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U.S. GOVERNMENT 2: Famous Political Reporter Dies

Jack White, whose reporting led to President Nixon’s famous words, “I am not a crook,” passed away on Wednesday in his Cape Cod home at the age of 63. He became well-known for his investigation into Nixon’s failure to pay most of his income taxes in 1970 and 1971.

White began his journalism career in 1969, when he worked as a reporter for the Newport Daily News. The following year, he worked as a general assignment reporter for The Providence Journal and Evening Bulletin, and became the Newport bureau chief and head of the investigative team. Later on in his career, White worked for WBZ-TV in Boston, reported for Cape Cod Times, and eventually joined WPRI as chief investigative reporter in 1985. He also won two Emmy Awards for broadcast reporting.

It was during White’s employment with The Providence Journal and Evening Bulletin, however, that he won a Pulitzer Prize for reporting on Nixon’s failure to pay the correct amount of income taxes. White used tax documents which showed that the former President paid only $793 in income taxes for the year 1970, $878 the following year, and even received a tax refund of $131,000 for those two years. Eventually, Nixon agreed to pay back the money, which totaled $476,000.

White also reported that former Providence Mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci had been indicted for federal corruption. In fact, White was the first to break the news and even surprised Cianci, who told reporters, "I heard it from Jack White."

--Written by Renee Eng

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