Bob Herbert facts for kids

Robert Herbert, born on March 7, 1945, is an American journalist. He used to write special opinion articles, called op-ed columns, for The New York Times. His articles were shared with many other newspapers across the country. Herbert often wrote about important topics like poverty, the Iraq War, and fairness for all people. Today, he is a special expert at an organization called Demos. In 2015, he also joined the board of Common Cause, a group that works for good government.

Early Life and Education

Robert Herbert was born in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up mostly in Montclair, New Jersey. His parents owned shops that fixed and made furniture coverings. When he was young, he was chosen to join the military during the time leading up to the Vietnam War. However, he was sent to Korea instead. Herbert always liked politics and writing. After his time in the military, he decided to become a journalist. In 1988, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism from the State University of New York (Empire State College).

A Journalist's Journey

Herbert's career in journalism started in 1970 at The Star-Ledger newspaper in New Jersey. From 1976 to 1985, he worked as a reporter and editor at the New York Daily News. He then became a political writer and editor, and his work started to get a lot of attention.

This led him to television. In 1990, he became one of the first people on Sunday Edition at WCBS-TV in New York. He also hosted Hotline, a weekly show about important issues on New York public television. Later, from 1991 to 1993, he worked as a national reporter for NBC. You could often see him on shows like The Today Show and NBC Nightly News.

Awards and Books

Robert Herbert has received several awards for his journalism. He won the Meyer Berger Award for his reporting on New York City. He also received an award from the American Society of Newspaper Editors for his excellent newspaper writing. In 1993, he led the group that chose the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news.

Herbert has also written books. In 2005, he published Promises Betrayed: Waking Up From The American Dream. In 2014, he released another book called Losing Our Way: An Intimate Portrait of a Troubled America.

Later Career and Film Work

Robert Herbert left The New York Times on March 25, 2011. His last article there was titled "Losing Our Way." In June 2011, he joined Demos, a national group that studies important issues. He became a Distinguished Senior Fellow there. When his new role was announced, it was also shared that he would write for the Demos blog, PolicyShop. He also writes for The American Prospect magazine, which joined with Demos in 2010.

In 2017, Herbert directed a documentary film called Against All Odds: The Fight for a Black Middle Class. This film looks at challenges faced by the Black middle class. It also explores issues like unfair treatment based on race. The film uses old videos and interviews with people like Isabel Wilkerson, Maya Rockeymoore, Elijah Cummings, and Marc Morial.

In Pop Culture

Robert Herbert is even mentioned in a TV show! In an episode of Seinfeld called "The Big Salad", a character named Julie talks about her favorite writers. She says, "And Bob Herbert's great. He's the Daily News." Another character, George Costanza, then compares Herbert's name to the name of a football player, Bobby Hebert.