dean Baquet also heaped praise on Carr and said he was special.
“He was the finest media reporter of his generation, a remarkable and funny man who was one of the leaders of our newsroom,” Baquet told Carr’s colleagues in an email. “He was our biggest champion, and his unending passion for journalism and for truth will be missed by his family at The Times, by his readers around the world, and by people who love journalism.”
Carr, who grew up in Minnesota, joined The Times in 2002 as a business reporter, covering magazine publishing. His Media Equation column appeared in the Monday business section. It focused on issues of media in relation to business, culture and government, said The Times, which confirmed his death.
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