Jon Franklin

For the sports marketing executive, see Jon J. Franklin.

Jon Daniel Franklin (January 13, 1942 – January 21, 2024) was an American writer. He was born in Enid, Oklahoma.[1] He won the inaugural Pulitzer Prizes in two journalism categories both for his work as a science writer with the Baltimore Evening Sun.[2] Franklin held a B.S. in journalism from the University of Maryland.[3] He was professor emeritus of journalism at his alma mater; previously, Franklin taught creative writing at the University of Oregon and was the head of the technical journalism department at Oregon State University.[4] He received honorary degrees from the University of Maryland in 1981 and Notre Dame de Namur University in 1982.[2]

The Canadian television film Shocktrauma is based on the book Franklin co-wrote with Alan Doelp.

Working for The Baltimore Sun, Franklin won the first Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing in 1979, for covering a brain surgery,[5] and won the first Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism in 1985, for a series about molecular psychiatry, "The Mind Fixers".[6]

Franklin died from esophageal cancer in Annapolis, Maryland, on January 21, 2024. He was 82.[7]

  1. ^ Cusick, Daniel "Jon Franklin's Reality Story Archived 2013-10-29 at the Wayback Machine", College Park Magazine,
  2. ^ a b Brennan, Elizabeth A. and Clarage, Elizabeth C., "Jon Daniel Franklin" Who's who of Pulitzer Prize winners, 1999, pg 196.
  3. ^ "Jon Franklin, Professor Emeritus", Phillip Merrill College of Journalism, The University of Maryland
  4. ^ Jon Franklin Archived 2011-10-04 at the Wayback Machine, Science Writing Workshop, Santa Fe, New Mexico
  5. ^ "Feature Writing". The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
  6. ^ "Explanatory Journalism". The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
  7. ^ Murphy, Brian (23 January 2024). "Jon Franklin, two-time Pulitzer winner as science journalist, dies at 82". Washington Post. Retrieved 24 January 2024.