Joe Klein facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joe Klein
|
|
|---|---|
Klein at the 2011 Time 100 Gala
|
|
| Born | September 7, 1946 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation |
|
| Education | Hackley School University of Pennsylvania |
| Period | 1969–present |
| Subject | American politics |
| Spouse |
Janet Eklund
(m. 1967–1975)Victoria Kaunitz |
| Children | 4 |
Joe Klein (born September 7, 1946) is an American writer and journalist who is famous for his articles about politics. He is best known for his work as a columnist for Time magazine.
He also wrote a popular novel called Primary Colors. The book was a fictional story based on real events, telling the story of Bill Clinton's journey to become president in 1992. When it was first published, no one knew who wrote it because the author was listed as "Anonymous."
Contents
Early Life and Career
Joe Klein was born in Rockaway Beach, Queens, a neighborhood in New York City. He grew up in a Jewish family. His father was a printer and his grandfather was a musician.
Klein went to college at the University of Pennsylvania and studied American civilization. After graduating, he started his career as a reporter for small newspapers in Massachusetts. He later worked for The Real Paper in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
From 1975 to 1980, he was a writer for Rolling Stone magazine. He even had a small part as a reporter in the 1977 movie Billy Jack Goes to Washington.
Famous Books and Columns
Throughout his career, Klein has written several important books and columns for major magazines.
Well-Known Books
In 1980, Klein published a biography called Woody Guthrie: A Life. In 1984, he wrote Payback: Five Marines After Vietnam.
His most famous book, Primary Colors, came out in 1996. Because it was published anonymously, it created a big mystery. The book became a number one bestseller. Many people tried to guess who the author was. A professor named Donald Foster studied the writing style and correctly guessed it was Klein.
At first, Klein said he did not write the book. But on July 17, 1996, he finally announced that he was the author.
Magazine Columns
In the 1990s, Klein wrote a column for New York magazine and won an award for his reporting. He then moved to Newsweek magazine, where his column "Public Lives" won another award.
After the success of Primary Colors, he joined The New Yorker in 1996 to write about politics in Washington, D.C. In 2003, he began writing a column called "In the Arena" for Time magazine, where he discussed both American and world events.
Political Views
In the 1990s, Klein wrote about an idea called radical centrism. This is a political view that tries to find a middle ground between traditional liberal and conservative ideas. He believed this was a new and important way of thinking about politics.
In his book The Natural, which is about President Bill Clinton, Klein praised the moderate, or "middle-of-the-road," ideas of the Democratic Leadership Council. This group promoted a political philosophy known as the Third Way, which looks for solutions that are not strictly left-wing or right-wing.
Klein has sometimes been critical of how the news media covers complex topics. In 2011, he said that some TV hosts make complicated issues seem too simple, which he felt was not helpful for public understanding.
Controversies in Journalism
Some of Klein's articles have led to disagreements and corrections.
- FISA Reporting: In 2007, he wrote about a law called the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Another journalist, Glenn Greenwald, said Klein's article had factual errors about what the law would do. Time magazine later added a note to the story to explain that politicians disagreed on how to interpret the law.
- Comments on Drones: In 2012, Klein was on the TV show Morning Joe and talked about U.S. drone strikes. He said that while it was sad that children were sometimes harmed, the strikes were meant to prevent terrorist attacks that could harm children in the United States. His comments were criticized by some people.
- Reporting in Oklahoma and Alabama: In 2013, an article he wrote about tornado relief in Oklahoma was criticized for seeming to ignore the help given by non-religious groups. In 2014, people he interviewed for an article in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, said he had misquoted them or used their names incorrectly.
Personal Life
Klein was married to his first wife, Janet Eklund, from 1967 to 1975. They have two children, Christopher and Terry.
He later married Victoria Kaunitz, a swimwear designer. They live in New Rochelle, New York, and have two children together, Sophie and Teddy.
See also
- Afghanistanism, for his comment on the subject
