“It is sometimes said that the people are ahead of the politicians; it can also be said that journalism ought to be ahead of the people. Otherwise, the people are ill-served,” said Luce. “As a journalist, I am in command of a small sector in the very front trenches of this battle for freedom.”
At over six feet tall, Luce had a striking presence. As soon as he entered a room, his gleaming bald head could be instantly noticed. But, what made Luce all the more striking was not his appearance, but rather his opinions, which undoubtedly preceded him wherever he went.
Luce was a visionary, thanks in large part to his being the son of an American missionary. He believed in the power of America for good, and of its necessity to triumph over evil. It was along those lines that Luce saw his role as a journalist. It was a “calling,” according to Luce, a profession that would allow him to educate in a positive way.
In the early days of Time and Life magazines, little of the content had any overarching focus. But, as Luce began to take a later interest in public affairs, so too did his magazines begin portraying his beliefs. If Luce opposed a policy, his magazines did not follow too far behind. During World War II, Luce even began framing news stories in such a way that it made America’s entry into the war seem “inevitable.” After all, this was supposed to be “the American Century,” according to Luce, where the U.S. would become “the Good Samaritan of the entire world.”
But Luce’s devout commitment to his causes did not come without its costs. Almost since they got their start, Luce’s magazines were panned by critics. Time was called biased and “the most successful liar of our time”; Life was told it made too many compromises to boost circulation. One biographer even wrote, “The Lucepress had led, not followed, the nation into war,” and that Luce stood guilty of “manipulating 50 million people weekly.”
For both the kinds of stories he presented and how he did so, Luce was continually criticized. But for Luce, that was the price he had to pay to stick to his vision, to maintain his commitments. And, he was willing to do so.
Luce deliberately looked for ways to change both the nature of the news itself and the ways in which it was relayed. Where other publishers and commentators stepped back, Luce was not afraid to plow forward. Time Inc. was his company, and he was going to push his views whether people liked it or not.
As it turns out, most of the ones that mattered most – the consumers – did like it. It was because of his unique style and brash assertiveness that people found conviction and something to stand by in Luce’s publications. Critics could complain all they wanted, but with the consumer on his side, Luce was in it to win it.
Lesson #2: Commitments Never Come Without a Cost
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The definition of integrity has two parts, both equally important.
