In 1975 New York City was in dire financial straights. Mayor Abraham Beame and Gov. Hugh Carey asked the federal government for a measly $1 billion line of credit. President Ford refused.
New York Daily News managing editor William J. Brink is credited with coming up with one of the most famous headlines in American journalism after rejecting FORD REFUSES AID TO CITY and FORD SAYS NO TO CITY AID. That same day, October 30, 1975, the erudite New York Times reported the story in its own way. To their credit, the Times editors did not go for the obvious when they printed Mr. Brink’s obituary on July 2, 2005.