Jim Dwyer (journalist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jim Dwyer
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Jim Dwyer, November 2016
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| Born | March 4, 1957 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | October 8, 2020 (aged 63) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Journalist, author |
| Language | English |
| Citizenship | American |
| Education | BS, General Sciences, Fordham College MS, Journalism, Columbia University |
| Notable works |
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| Notable awards | Pulitzer Prize for Commentary Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Reporting (team) |
| Spouse |
Catherine Muir Dwyer
(m. 1981) |
| Children | 2 |
Jim Dwyer (born March 4, 1957 – died October 8, 2020) was an American journalist and author. He worked as a reporter and writer for The New York Times. He also wrote or helped write six non-fiction books.
Dwyer grew up in New York City. Before joining the Times, he wrote for New York Newsday and the New York Daily News. He appeared in the 2012 movie Central Park Five. He was also shown on stage in Nora Ephron's play Lucky Guy (2013).
Jim Dwyer won the Pulitzer Prize in 1995 for his moving stories about New York City. He was also part of the New York Newsday team that won a Pulitzer in 1992. This award was for their news coverage of a subway accident in Manhattan.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Jim Dwyer was born in Manhattan on March 4, 1957. He was one of four sons. His parents, Philip and Mary Dwyer, were immigrants from Ireland.
He went to Msgr. William R. Kelly School and then the Loyola School. At Loyola, he played sports and was the editor of the school newspaper. He finished high school in 1975.
Dwyer then studied at Fordham University. He earned a bachelor’s degree in general science in 1979. Later, in 1980, he received a master’s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Family Life
In 1981, Jim Dwyer married Catherine Muir. She is a professor of computer sciences. They had two daughters, Maura and Catherine Elizabeth.
Jim Dwyer passed away on October 8, 2020. He was 63 years old. He died from problems related to lung cancer.
Journalism Career
Jim Dwyer had a long and successful career in journalism. In 1992, he was part of a team at New York Newsday. This team won the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Reporting. They won for their news about the 1991 Union Square derailment, a subway accident.
In 1995, Dwyer won another Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. This was for his kind and powerful stories about New York City.
Besides The New York Times and Newsday, he also worked for other newspapers. These included the Hudson Dispatch and the Elizabeth Daily Journal. He also worked for The Record of Hackensack and the New York Daily News.
He joined The New York Times in May 2001. He helped report on major events like the September 11 attacks. He also covered the invasion of Iraq. From 2007 until his death in 2020, he wrote the "About New York" column for the Times.
Books by Jim Dwyer
Jim Dwyer wrote or co-wrote six non-fiction books. These books covered a variety of important topics.
More Awesome Than Money
More Awesome Than Money was published in 2015. This book tells the true story of four young men. They tried to create a new social network called Diaspora. Their goal was to offer an alternative to big social media companies.
The book follows their journey from getting support on Kickstarter to facing challenges. It also talks about how their work relates to online privacy and freedom. Reviewers called it a "thrilling read" that explored important ideas.
False Conviction
False Conviction: Innocence, Science and Guilt (2014) is an interactive book. It was made with the New York Hall of Science. The book uses videos, animations, and text. It helps readers understand how mistakes can happen in courtrooms.
It also shows how science can help prevent wrong convictions. The book includes games that show how small errors can lead to big problems. It was praised for making complex science easy to understand.
102 Minutes
102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers (2005) was co-written with Kevin Flynn. This book was a finalist for the National Book Award. It tells the story of the 102 minutes the Twin Towers stood after the attacks on September 11, 2001.
The authors used interviews with survivors and official records. They also used 911 calls to tell the story. The book gives a detailed look at what happened inside the towers.
Actual Innocence and Two Seconds Under the World
Dwyer co-wrote Actual Innocence: Five Days to Execution and Other Dispatches from the Wrongly Convicted (2000). This book explored why innocent people are sometimes wrongly convicted. It showed how DNA evidence can prove innocence. The book helped bring attention to the need for justice system reforms.
He also co-authored Two Seconds Under the World (1994). This book was about the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. It looked at early signs of terrorism and problems with how different agencies worked together.
Subway Lives
Subway Lives: 24 Hours in the Life of the New York Subways (1991) was written by Dwyer. This book explores the lives of six New Yorkers. Their stories are set on the day the last train covered in graffiti was taken out of service.
Critics praised the book for showing New York City from a new angle. Much of the information for the book came from Dwyer's time as a subway columnist. He wrote about the subway from 1986 to 1989 for New York Newsday.
Film and Theater Appearances
Jim Dwyer's work and life were also featured in film and theater. The famous filmmaker Ken Burns described Dwyer as a "Greek chorus" in his 2012 movie, Central Park Five. This documentary was about the wrongful convictions of five teenagers.
The actor Michael Gaston played Jim Dwyer in the play Lucky Guy. This play was written by Nora Ephron. It was about Dwyer's friend, Mike McAlary, who was also a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer. The play ran on Broadway in 2013 and starred Tom Hanks.
See also
In Spanish: Jim Dwyer para niños
