Bob Webb, a newsman known for his vision for journalism as a force that could help heal the deepest hurts and bridge the widest divides, died of natural causes in Arlington, Virginia.
In a 2007 speech, Webb said: ‘Mass media cannot solve our problems, but it can do much to create the atmosphere in which they can be solved.'
A native of Mississippi, Webb became Washington bureau chief for the Cincinnati Enquirer in the Nixon-Ford years, and worked for that paper for over 30 years as news editor, night city editor, editorial writer and columnist.
As a former Vice President of the International Communications Forum—of which Bernard Margueritt, renowned commentator in Poland, is the President—Webb was an original signatory to The Sarajevo Commitment, launched in that city by a world congress of journalists in 2000. The document, published in 30 languages, was a pledge by media professionals to combine ‘freedom with responsibility, talent with humility, privilege with service, comfort with sacrifice and concern with courage.’
After his retirement in 1993, Webb returned to Washington, where he was frequently seen at the National Press Club connecting his friends from around the world with one another.
