Jeff Jacoby (columnist)
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Jeff Jacoby (born February 10, 1959) is a syndicated American newspaper columnist. He comments on political and social issues from a generally conservative perspective.
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Career
Jeff Jacoby's column has been published on the op-ed page of the Boston Globe since 1994, when he was hired as a counterweight to the paper's liberal columnists; from 1987 to 1994, he was chief editorial writer for the conservative Boston Herald. Within months of his debut at the Globe, he was described by the left-leaning Boston Phoenix as "the region's pre-eminent spokesman for Conservative Nation," and a columnist who had "quickly established himself as a must-read." Jacoby has also been a commentator on the local NPR affiliate, WBUR, and for several years hosted a talk show on local television. He is also a public speaker who lectures nationwide.
In 1999, he became the first recipient of the Breindel Prize, a $10,000 award (since increased to $20,000) for excellence in opinion journalism awarded by News Corporation. In 2004, he received the Thomas Paine Award of the libertarian law firm the Institute for Justice, an award presented to journalists "who dedicate their work to the preservation and championing of individual liberty."[1]
Before becoming a columnist, Jacoby worked briefly as an attorney with the firm Baker & Hostetler, and as deputy manager of Raymond Shamie's senatorial campaign in 1984. Following Shamie's loss, Jacoby worked for 15 months as an assistant to John Silber, then-president of Boston University.
In 2000, Jacoby was suspended by the Globe for four months without pay for what the paper called his "serious journalistic misconduct" in failing to provide sources for a Fourth of July column on the fate of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. The case caused a storm of controversy among conservative commentators. On CNN's Reliable Sources, veteran journalists Bernard Kalb and Howard Kurtz concluded that "Jeff Jacoby got shafted by the Boston Globe."[2] Time magazine's Lance Morrow wrote that "Jacoby's offense was no offense."[3] Many conservative organizations and commentators expressed outrage, saying that Jacoby had been unfairly held to a far stricter standard than other journalists would be.[4] The Boston Phoenix, often at odds with Jacoby's views, also rose to Jacoby's defense[5]. Other observers and commentators, as well as the Boston Globe itself, noted that Jacoby had received treatment that had been considerably less harsh than the treatment afforded to other Boston Globe columnists who had recently been accused of wrongdoing, most notably Patricia Smith and Mike Barnicle.
In August 2000, Jacoby filed a grievance through his union, The Newspaper Guild.[6][7]
Personal life
Born in Cleveland, Jacoby is a graduate of George Washington University and the Boston University School of Law, both with honors. His father, a Holocaust survivor, was born in present-day Slovakia in 1925 and came to the United States in 1948. Jacoby and his wife have two sons, Caleb (b. 1997), and Micah (b. 2003); the latter was adopted from Guatemala in 2004.
External links
References
- ^ John E. Kramer (2004-086-01). Boston Globe's Jeff Jacoby Wins IJ's Thomas Paine Award. Institute for Justice. Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
- ^ Reliable Sources: Veepstakes Reaches Fever Pitch; Former Clinton Aide Charges Hillary with Slur; Did the 'Boston Globe' Overreact in Latest Suspension?. CNN (2000-07-22). Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
- ^ Lance Morrow (2000-07-19). In Boston, a Foolish Consistency of Little Minds. Time. Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
- ^ L. Brent Bozell III (2000-07-13). Jeff Jacoby's Patriotic Problem. Media Research Center. Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
- ^ Dan Kennedy. Don't Quote Me -- "Cruel and Unusual". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
- ^ Joe Strupp (2000-08-21). JACOBY TAKES LEGAL ACTION. Editor & Publisher. Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
- ^ Globe columnist now a dues-paying Guilder. The Guild Reporter (2001-01-19). Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
