Johnny Apple, reporter who exposed official follies

The renowned New York Times reporter Johnny Apple died last night, aged 71. Raymond Walter Apple Jr made his name covering wars and American politics, writing news analyses that became must-reads for the Washington élite. An NYT obituary referred to "his Dickensian by-line, Churchillian brio and Falstaffian appetites". Apple, who joined the paper in 1963, was a colourful character known for piercing questions directed at official spokesmen. He helped to expose the worthlessness of military briefings during the Vietnam war that became known as the "five o'clock follies". Late in his career he took to writing about travel, architecture and especially food. (Via Journalism - Topix.net)