Reg Murphy is fifth from right in this 2023 photo at Mercer University.
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
NOV. 15, 2024 | The death of a friend and fellow newspaperman recalls how differently news is reported these days.
Elsewhere in today’s issue, you’ll read of the death of Reg Murphy at his home on the Georgia coast. He was an awesome newspaperman who we always admired. We first knew Reg at Mercer University. He was a year older than I am. (See obituary).
By the time I began my newspaper career on The Macon Telegraph, Reg was a reporter there. Soon Managing Editor Bill Ott saw good writing skills and a tenacious streak in Reg, and sent him to be the capitol correspondent in Atlanta. That was a key job, as while the newspaper had three wire services – Associated Press, United Press and International News Services reporting on state and national news – Reg was specifically to file stories affecting Macon, Bibb County and Middle Georgia that the wire services didn’t cover as well.
Of course, the key time was when the Legislature was in session. Reg would write his story at the Capitol, and when finished about 7 or 8 p.m., the best way to be in contact with his home office in Macon was to simply call The Telegraph on the telephone.
What would happen next? Back then, The Macon Telegraph had five or six reporters in the newsroom. When Reg called, it would be sent to one of the reporters. That could be me on any particular day. So here would be Reg in Atlanta, and one of us in Macon, typing out the story dictated from Reg on the other end of the phone.
Murphy
Yep, that was in the days before there were more modern ways to communicate. A telegram was too costly and too slow. And there were no other electronic links. That was before faxes, or computers. Taking the dictated stories was fast and routine. In 20 to 30 minutes, we had it on paper, then read it back to Reg before handing it to City Editor Jim Chapman. We never thought about doing it any other way.
Later, of course, Reg was hired by The Atlanta Constitution, first as a political reporter, then editor. And as the Atlanta editor, well, there was quite another Reg story.
We can pinpoint the date: Feb. 24, 1974. Georgia newspapers were gathered for the Georgia Press Institute in Athens, an annual meeting. As my wife and I came by elevator from our room at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education about 6:30 p.m., we saw many other editors gathered around the lobby television set, turned to local news.
A friend told us breathtakingly: “Somebody has kidnapped Reg Murphy!”
What? He was supposed to be attending our meeting. Little was known about the story, except that someone had demanded $700,000 ransom for him. I recall we all wondered: “How will the Atlanta newspapers raised that much money?” (Little did most of us know how much money the Atlanta newspapers were raking in.) Later we found out that a kidnapper, according to the AJC, had ranted about the “lying, leftist newspapers and Jewish control,” whatever that meant, and kidnapped him.
After 49 hours, the paper paid the ransom for Reg’s release, and his abductor was quickly apprehended. The money was later recovered. From that harrowing experience, Reg went on to become quite a national figure in newspapers, and other walks of life.
And all along, he remained most approachable and genial, and enjoyed retiring on Sea Island.
Reg Murphy: 1934-2024: May you rest in peace.
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