Michael Hastings (journalist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michael Hastings
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Michael Hastings and Valerie Jarrett at Barack Obama's victory party, 2012
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| Born |
Michael Mahon Hastings
January 28, 1980 Malone, New York, U.S.
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| Died | June 18, 2013 (aged 33) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Cause of death | Traffic collision |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | New York University (B.A) |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Known for | War correspondent (Iraq and Afghanistan) |
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Notable work
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"The Runaway General" |
| Spouse(s) |
Elise Jordan
(m. 2011) |
| Awards | George Polk Award Norman Mailer Prize |
Michael Mahon Hastings (January 28, 1980 – June 18, 2013) was an American journalist and author. He was also a contributing editor for Rolling Stone magazine and a reporter for BuzzFeed. Michael Hastings became well-known for his brave reporting from war zones.
He gained fame for his coverage of the Iraq War in the 2000s. After his fiancée, Andrea Parhamovich, was killed in Iraq, Hastings wrote his first book, I Lost My Love in Baghdad: A Modern War Story (2008). This book was about his relationship with Andrea and the conflict that took her life.
Hastings won the George Polk Award for his article "The Runaway General" (2010). This Rolling Stone story was about General Stanley McChrystal, who was a top commander in the Afghanistan war. The article showed that the general and his team had strong negative opinions about government officials. This led to General McChrystal resigning from his position. Hastings then wrote a book called The Operators (2012), which shared more details about his time with McChrystal.
Later, Hastings became a strong critic of the Obama administration and how the government was watching its citizens. He believed that restrictions on freedom of the press were a "war" on journalism. His last story, "Why Democrats Love to Spy On Americans", was published by BuzzFeed on June 7, 2013. Michael Hastings died in a car crash on June 18, 2013, in Los Angeles, California.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Michael Hastings was born in Malone, New York. His parents were Molly and Brent Hastings. He had two brothers, Jon and Jeff. Michael lived in Malone until he was 11 years old. His family then moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where his mother studied eye care for children.
In Montreal, he went to Lower Canada College, a private high school. He wrote a column for the school's newspaper there. When he was 16, his family moved to Vermont. He attended Rice Memorial High School, a Catholic school in South Burlington, Vermont. In high school, Hastings was elected class president. He played lacrosse and soccer and acted in school plays. He graduated in 1998. After high school, Hastings wrote for Scholastic, a magazine for young adults. He later earned his journalism degree from New York University in 2002.
In May 2011, Hastings married journalist Elise Jordan in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Elise Jordan had worked as a speechwriter for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Journalism Career
Michael Hastings started his journalism career as an unpaid intern for Newsweek magazine in 2002. He also wrote regularly for Gentlemen's Quarterly and was an editor at Rolling Stone magazine.
Reporting from Iraq
In 2005, Hastings began reporting on the Iraq War. He lived in the secure areas of Baghdad known as the Green Zone. In 2007, his fiancée, Andrea Parhamovich, was killed. She had moved to Baghdad to work for a group that helps with democracy. Andrea died when her group's cars were attacked by gunmen.
Hastings wrote a book about this sad event called I Lost My Love in Baghdad: A Modern War Story. Before the book came out, Newsweek published a part of it where Hastings shared his memories of the day Andrea died.
The Runaway General Article
In June 2010, Rolling Stone magazine published "The Runaway General." This was Michael Hastings's story about U.S. Army General Stanley A. McChrystal. At the time, General McChrystal was the commander of the International Security Assistance Force in the Afghanistan war.
The article shared comments made by General McChrystal's staff that were very critical of White House officials. When news of the article reached the White House, General McChrystal quickly apologized. U.S. President Barack Obama called McChrystal to the White House and removed him from his command.
Hastings had gained special access to McChrystal's team. He ended up spending more time with them than planned because flights were canceled due to a volcanic ash cloud in Europe. This extra time allowed him to hear more open conversations. For his reporting, Hastings was given a Polk Award.
Rolling Stone and Hastings strongly defended the accuracy of the article. The U.S. Army looked into the matter and confirmed that some of the comments were made. Hastings later wrote a book called The Operators in 2012, which included more details and quotes from his time with McChrystal.
The Operators Book
In January 2012, Hastings published The Operators. This book shared more about his travels with General Stanley McChrystal and his team in 2010. It included many quotes from over 20 hours of audio recordings. The book became a New York Times bestseller.
Other Important Stories
Hastings also wrote Panic 2012: The Sublime and Terrifying Inside Story of Obama's Final Campaign. This e-book was about his experiences trying to get close to President Barack Obama's re-election campaign.
Occupy Wall Street
In February 2012, Hastings and Rolling Stone, working with WikiLeaks, reported that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had been watching the Occupy Wall Street movement. Hastings criticized the DHS report, which said that large protests could cause problems for transportation and services.
Bowe Bergdahl Story
In June 2012, Hastings wrote an article about Private First Class Bowe Bergdahl. Bergdahl was a soldier captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2009 after leaving his army base. Hastings discussed his article on MSNBC, saying that some people in the Pentagon did not want to trade for Bowe Bergdahl. A White House official told Hastings that the details of Bergdahl's capture were not important. Bowe Bergdahl was later exchanged for five Taliban prisoners in June 2014.
Criticism of Foreign Policy
Hastings was a long-time critic of the U.S. drone program. In May 2013, he spoke out against President Barack Obama's foreign policy and the use of drones, saying it was too focused on military actions.
Death
On June 18, 2013, Michael Hastings died in a car crash. He was driving his Mercedes-Benz C250 Coupé at about 4:25 a.m. in the Hancock Park area of Los Angeles.
Many journalists and news organizations, like Chris Hayes and Rachel Maddow, shared their sadness and respect for Hastings after his death. The 2015 documentary film Imminent Threat was dedicated to his work.
Awards and Tributes
In 2013, Michael Hastings was given the Norman Mailer Prize for Distinguished Journalism after his death.
In 2017, The Daily Beast newspaper put one of Hastings's quotes on their office walls: "There are three great beats in American journalism: politics, Hollywood, and war." Rachel Maddow also honored Hastings after he died, saying he was "angry about things that weren't right in the world . . . with war and with loss, and that drove his reporting, and it made him fearless."
Images for kids
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Tree at the Hastings crash site in July 2013.
See also
In Spanish: Michael Hastings para niños
