 Fine began a 20-year career at "The New York Times" in 1938, where he started as an education reporter.By 1941 he had been named education editor, a position he retained for 17 years.In 1944 his series of articles on the teaching of history in American high schools and colleges won the paper the Pulitzer Prize "for the most distinguished and meritorious public service rendered by an American newspaper during the year."