Richard Reeve

for the New Zealand politician see Richard Reeves (New Zealand)

Richard Reeves is a writer, syndicated columnist and lecturer at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

In September 2007, Reeves will be a Holtzbrinck Distinguished Visitor at the American Academy in Berlin, Germany.

Career

Reeves received his M.E. from Stevens Institute of Technology in 1960. After graduating, he spent a year working as an engineer for Ingersoll-Rand, after which he moved to journalism. From 1961-1965, Reeves co-founded and worked for the Phillipsburg Free Press (New Jersey), then worked for Newark Evening News and the New York Herald Tribune before being assigned the post of Chief Political Correspondent for The New York Times in 1966. In 1971, Reeves left the Times to lecture at Hunter College.

Reeves' opinions generally have a liberal bent—he opposed the war to topple Saddam Hussein as "stupid and unnecessary" (column, March 19, 2003)—but shuns "extreme" leftist positions. He pays close attention to happenings overseas and often fills his columns with explanations of current trends based on history. Many of his columns focus on the world's reaction to the United States' political actions.

He has also published nine books, mostly about American politics. In 1993, he appeared in the film Dave, one of several journalists who played themselves in the film.

Reeves' weekly column, carried by Universal Press Syndicate, has appeared in more than 160 newspapers across the United States since 1979. He is married to Catherine O'Neil, founder of the Women's Commission for Women and Children Refugees. Together they have five children and divide their time between Los Angeles and New York City.

In October 2004 in an article titled "To begin with the President is a fool", he shared his belief that John Kerry would win the 2004 presidential election (he lost). In this article, he indicates that he (Reeves) voted absentee for the Democrat. He then shares his bias by saying: "Biased? Of course. That's why I write this column: to share my bias. I am always amazed when I get letters, many of them, accusing me of being a "liberal" or, a lot worse, an "elitist." Yes, I am. Hello!"

In November 2005, Reeves theorized that George W. Bush could be regarded as the worst president in U.S. history, noting: "The History News Network at George Mason University has just polled historians informally on the Bush record. Four hundred and fifteen, about a third of those contacted, answered making the project as unofficial as it was interesting. These were the results: 338 said they believed Bush was failing, while 77 said he was succeeding. Fifty said they thought he was the worst president ever." [1]

Published books

• President Reagan: Triumph of Imagination
• President Nixon: Alone in the White House, Simon & Schuster, 2001
• What The People Know: Freedom and the Press, Harvard University, 1998
• Do the Media Govern?, Sage, 1997 (with Shanto Iyengar)
• Family Travels -- Around the World in 30 Days, Andrews and McMeel, 1997
• Running in Place, Andrews and McMeel, 1996
• President Kennedy: Profile of Power, Simon and Schuster, 1993
• The Reagan Detour, Simon and Schuster, 1984
• Passage to Peshawar, Simon and Schuster, 1983
• Jet Lag, Andrews and McMeel, 1982
• American Journey; Travelling with Tocqueville, Simon and Schuster, 1981
• Convention, Harcourt Brace, 1977
• Old Faces of '76, Harper and Row, 1976
• A Ford, Not a Lincoln, Harcourt Brace, 1975

Awards

• 1998: Lifetime Achievement Award, National Society of Newspaper Columnists
• 1998: Carey McWilliams Award (distinguished contributions to the understanding of American politics), American Political Science Association
• 1997: Goldman Lecturer on American Civilization and Government, Library of Congress
• 1993: Non-Fiction Book of the Year, PEN
• 1993: Book of the Year, Washington Monthly
• 1984: Peabody Award, Columbia University
• 1984: George Foster Peabody Award, for Red Star over Khyber, PBS,
• 1983: Columbia-Dupont Award, for Struggle for Birmingham, PBS,
• 1983: Book of the Year, Christopers
• 1982: Christopher Award
• 1980: Emmy, for Lights, Camera, Politics!, ABC News
• 1978: Silver Gavel, American Bar Association
• Literary Lion, New York Public Library

Honorary degrees

• Stevens Institute of Technology
• Drew University
• St. Joseph's College

External links

• Richard Reeves Official Website

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