A Career in Two-Fisted News: From High School Editor to AP Legend

Andy Lippman, whose 39-year career at The Associated Press culminated in a decade-long run as Los Angeles bureau chief, died on July 25 at his home in Tucson, Arizona. He was 78. The cause was multiple system atrophy, a rare neurodegenerative disease.

Lippman’s tenure in Los Angeles placed him at the center of some of the biggest stories of the late 20th century: the 1992 riots that erupted after the acquittal of officers in the Rodney King beating; the 1994 Northridge earthquake that killed more than 70 people and caused $20 billion in damage; and the O.J. Simpson criminal trial, which he oversaw from its opening gavel in 1994 until the acquittal in 1995. Colleagues recall his unflappable leadership, his insistence on getting it first and getting it right, and a personal warmth that turned newsrooms into families.

Before Los Angeles, Lippman worked his way through AP bureaus in Phoenix, Tucson, New York, Cincinnati, Louisville and Indianapolis, sharpening his eye for talent along the way. He was also a prodigious recruiter and mentor. Retired AP President Louis D. Boccardi called him “a model bureau chief” who combined sharp news sense, boundless energy, and a passion for serving member newspapers that felt “more like family than business.”

Lippman never really left the craft. After retiring in 2009, he wrote a weekly column for the South Pasadena Review for eight years and volunteered as an English teacher for immigrants, helping dozens of green-card holders prepare for their U.S. citizenship exams.

What Made Lippman a Transformational Bureau Chief

Covering Crisis After Crisis

Lippman’s Los Angeles bureau was a high-wire act. When the Rodney King verdict touched off six days of violence, he marshalled a staff that had to report on an unfolding catastrophe while the city around them burned. The Northridge earthquake, just two years later, demanded the same from a bureau that was itself operating without power. Those experiences forged a newsroom culture that prized calm under pressure—a culture Lippman carefully nurtured.

The Mentorship Machine

Beyond the big headlines, Lippman’s deepest mark may be the number of careers he launched. Former colleagues describe a man who spotted raw ability and gave young reporters and editors assignments far beyond what they thought they could handle, then backed them with quiet, consistent support. He didn’t just hire talent; he built a network that stretched across the industry. His habit of delivering a full Thanksgiving dinner to staffers stuck working on the holiday became emblematic of a leadership style that treated news as a mission and colleagues as family. In 2005, the AP honored him with the Oliver S. Gramling Spirit Award, a recognition of exactly that blend of dedication and humanity.