John McNulty (journalist)

John Augustine McNulty (1895-1956) was a U.S. journalist and author. John McNulty is a major figure in the development of the genre of literary journalism.

It is the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Prof. Sims who credits Joseph Mitchell, John McNulty and other short piece writers at Harold Ross’ designedly succoring The New Yorker magazine with evolving an early 20th-century reformer news writer’s practice into a separate literary genre.

In his seminal work Literary Journalism in the 20th Century, Norman Sims traces the roots of literary journalism to journalist reformers efforts to make their news reports so poignant as to compel others to undertake corrective social actions. The later genre of literary journalism, as stated by Sim’s to have been evolved by McNulty and other short piece writers at the New Yorker magazine, is no longer conflicted between unbiased fact reporting and the enhanced portrayal of social conditions for some form of advocacy but, concentrates upon such latter portrayal, while using actual events as a creative substrate. Literary journalism does, however, still demand accurate fact reporting of its practitioners. McNulty’s words are near unrivaled, at evoking in their readers’ minds, such poignant imagery, and in their readers’ hearts, such concern and affection for his very common characters.

John McNulty was born in Lawrence, MA in 1895. John’s father died during John’s early childhood. He was raised by his mother, who operated a small store to support her family. John McNulty served to the rank of noncommissioned officer in the U.S. infantry in France during World War I. McNulty fought in several of the war’s major battles. It was sadly at the 1918 Battle of Tardenois (also known as Second Battle of the Marne), the decisive Allied victory that lead to the Central Powers’ capitulation and the end of the First World War or War to End All Wars within 100 days thereof, that the thereto unscathed John McNulty finally suffered a massive wound to his leg that left him with a severe limp for the rest of his life. No other noncommissioned officer in John’s company survived the war.

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