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.
Smith worked for The New York Times for 26 years, from 1962 to 1988. He was a reporter, editor, and led news offices in Moscow and Washington. After that, he started making documentaries for PBS in 1989. He created over 50 hours of TV programs about important topics. These included stories about the September 11 attacks, Mikhail Gorbachev's changes in Russia, and how regular people try to make a difference in politics.
He has written five best-selling books, like The Russians and The Power Game: How Washington Works. He also helped write other books, such as The Pentagon Papers. Today, Smith is the editor of the website ReclaimTheAmericanDream.org and the YouTube channel 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.
College and Graduate Studies
Smith studied American history and literature at Williams College, earning his degree in 1955. From 1955 to 1956, he studied Politics, Philosophy, and Economics at Oxford University in England as a Fulbright Scholar.
Military Service and Further Studies
He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1956 to 1959. Later, in 1969, he received a Nieman Fellowship to study Russian history and culture at Harvard University.
Newspaper Reporting Career
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.
Covering the Civil Rights Movement
In the early 1960s, Smith began working for The New York Times. He reported on the civil rights struggle in the United States. He covered important events and leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis. This included reporting from places like Birmingham and the March on Washington.
International Correspondent Roles
Smith became a foreign correspondent, reporting from different parts of the world.
- He covered the Vietnam War from Saigon (1963-1964).
- He reported on the Middle East from Cairo (1964-1966).
- He covered the Cold War from both Washington (1967-1970) and Moscow (1971-1974).
In 1974, he won the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting for his stories from Russia and Eastern Europe.
The Pentagon Papers Investigation
In 1971, Smith was part of a team from The New York Times that won a Pulitzer Prize. They worked on the Pentagon Papers series. These papers were top-secret government documents about the Vietnam War. Smith and fellow journalist Neil Sheehan spent over three months secretly studying 7,000 pages of these classified documents.
Smith later said that working with Neil Sheehan on the Pentagon Papers was a "real pleasure and real honor."
Leadership Roles in Washington
After his time as a foreign correspondent, Smith took on leadership roles at The New York Times.
- In 1975, he became the deputy national editor.
- He then served as the Washington Bureau Chief from 1976 to 1979.
- From 1979 to 1988, he was the Chief Washington Correspondent.
During his time in Washington, he reported on five different American presidents and their governments.
Best-Selling Books
Hedrick Smith has written several popular books that explain complex topics.
Understanding Russia and Washington
His 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 major best-seller. It became a very important book for many new members of Congress and their staff.
Reporting on a Changing Russia
Almost 30 years after his first time in Moscow, Smith went back to Russia. He wanted to see the end of Soviet Communism and the breakup of the old Soviet Union. In his book The New Russians (1990), he shared his firsthand experiences of President Mikhail Gorbachev's big political and economic changes, known as perestroika.
Focusing on America's Challenges
For the past 25 years, Smith has focused on issues within the United States. He wrote two books: Rethinking America (1995) and Who Stole the American Dream? (2012). These books explore why economic inequality has grown in the U.S. and why the political system sometimes doesn't work well. They also look at efforts to make the American economy and politics fairer and more open.
Television Documentaries
In 1989-1990, Hedrick 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.
Inside Gorbachev's USSR
Smith used his knowledge of Russian history and his ability to interview people in Russian to create a four-hour documentary series called Inside Gorbachev's USSR. This series gave American television viewers one of the first detailed looks at Gorbachev's perestroika reforms. In 1991, the series won the prestigious Columbia-Dupont Gold Baton award for the best public affairs program on U.S. television.
Award-Winning Programs
Smith has won many major television 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) about the U.S. health care system, and Tax Me If You Can (2004) about tax avoidance, were nominated for Emmys.
- In 2002, Smith shared the duPont-Columbia Gold Baton for Inside the Terror Network. This program was an in-depth look at how the al Qaeda group planned and prepared for the September 11 attacks in 2001.
Seeking Solutions
A special part of Smith's TV reporting is that he doesn't just show problems; he also looks for solutions.
- His mini-series Seeking Solutions (1999) focused on teen violence and hate crimes.
- Making Schools Work (2005) was a two-hour special about successful education programs.
- Surviving the Bottom Line (1998) compared the fairness of America's economy with those of Germany, Japan, and China.
These programs earned Smith and his team public service awards from the Sidney Hillman foundation and Sigma Delta Chi, a national journalism honor society.
The Democracy Rebellion
His most recent PBS documentary, The Democracy Rebellion (2020), shows how everyday citizens have fought against powerful politicians. They have worked to change election laws to stop things like dark money (hidden political spending), gerrymandering (unfair drawing of election districts), and efforts to stop people from voting. The goal is to make America's democracy fairer and more open. This documentary is available 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 reporter for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.
Awards and Honors
Hedrick Smith has received many awards and honors throughout his career.
Academic Honors
- In 1955, he received a Fulbright Scholarship to study at Oxford University.
- In 1969, he won a Nieman Fellowship to study at Harvard University.
- He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, a very old and respected academic honor society.
Journalism Awards
- In 1971, he was part of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for their work on the Pentagon Papers.
- He won the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting in 1974 for his stories from Russia and Eastern Europe.
Television Awards
Smith has also won many television awards.
- His Frontline shows, The Wall Street Fix and Can You Afford to Retire?, won Emmys.
- Two other Frontline shows, Critical Condition and Tax Me If You Can, were nominated for Emmys.
- He has won or shared the Columbia-Dupont Gold Baton award 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. He has also received two national public service awards.
Smith is also a member of the Gridiron Club, a group of journalists in Washington, D.C.
Selected PBS Productions
Hedrick Smith has produced many programs and mini-series for PBS. Here are some of them:
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)
- Surviving the Bottom Line (4 hours, 1998)
- 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)
