Jeff Gerth facts for kids

Jeff Gerth is an American investigative reporter. This means he writes important stories that look deeply into topics. He worked for many years at The New York Times newspaper. In 1999, he won a special award called a Pulitzer Prize. He won it for his reporting on how American satellite technology was shared with China. He also wrote about the Whitewater controversy and a Chinese scientist named Wen Ho Lee.

Early Life and Education

Jeff Gerth grew up in Ohio. In the 1960s, he went to Shaker Heights High School. While there, he was part of a group called the Junior Council on World Affairs. He was also the captain of the golf team. After high school, he went to Northwestern University. He continued to play golf there. He earned a degree in business administration.

Jeff Gerth's Career

Gerth did not start his career in newspapers. He first worked in the marketing department for a company called Standard Oil of Ohio. His job involved watching cars at gas stations. He wrote down license plate numbers. This helped the company understand why drivers chose other gas stations.

Early Journalism Work

In 1972, Gerth worked for the George McGovern presidential campaign. He helped investigate parts of the Watergate scandal. Later, he worked as a freelance journalist. This means he wrote for different publications. He wrote a story about a resort's connections to organized crime for a magazine. He and his co-author were sued because of this story. They later settled the case.

Gerth also worked with Seymour Hersh, a reporter from The New York Times. Hersh suggested that the newspaper hire Gerth. In 1976, Gerth joined The New York Times. He spent most of his career working in their office in Washington, D.C..

Reporting on Key Events

In 1992, Gerth reported on a real estate deal. This deal involved Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary Clinton. It happened when Bill Clinton was the attorney general of Arkansas. The story looked at whether it was right for a public official to be in business with someone who had financial interests in an industry regulated by the state. Some people criticized Gerth's reporting. They felt it was not completely fair.

Gerth also reported on a meeting between Bill Clinton and his secretary, Betty Currie. In this meeting, Clinton asked Currie questions about Monica Lewinsky.

From 1998, Gerth and other reporters at The New York Times covered an important topic. They reported on how American companies sold technology to China. This happened with the U.S. government's approval. However, it raised concerns about national security. Their reporting led to investigations and changes in policy. In 1999, The New York Times staff, especially Jeff Gerth, won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for this work.

In 1999, Gerth wrote a story about an unidentified Chinese American. This person was later identified as Wen Ho Lee. Gerth's report suggested that Lee had stolen secrets about U.S. nuclear bombs. This case became very controversial. A judge later dropped all charges against Lee. The judge apologized to Dr. Lee for how he was treated.

Later Career and Books

In 2004, Gerth was a visiting professor at Princeton University. He taught a class on investigative reporting. He left The New York Times in 2005. In 2008, he joined the staff of ProPublica, another investigative journalism organization.

Gerth co-wrote a book about Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. The book is called Her Way: The Hopes and Ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton. He wrote it with his former colleague, Don Van Natta, Jr.. The book was published in 2007.

Gerth's articles about Wen Ho Lee are mentioned in a play. The play is called Yellow Face by David Henry Hwang. In the play, Gerth's character is not called by his real name.

In 2023, Gerth published a series of articles in the Columbia Journalism Review. This series looked at how the U.S. media covered Donald Trump's alleged role in the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. The series was called "The press versus the president." Some journalists disagreed with Gerth's ideas in these articles.

Personal Life

Jeff Gerth got married when he was thirty-nine years old. He became a father a year later. His wife, Janice O'Connell, worked for Senator Christopher Dodd. Senator Dodd was involved with the Democratic National Committee during the 1996 presidential campaign. Because of his wife's job, Gerth did not report on that campaign.