Anderson, William E. 1926–2003

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Anderson, William E. 1926–2003

(William Eugene Anderson)

PERSONAL: Born March 31, 1926, in Indianapolis, IN; died, July 8, 2003, in Indianapolis, IN; married; wife's name Gerry; children: William M., David, Mary Ragsdale, Eileen Sexon, Kathleen, Susan. Education: Attended Butler University.

CAREER: Administrator and journalist. Indiana Star, began as copy boy, promoted to reporter, 1950–56; WXLW-Radio, Indianapolis, IN, news director, 1956–64; administrative assistant to mayor of Indianapolis, 1965–67; Indianapolis Star, investigative reporter, 1969–88. Military service: Served in military during World War II.

AWARDS, HONORS: Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting, George Polk Memorial Award, National Headliner Award, and Drew Pearson Award, all 1975; Society of Professional Journalists bronze medallion, Associated Press managing editors award; Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame, 1995.

WRITINGS:

Articles have appeared in Indianapolis Star.

SIDELIGHTS: Best known for uncovering police corruption in Indianapolis, Indiana reporter William E. Anderson dealt with considerable personal risk to get his stories. In the early 1950s, soon after starting his career with the Indianapolis Star, Anderson almost died on the job when a police patrol car in which he was riding was struck by a drunk driver. The accident shattered one arm, broke all of Anderson's ribs, and crushed his liver. Two decades later, his Pulitzer Prizewinning series on graft and protection within the Indianapolis Police Department landed him and his writing partner, Richard Cady, in jail after Marion County prosecutor Noble Pearcy indicted the pair for conspiracy to bribe a police officer. The charges were later dropped. In a profile on the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame Web site, Anderson's then-editor explained that the reporter had a gift for listening. He "spent a great deal of time cultivating sources, especially the police. He liked and understood the police and knew where to go to get information…. Bill was genuinely sympathetic to people. They seemed to understand this and responded." Despite the potential damage Anderson's series was sure to do to their department's reputation, more than sixty officers shared information with him that substantiated his claims of widespread abuses.

The Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame inducted Anderson as a member in 1995, citing the writer as "one of the best street reporters every to work at [the Indianapolis Star, and] covered hard news without being a hard guy."