Charlie LeDuff facts for kids

Charles Royal LeDuff (born April 1, 1966) is an American journalist, writer, and media personality. He is known for his unique reporting style. Charlie LeDuff has worked for major news organizations like The New York Times and The Detroit News. He also worked as an on-air journalist for WJBK Channel 2 in Detroit. LeDuff has won important awards, including a Pulitzer Prize. He currently hosts The No BS News Hour with Charlie LeDuff.

About Charlie LeDuff

His Early Life and Background

Charlie LeDuff was born in Portsmouth, Virginia. He grew up in Westland, Michigan. He learned later in life that his family background is quite diverse. Part of his heritage comes from the Ojibway people. He also found out that his paternal grandfather was Creole, meaning he had both African and French ancestors.

LeDuff went to Winston Churchill High School. After that, he studied at the University of Michigan. While at the university, he was part of the Theta Delta Chi fraternity. His father served in the U.S. Navy. Charlie LeDuff has four living siblings.

Before becoming a journalist, LeDuff had many different jobs. He worked as a schoolteacher and a carpenter in Michigan. He was also a cannery worker in Alaska. For a time, he even worked as a baker in Denmark. He has lived in many different cities and countries. LeDuff considers himself a political independent. He is also a practicing Roman Catholic. He is a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa tribe of Michigan.

His Career in Journalism

Charlie LeDuff is a well-known journalist. He is famous for his direct and honest reporting. He once said he sees himself more as a "reporter" than a "journalist." He believes a reporter focuses on finding and sharing facts.

Working for Major Newspapers

After finishing his studies at the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, LeDuff started working for The New York Times. He was a staff reporter there from 1995 to 2007. He worked on many important stories.

One of his biggest achievements was contributing to a Pulitzer Prize-winning project in 2001. This project for The New York Times was called "How Race Is Lived in America." LeDuff wrote a piece for the series titled "At a Slaughterhouse Some Things Never Die." In 1999, he also received the Mike Berger Award for his excellent writing about New York City.

From 2006, LeDuff wrote a series for The New York Times called American Album. This series featured stories and videos about everyday Americans. He wrote about people from different walks of life. These included a worker at a Burger King in Dallas and a soldier from Alaska. He also reported from the war in Iraq. He covered the aftermath of 9/11 at a Brooklyn firehouse.

Later, LeDuff worked for The Detroit News. He then moved to television journalism.

Reporting on Important Issues

In 2022, LeDuff worked with Jordan Chariton to publish an article in The Guardian. They wrote about the Flint water scandal. This was a serious issue where the drinking water in Flint, Michigan, became contaminated. Their article discussed the legal actions taken in response to the crisis.

Books and Television Work

Charlie LeDuff is also a published author. He has written several books that explore different aspects of American life.

His Published Books

His books include:

• Work and Other Sins: Life in New York City and Thereabouts, published in 2005.
• US Guys: The True and Twisted Mind of the American Man, published in 2008.
• Detroit: An American Autopsy, published in 2013. This book looks at the challenges faced by the city of Detroit.
• Sh*tshow!: The Country's Collapsing and the Ratings Are Great, published in 2018.

Television and Media Appearances

LeDuff has also been involved in television projects. He worked on a show called Only in America with the Discovery Channel. In this show, he tried out different jobs and experiences. He played on a semi-professional football team and even joined a circus.

In 2006, he was featured in a documentary for the British channel BBC Four. It was called United Gates of America. In this show, he explored life in a gated community in Canyon Lake, California.

In 2010, LeDuff became a reporter for WJBK, a Fox TV station in Detroit. His reports often went viral online. For example, a video of his reporting on Meals on Wheels became very popular. He also did a unique report where he played golf through different parts of Detroit. This included the old Packard factory. His series, The Americans, shared human interest stories about changes in the American economy. These stories were shown on other Fox stations.

In 2013, LeDuff appeared on the CNN series Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. This episode focused on Detroit. In 2015, he started contributing regularly to Vice News. He left Fox 2 Detroit in 2016 but stayed in Michigan. For a time, he worked at Detroit's American Coney Island diner. He also became a weekly columnist for Deadline Detroit in 2018.

Radio and Podcast Work

In 2018, Charlie LeDuff started his own podcast. It is called The No BS News Hour with Charlie LeDuff. This show features news commentary, often focusing on Detroit. It is part of a larger group of podcasts. A radio station in Detroit, WFDF (AM) 910, even began airing his show.