Helene Cooper facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Helene Cooper
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Helene Cooper
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| Born | April 22, 1966 Monrovia, Liberia
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| Occupation | Journalist |
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Notable credit(s)
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Providence Journal-Bulletin, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal |
| Title | Pentagon correspondent, The New York Times |
Helene Cooper was born on April 22, 1966, in Monrovia, Liberia. She is a talented journalist who works for The New York Times. Currently, she reports on the Pentagon, which is the headquarters for the United States Department of Defense. Before this, she was the White House correspondent, covering news from the U.S. President's home. Helene Cooper joined The New York Times in 2004.
Contents
Helene Cooper's Journalism Career
Winning a Pulitzer Prize
Helene Cooper was part of a team of reporters from The New York Times who won a special award in 2015. This award was the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting. They won it for their excellent coverage of the 2014 Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa.
Helene Cooper wrote about how the Ebola outbreak affected families in Liberia. In Liberian culture, people often show affection through hugging and physical contact. However, during the Ebola crisis, this contact could spread the deadly disease. She wrote about how people cared for sick family members, knowing they might get sick too.
Other journalists on the team included Pam Belluck, Sheri Fink, Adam Nossiter, Norimitsu Onishi, Kevin Sack, and Ben C. Solomon.
Reporting for The Wall Street Journal
Before joining The New York Times, Helene Cooper worked at The Wall Street Journal. From 1992 to 1997, she wrote about important topics like trade, politics, and foreign policy. She worked in their offices in Washington, D.C., and Atlanta.
Later, from 1997 to 1999, she reported from London. There, she focused on the European Monetary Union, which is about how European countries use money together. From 1999 to 2002, she reported on international economics. Then, from 2002 to 2004, she was an assistant bureau chief in Washington.
In 2000, Helene Cooper and her colleague Bob Davis won the Raymond Clapper Memorial Award. This award recognized their excellent reporting from Washington.
Writing Books
Helene Cooper has also written two books. In 2008, she published her memoir called The House at Sugar Beach. A memoir is a book about a person's own life experiences. Her book tells the story of the Liberian coup of 1980. This was a big change in Liberia's government.
The book also shares how this event affected her family. Her family had a long history in Liberia, as they were descendants of free people of color from the United States who helped start Liberia in the 1800s. The book was praised by many and was a finalist for a major book award.
She also wrote a book called Madame President. This book is about Liberia's first female president, a very important leader.
Helene Cooper's Early Life and Family
Helene Cooper was born in Monrovia, Liberia. She moved to the United States and studied journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She earned her degree in 1987.
Her family has deep roots in Liberia. Her ancestors include Elijah Johnson and Randolph Cooper, who were early settlers of Liberia. Her grandfather, John Lewis Cooper, was a successful businessman and government minister in Liberia.
A Personal Story of Being a Refugee
Helene Cooper has shared her own experience of being a refugee. When she was 13 years old, she and her family left Liberia. They came to the U.S. on a tourist visa. They stayed longer than allowed until a special program by President Ronald Reagan gave them green cards, which allowed them to live and work in the U.S. permanently.
She remembered waiting on a plane in Liberia, praying that no one would stop them from leaving. This memory came back to her when she heard about other families facing similar situations.
Helene Cooper is also cousins with Wilmot Collins. He is known for being the first Black person elected as mayor of a city in Montana, which is a big achievement.
