Hedrick Smith facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hedrick Smith
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| Born | July 9, 1933 |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Williams College Balliol College, Oxford Harvard University |
| Years active | 1959 - present |
| Employer | The New York Times (1962-1988) Hedrick Smith Productions (1989-2012) |
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Notable work
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The Russians, The Power Game: How Washington Works, The Pentagon Papers (co-authored), The New Russians, Rethinking America, Who Stole the American Dream? |
| Awards | Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting Pulitzer Prize for Public Service 2x Emmy award winner Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award (1991) |
| Honours | Nieman Fellow at Harvard (1969-1970) Fulbright Scholar at Oxford University (1955-56) |
Hedrick Smith is a famous American journalist, author, and TV producer. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting and an Emmy Award for his TV shows. For 26 years, he worked as a reporter and editor for The New York Times. Later, he moved into television, creating over 50 hours of documentaries for PBS. His documentaries covered many important topics, from the 9/11 attacks to how politics works in Washington. Smith has also written five best-selling books, including The Russians and Who Stole the American Dream?. Today, he is the Executive Editor of the website ReclaimTheAmericanDream.org and a YouTube channel called The People vs. The Politicians.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Hedrick Smith was born on July 9, 1933, in Kilmacolm, Scotland. He went to The Choate School in Wallingford, Connecticut. After that, he studied American history and literature at Williams College, graduating in 1955.
From 1955 to 1956, Smith studied Politics, Philosophy, and Economics at Oxford University in England as a Fulbright Scholar. He then served in the U.S. Air Force for three years, from 1956 to 1959. In 1969, he received a Nieman Fellowship to study Russian history and culture at Harvard University.
Newspaper Career Highlights
Smith started his journalism career with summer jobs at The Greenville News in South Carolina. After his time in the Air Force, he joined United Press International in 1959.
In the early 1960s, Smith began working for The New York Times. He covered the Civil rights movement, reporting on important events like the desegregation of Ole Miss and the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. He reported on leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis.
As a foreign correspondent, Smith reported from many parts of the world. He covered the Vietnam War from Saigon (1963-64) and the Middle East from Cairo (1964-66). He also reported on the Cold War from Washington (1967-70) and Moscow (1971-74). In 1974, he won the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting for his stories from Russia and Eastern Europe.
The Pentagon Papers
In 1971, Smith was part of the New York Times team that won a Pulitzer Prize for the Pentagon Papers series. This series was based on a top-secret government history of the Vietnam War. Smith and fellow journalist Neil Sheehan spent months secretly studying thousands of pages of classified documents. They worked hard to bring this important information to the public. Smith said it was an honor to share this experience with Neil Sheehan.
After his time as a foreign correspondent, Smith became the deputy national editor for The New York Times. He then served as the Washington Bureau Chief (1976-79) and Chief Washington Correspondent (1979-88). During these years, he covered five American presidents and their governments.
Best-Selling Books
Smith's book The Russians (1975) was a number one best-seller in America. It was based on his years as the New York Times Moscow Bureau Chief. The book has been translated into 16 languages and is used in many university courses.
His next book, The Power Game: How Washington Works (1988), was also a huge success. It became a guide for many new members of Congress and their staff. President Bill Clinton was even filmed with the book on his bedside table!
Nearly 30 years after his first time in Moscow, Smith returned to Russia. He saw the end of Soviet Communism and the breakup of the Soviet Union. In The New Russians (1990), he wrote about Mikhail Gorbachev's big political and economic changes, known as perestroika. Perestroika means "restructuring" and aimed to reform the Soviet system.
In recent years, Smith has focused on America. His books Rethinking America (1995) and Who Stole the American Dream? (2012) look at why there's a growing gap between rich and poor in the U.S. They also explore how America's political system sometimes struggles. These books also suggest ways to make the economy and politics fairer and more open.
Television Documentaries
In 1989-90, Smith turned his book The Power Game into a four-hour TV series. This marked the start of his 25-year career producing documentaries for PBS. He created 26 prime-time specials and mini-series.
He also made a four-hour PBS documentary series called Inside Gorbachev's USSR. Smith used his knowledge of Russian history and his ability to speak Russian to give American TV viewers a first look at Gorbachev's perestroika reforms. This series won a major award, the Columbia - Dupont Gold Baton, in 1991.
Smith has won many top TV awards for his PBS programs. He won national Emmys for The Wall Street Fix (2003) and Can You Afford to Retire? (2006), which he made for PBS Frontline. Two other programs, Critical Condition (2000) and Tax Me If You Can (2004), were nominated for Emmys.
In 2002, Smith shared the prestigious duPont-Columbia Gold Baton for Inside the Terror Network. This program gave a detailed account of how the al Qaeda terrorists planned and prepared for their attack on the U.S. on September 11, 2001.
Smith's TV reporting often looks for solutions, not just problems. For example, Seeking Solutions (1999) was a mini-series about teen violence. Making Schools Work (2005) showed effective education programs. Surviving the Bottom Line (1998) compared the fairness of America's economy with other countries.
His most recent PBS documentary, The Democracy Rebellion (2020), shows how everyday citizens have worked to change election laws. These efforts aim to make America's democracy fairer and more open. This documentary is now on Smith's YouTube channel, "The People vs the Politicians".
For 25 years, PBS viewers also saw Hedrick Smith as a regular guest on Washington Week in Review and as a special correspondent for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.
Awards and Honors
- In 1955, Smith received a Fulbright Scholarship to study at Oxford University.
- In 1969, he won a Nieman Fellowship to study at Harvard University.
- In 1971, he was part of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for their work on the Pentagon Papers.
- In 1974, he won the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting for his stories from Russia and Eastern Europe.
Smith has also won many television awards:
- His Frontline shows, The Wall Street Fix and Can You Afford to Retire?, won Emmys.
- He has won or shared the Columbia-Dupont Gold Baton twice for the best public affairs program on U.S. television.
- He has also won the George Polk, George Peabody, and Hillman awards for his excellent reporting.
Smith is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, an honor society, and the Gridiron Club, a group of journalists.
List of PBS Productions
Hedrick Smith has produced many programs and mini-series for PBS. His most recent work, the documentary "The Democracy Rebellion", can be found on his YouTube channel.
PBS programs, specials, and miniseries
- The Power Game: How Washington Works (4 hours, 1989)
- Inside Gorbachev’s USSR (4 hours, 1990)
- Challenge to America (4 hours, 1994)
- The People and the Power Game (4 hours, 1996)
- Surviving the Bottom Line (4 hours, 1998)
- Seeking Solutions to Hate Crimes and Prejudice (4 hours, 1999)
- Critical Condition: The State of US Health Care (3 hours, 2000)
- Making Schools Work (2 hours, 2005)
- The Democracy Rebellion (2020)
PBS Frontline productions
- Inside the Terror Network (2002)
- Bigger Than Enron (2002)
- The Wall Street Fix (2003)
- Tax Me If You Can (2004)
- Is Wal-Mart Good for America? (2004)
- Can You Afford to Retire? (2006)
- Spying on the Home Front (2007)
- Poisoned Waters (2009)
