Who was Tom Shales? Pulitzer Award Winner and Author Dead at 79

Tom Shales, a highly esteemed television critic who earned a Pulitzer Prize during his nearly four-decade tenure at The Washington Post, passed away at the age of 79. His death on Saturday at a Fairfax County, Va., hospital resulted from complications arising from COVID-19 and renal failure, as confirmed by his caretaker, Victor Herfurth.

Shales commenced his journey as the chief TV critic for The Post in 1977, where he garnered a reputation for delivering incisive and sharp commentary across a diverse spectrum of television content, ranging from cable dramas to network sitcoms and from State of the Union speeches to late-night shows. Initially hired as a style writer in 1972, Shales became an influential voice in television journalism.

In 1988, Shales achieved the remarkable feat of winning the Pulitzer Prize for criticism, making him the fourth TV reviewer to receive this prestigious honor in journalism.

Although he took a buyout from The Washington Post in 2006, Shales remained under contract for an additional four years. However, as recounted by the paper, he felt somewhat unceremoniously edged out, attributing it to his annual salary of approximately $400,000.

Born on November 3, 1944, in Elgin, Ill., Thomas William Shales embarked on his career journey after attending Elgin Community College and transferring to American University. There, he became the editor-in-chief of the student newspaper before graduating in 1968 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Shales initially worked as an entertainment editor at the D.C. Examiner until the early ’70s.

In addition to his impactful contributions to The Washington Post, Shales extended his reach to other platforms, writing for the Huffington Post, TelevisionWeek, and Roger Ebert’s film and television review website. Collaborating with fellow Post reporter James Andrew Miller, Shales authored two books: “Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live” (2002) and “Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN” (2011).