Nicholas D. Kristof

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Nicholas D. Kristof

Born April 27, 1959 (1959-04-27) (age 49)
Yamhill, Oregon, United States
Occupation Journalist, author, columnist
Spouse Sheryl WuDunn
Website
http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/

Nicholas Donabet Kristof (born April 27, 1959 in Yamhill, Oregon) is an American journalist, author, op-ed columnist, and a winner of two Pulitzer Prizes. He has written an op-ed column for The New York Times since November 2001 and is widely known for bringing to light human rights abuses in Asia and Africa. He has lived on four continents, reported on six, and traveled to 140 countries (including North Korea), plus all 50 states. According to his blog, during his travels he has had "unpleasant experiences with malaria, wars, an Indonesian mob carrying heads on pikes, and an African airplane crash".[1]

His books include China Wakes: The Struggle for the Soul of a Rising Power (1994), Thunder from the East: Portrait of a Rising Asia (2000)—both co-authored with his wife Sheryl WuDunn, and The Japanese Economy at the Millennium: Correspondents' Insightful Views (1999).

Contents

[edit] Biography

The son of Ladis Kristof, a Transylvanian-born Armenian who immigrated to the United States after World War II, Nicholas Kristof grew up on a cherry farm in Yamhill, Oregon and later went on to become a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Harvard College and a Rhodes Scholar at Magdalen College, Oxford.

After joining The New York Times in 1984, initially covering economics, he served as a Times correspondent in Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Tokyo. He served as the associate managing editor of The New York Times, responsible for the Sunday edition. Since 2001, he has published an op-ed column in the newspaper on a wide variety of subjects, ranging from human rights abuses in China to the Iraq War. His columns have often focused on global health, poverty and gender issues in the developing world. In particular, since 2004 he has written dozens of columns about Darfur and visited the area eight times. Mr. Kristof resides with his wife Sheryl WuDunn in Scarsdale, New York, where they raised three children: Gregory, Geoffrey, and Caroline.

[edit] Prizes

In 1990 Kristof and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn, earned a Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting for their reporting on the pro-democracy student movement and the related Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Kristof has also received the George Polk Award and an award from the Overseas Press Club for his reporting which focuses on human rights and environmental issues. Kristof was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 2005 "for his powerful columns that portrayed suffering among the developing world's often forgotten people and stirred action." In 2006 Kristof won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary "for his graphic, deeply reported columns that, at personal risk, focused attention on genocide in Darfur and that gave voice to the voiceless in other parts of the world".

[edit] Opinion and stances

[edit] Iraq War

In the run-up to the Iraq War, Kristof voiced mild opposition to the impending invasion and occupation of Iraq, particularly because he felt that the Bush administration did not articulate a well-reasoned basis for it and did not have clear, long-term plans for post-invasion Iraq. In a column published six months prior to the Iraq invasion titled "Wimps on Iraq", Kristof opined that he might be persuaded to approve an attack on Iraq, given the nature of that regime, if the president were to address the major practical costs and risks prior to an invasion. However, he warned, "It looks as if the president, intoxicated by moral clarity, has decided that whatever the cost, whatever the risks, he will invade Iraq. And that's not policy, but obsession."[2]

On May 6, 2003, several months into the war, Kristof published an op-ed column titled "Why Truth Matters", claiming that the Bush administration had clear signs that the intelligence purportedly indicating that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction was faked or manipulated. In this article, Kristof addressed the claim that Iraq had tried to obtain uranium from Niger. After speaking to Ambassador Joseph Wilson who was dispatched to Niger to verify the authenticity of uranium documents, Kristof wrote in his column, without revealing Ambassador Wilson's name, that the envoy reported to the C.I.A. and State Department that the information was unequivocally wrong and that the documents had been forged. Kristof added, "The envoy's debunking of the forgery was passed around the administration and seemed to be accepted—except that President Bush and the State Department kept citing it anyway."[3] Two months later, Ambassador Wilson came forward publicly and published a now-famous op-ed in The New York Times titled "What I Didn't Find in Africa".[4] A week later, journalist Robert Novak published a column revealing to the public highly classified information concerning the identity of Ambassador Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, as a CIA operative. A criminal investigation was opened as to the source of the leak, and Lewis Libby, also known as "Scooter Libby," then-Chief of Staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, was indicted on obstruction of justice, false statement, and perjury charges. Subsequently, Libby was convicted and sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and a $250,000 fine (though he never served time in prison because President Bush commuted his prison sentence). Kristof's May 6 article was mentioned in the federal indictment of Scooter Libby as a key point in time, and a contributing factor that caused Libby to inquire about the identity of the "envoy" and later divulge the secret identity of his wife to reporters.[5]

[edit] "Grand bargain" with Iran

Kristof published several articles criticizing the missed opportunity of the "grand bargain"—a proposal by Iran to normalize relations with the United States, implement procedures to assure the US it will not develop nuclear weapons, deny any monetary support to Palestinian resistance groups until they agree to stop targeting civilians, support the Arab Peace Initiative, and ensure full transparency to assuage any United States concerns. In return, the Iranians demanded abolition of sanctions and a US statement that Iran does not belong in the so-called "Axis of Evil." In his columns, Kristof revealed the documents detailing this proposal and argued that the "grand bargain" proposal was killed by hard-liners in the Bush administration. According to Kristof, it is an "appalling mistake" since "The Iranian proposal was promising and certainly should have been followed up. It seems diplomatic mismanagement of the highest order for the Bush administration to have rejected that process out of hand, and now to be instead beating the drums of war and considering air strikes on Iranian nuclear sites."[6] Kristof further believes that even if the grand bargain is not currently feasible, there is still an option for what he calls a "mini-bargain", i.e., a more modest proposal for normalizing U.S.-Iranian relations.[6]

In June 2007 Kristof spoke on the importance of the "grand bargain" with Iran at a conference organized by the American Iranian Council in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The conference brought together a host of distinguished national and international policy makers, among them Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Ambassador Javad Zarif from Iran's UN Mission, Senator Chuck Hagel, and Ambassador Anders Lidén from Sweden, in an attempt to improve the public's understanding of U.S.-Iranian relations and promote normalization with Iran. Kristof recounted his trips to Iran and told the audience that on a people-to-people level Iran is one of the most pro-American countries in the Middle East. He argued that American hard-liners, such as Dick Cheney, are reinforcing and strengthening Iranian hard-liners, and vice versa. He reiterated his support for the grand bargain and warned against the possibility of a military strike on Iran, calling it "absolutely terrifying" and remarking that he can't imagine something that would do more to undermine American interests in the region.[7]

[edit] Anthrax attacks columns

In 2002 Kristof wrote a series of columns indirectly suggesting that Steven Hatfill, a former US Army germ-warfare researcher who was named a "person of interest" by the FBI, was the "likely culprit" in the 2001 anthrax attacks.[8] Hatfill was never charged with any crime. In July 2004 Hatfill sued The New York Times and Kristof for libel, asserting claims for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.[9] Subsequently, Hatfill voluntarily dismissed Kristof as a defendant in the case when it became clear that the District Court lacked personal jurisdiction over Kristof. The suit continued against The New York Times and was initially dismissed by the District Court on the basis that the allegations in Kristof's articles, even if true, do not constitute defamation. In July 2005, however, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit reversed the decision, and reinstated the suit against The New York Times. In January 2007 Judge Claude M. Hilton of the Eastern District of Virginia tossed out the suit, claiming that Kristof's anthrax articles were "cautiously worded" and asserted that the scientist could be innocent.[10] Judge Hilton wrote that Kristof "made efforts to avoid implicating his guilt" and that "Mr. Kristof reminded readers to assume plaintiff's (Hatfill) innocence."[10] Kristof praised the dismissal of the suit, commenting that he was "really pleased that the judge recognized the importance of this kind of reporting" and that it was "terrific to have a judgment that protects journalism at a time when the press has had a fair number of rulings against it".[10]

[edit] Criticism of the anti-sweatshop movement

Kristof is critical of the anti-sweatshop movement, claiming that the sweatshop model is a primary reason why Taiwan and South Korea—which accepted sweatshops as the price of development—are modern countries with low rates of infant mortality and high levels of education, while India—which generally has resisted sweatshops—suffers from a high rate of infant mortality (3.1 million Indian children under the age of five die every year, mostly from diseases of poverty.)[11] While admitting that sweatshop work is tedious, grueling, and sometimes dangerous, he argues that it is considerably less dangerous or arduous than most alternatives in poor countries. Sweatshops provide much-needed jobs and boost the economy of extremely poor countries. He has called for well-meaning Americans to stop campaigning against sweatshops because it leads to closing down of manufacturing and processing plants in places where they are needed most. Responding to his critics, Kristof argues that campaigning to raise the wages in sweatshops will not achieve that goal; rather, the pressure will cause companies to avoid Africa altogether.[12]

[edit] Turkish denial of the Armenian Genocide

Kristof has also criticized in his Times column the Turkish government's ongoing denial of the Armenian Genocide and the United Nations's inability to stand up to Turkey on this issue.[13] Kristof does not mince words in exposing the United Nation's capitulation to regimes that have actively committed atrocities in the past (Turkey) and in the present (Sudan).[13]

[edit] Win a Trip with Nick Kristof contest

In 2006 The New York Times held the Win a Trip with Nick Kristof contest, offering college students and high school teachers the opportunity to win a reporting trip to Africa with Kristof by submitting essays outlining what they intend to accomplish in such a trip. From among 3,800 students who submitted entries, Kristof chose Casey Parks of Jackson, Mississippi. In September 2006 Kristof and Parks traveled to Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, and the Central African Republic and reported on AIDS, poverty, and maternal mortality. During the trip, Kristof published his insights in his New York Times columns while Parks wrote about her observations in her blog. The success of this partnership between experienced journalist and aspiring college students and teachers prompted the Times to hold The Second Annual Win A Trip with Nick Kristof contest in 2007. Leana Wen, a medical student at Washington University in St. Louis, and Will Okun, a teacher at Westside Alternative High School in Chicago, were the winners of the 2007 competition.[14] During summer 2007, they traveled with Kristof to Rwanda, Burundi, and eastern Congo, and blogged about their experiences.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Kristof, Nicholas D.. "On the Ground", The New York Times, The New York Times Company. Retrieved on 2008-03-06. 
  2. ^ Kristof, Nicholas D.. "Wimps on Iraq", The New York Times, The New York Times Company, 2002-08-27. Retrieved on 2008-03-11. 
  3. ^ Kristof, Nicholas D.. "Why Truth Matters", The New York Times via CNN, 2003-05-06. Retrieved on 2006-10-25. 
  4. ^ Wilson, Joseph C.. "What I Didn't Find in Africa", The New York Times, 2003-07-06. Retrieved on 2008-03-11. 
  5. ^ United States Department of Justice Office of Special Counsel (2005-10-28). "White House Official I. Lewis Libby Indicted on Obstruction of Justice, False Statement and Perjury Charges Relating to Leak of Classified Information Revealing CIA Officer's Identity". Press release. Retrieved on 2006-10-25.
  6. ^ a b Kristof, Nicholas D.. "Diplomacy at Its Worst", The New York Times, The New York Times Company, 2007-04-29. Retrieved on 2008-03-11. 
  7. ^ Kristof, Nicholas D. "Transcript of Lecture at American Iranian Council (Identified as Person E)", 2007-06-25. Retrieved on 2008-03-11. 
  8. ^ Kristof, Nicholas D.. "The Anthrax Files", The New York Times, The New York Times Company. Retrieved on 2008-03-21. 
  9. ^ Markon, Jerry. "Former Army Scientist Sues New York Times, Columnist", The Washington Post, 2004-07-14. Retrieved on 2008-03-21. 
  10. ^ a b c Markon, Jerry. "Judge Explains Tossing Out Suit Against N.Y. Times", The Washington Post, 2007-02-02. Retrieved on 2008-03-21. 
  11. ^ Kristof, Nicholas D.; WuDunn, Sheryl. "Two Cheers for Sweatshops: They're dirty and dangerous. They're also a major reason Asia is back on track", The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times Company, 2000-09-24. Retrieved on 2006-10-25. 
  12. ^ Kristof, Nicholas D.. "In Praise of the Maligned Sweatshop", The New York Times, The New York Times Company, 2006-06-06. Retrieved on 2006-10-25. 
  13. ^ a b Kristof, Nicholas D.. "Turkey and Genocide", The New York Times, The New York Times Company, 2007-04-12. Retrieved on 2008-03-11. 
  14. ^ The Second Annual Win a Trip with Nick Kristof. The New York Times Company. Retrieved on 2008-05-24.

[edit] External links


Persondata
NAME Kristof, Nicholas D.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Journalist, author, columnist
DATE OF BIRTH April 27, 1959
PLACE OF BIRTH Yamhill, Oregon
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH