The Jay McMullen Papers, 1942-2006, and undated, are comprised of production files, research files, audio and visual materials, teaching materials, and research material for a Columbia University oral history project on CBS and investigative journalism. The collection documents McMullen’s career as a U. S. Army correspondent, CBS Radio reporter, and CBS News producer. The bulk of the collection documents McMullen’s twenty-nine year career with CBS News.

The Production Files series is organized chronologically by project and begins with McMullen’s tenure at WINS and his three CBS Radio Reports. Document formats in the Production Files series include correspondence with fellow journalists, clippings related to production research and review, and transcripts of interviews and aired reports. Research Files are alphabetized by subject and include news articles and printed material related to McMullen’s documentaries and his manuscript and typed notes. Audio and Visual Materials are comprised of cassette tapes, CDs, VHS, videocassette, and film recordings of news reports and interviews by McMullen and others. One film recording is labeled simply “Vietnam” and appears to be compiled footage; the other films are all documentaries by McMullen. Teaching Materials contain lecture notes and documents from the journalism courses McMullen taught at Columbia University and San Diego State University; they also include materials from a continuing education course entitled “Political Violence” that McMullen took at the State University of New York at Purchase. World War II Service Materials are comprised primarily of correspondence and diaries kept by McMullen while serving in Europe. The Honors and Recognition series contains newspaper clippings, event invitations, and McMullen career retrospectives. Research material for the Columbia University oral history project primarily consists of files of background information for major figures at CBS, especially investigative journalists. Photographs are primarily composed of prints and negatives from documentaries, especially “The Business of Heroin.” Finally, the Scrapbook primarily contains newspaper clippings of reviews and reception for McMullen’s films; “Biography of a Bookie Joint” is especially documented.