Rick Redfern is a character in the comics strip Doonesbury. [1] [2] He worked as a reporter for the Washington Post, where he often reported on the antics of the president and his associates. Rick is a very upstanding journalist who takes his job seriously and desperately wants to break a big news story.
Rick met his wife Joanie Caucus when she was working for Ginny Slade's unsuccessful congressional bid. They went out and, in a very daring and controversial move for a seventies strip, were shown in bed together shortly afterward. Eventually they married, and gave birth to Jeff Redfern.
Rick often appears in conjunction with Mark Slackmeyer and Roland Hedley, particularly when attending White House press conferences. Between the three of them they represent the three major forms of journalism (print, radio and television) and are often sent to cover the same stories. Of the three, Rick is usually the most level-headed and reasonable, as Mark has a liberal bias, and Roland is a total sensationalist.
Although Roland treats him with a rather condescending attitude because he is a print journalist, Rick has nevertheless broken some reasonably big stories, including a drug scandal among the Washington Redskins and an award winning piece on the homeless of Washington D.C. (specifically Alice and Elmont).
In 1991 he investigated allegations that the DEA had a file on then-Vice-President Dan Quayle who, it was alleged, had once purchased drugs. (The controversial story led to the suspension of Doonesbury in a number of papers on the grounds that Quayle had been cleared of the charge ages ago.
Despite this, Rick is somewhat insecure about his career (his darkest moment was being forced to work for People Magazine) his abilities as a parent, and his age.
As a father Rick is somewhat in the dark, and has trouble relating to his son's rebellious attitude, casual approach to his education, CIA aspirations and constant gaming.
Rick was once profiled by David Halberstam, who nearly drove Rick crazy by being completely rapacious in his questioning. Among his impressions of Redfern were that "He was ungodly modest. His modesty could fill up a room."
Rick seems to have originated as a blend of Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward (played by Robert Redford in All the President's Men) and Richard Cohen, who physically resembles Rick.
Rick eventually lost his job with the Post in September 2008, and currently runs a blog.