In Memoriam: Journalist Nan Robertson

Nan Robertson died last night.

She was the author of The Girls in the Balcony, a book chronicling the class-action gender-discrimination lawsuit brought by female employees of The New York Times. (The title refers to the standing-room-only accommodations for female journalists at Washington’s National Press Club before it admitted women as members in 1971.) Because the case was settled out of court, Robertson’s book remains the most comprehensive account of discrimination experienced by women at the Times in the 60s and 70s.

Robertson also won a Pulitzer Prize in 1983 for an article chronicling her near-death experience from toxic shock syndrome (TSS). While her illness wasn’t caused by a tampon, she helped to raise awareness about the risks of tampon use.

A totally inspirational, pioneering woman journalist. She will be missed.