Robert Scheer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert Scheer
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| Born | April 4, 1936 New York City, US
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| Other names | Bob Scheer |
| Education | Christopher Columbus High School |
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| Years active | 1960s–present |
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| Children | Christopher (b. 1968) |
Robert Scheer (born April 4, 1936) is an American journalist and writer. He is known for his political views, which are often described as left-leaning. He has written for many well-known publications like Ramparts, the Los Angeles Times, and Truthdig.
Robert Scheer also wrote many books. His columns were shared with other newspapers and websites, including The Huffington Post. He used to teach communications at the University of Southern California. For many years, he co-hosted a radio show called Left, Right & Center on National Public Radio. In 2011, he won an award for his writing from the Society of Professional Journalists.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Robert Scheer was born and grew up in the Bronx, New York City. His mother had a Russian Jewish background, and his father had a German background. Both of his parents worked in the clothing industry.
Robert went to Christopher Columbus High School. After that, he studied economics at the City College of New York. He continued his studies at Syracuse University and the UC Berkeley. He also spent time as a special fellow at Yale University and Stanford University.
Starting in Journalism
In 1962, Robert Scheer helped start a magazine called Root and Branch: A Radical Quarterly in Berkeley, California. This was one of the first student-led journals of the New Left movement.
He also co-wrote a book called Cuba, an American Tragedy in 1964. From 1964 to 1969, he worked for Ramparts magazine. He was a reporter during the Vietnam War and later became the editor-in-chief. He reported from many places around the world, including Cambodia, China, and the Middle East. While in Cuba, he interviewed Fidel Castro. He also helped publish the diary of Che Guevara.
Running for Office
In the late 1960s, Robert Scheer decided to run for political office. He was against the Vietnam War. In 1966, he ran against a U.S. Representative named Jeffery Cohelan. Even though he lost, he got a lot of votes, especially in Berkeley. This showed how strong the anti-war movement was becoming.
In 1968, he joined a protest where writers and editors promised not to pay taxes because they were against the Vietnam War.
In 1970, he traveled as a journalist with a group from the Black Panther Party to North Korea, China, and Vietnam. Later that year, he ran for the U.S. Senate in California. He was the candidate for the Peace and Freedom Party, but he did not win the election.
Working for the Los Angeles Times and Radio
Robert Scheer worked as a national reporter for the Los Angeles Times for 17 years. He wrote about many different topics, like the Soviet Union, arms control, and national politics. The LA Times nominated his work for the Pulitzer Prize 11 times. He was a finalist for a Pulitzer award for a series of articles about the television industry.
After leaving the LA Times in 1993, he continued to write a weekly column for the paper for 12 more years. This column was later published on Truthdig and shared with other newspapers. He also became a contributing editor for The Nation magazine.
He was a regular voice on the radio show Left, Right & Center. He also hosts a podcast called Scheer Intelligence, where he talks with people involved in politics.
Robert Scheer has taught at several universities, including UC Irvine and UCLA. He is currently a professor at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication. He teaches courses about media and society.
He has interviewed many important political figures, including presidents from Richard Nixon to Bill Clinton. He once interviewed George H. W. Bush, who was running for president at the time.
His Political Views
Robert Scheer is known for sharing his strong opinions on political topics.
Views on the Iraq War
In 2002, he wrote that experts believed Iraq's weapons were mostly destroyed. In 2003, he said that the reasons given for the war were not true. He also wrote an article saying that U.S. troops should leave Iraq.
Views on World War II
In 2010, he wrote that President Harry S. Truman committed "the most atrocious act of terrorism" by dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He has repeated this view on his radio show.
Supporting a Republican Candidate
In 2010, even though he describes himself as a left-leaning person, Robert Scheer supported Rand Paul. Rand Paul is a Republican who was running for the U.S. Senate in Kentucky.
Leaving the Los Angeles Times
Robert Scheer often shared ideas that some people found controversial. In 2005, he wrote an article asking if President George W. Bush would have been reelected if people knew how much his administration was responsible for the 9/11 attacks.
After almost 30 years of working with Robert Scheer, the Los Angeles Times stopped publishing his column in November 2005. The newspaper said it was to save money, but they later hired two other columnists with different views. Scheer believed his firing might have been related to the newspaper's owner trying to get special permission for their businesses.
Many people protested his firing. Hundreds of readers complained, and some, like singer Barbra Streisand, even canceled their newspaper subscriptions. Soon after, the San Francisco Chronicle offered to publish his syndicated column.
Truthdig Online Magazine
On November 29, 2005, Robert Scheer helped start an online news magazine called Truthdig. He was the editor-in-chief. His columns from Truthdig were shared with other websites like The Huffington Post.
Truthdig became known for its in-depth articles about important issues. These issues included human rights, the environment, and how money affects politics. The website won several Webby Awards for being a top political blog and site. It also won awards from the Society of Professional Journalists.
In March 2020, there was a disagreement between Robert Scheer and the publisher of Truthdig. This led to employees stopping work and then being fired. In November 2022, Truthdig relaunched without Robert Scheer. After leaving Truthdig, he started his own website called ScheerPost.
Awards and Recognition
Robert Scheer has received many awards for his journalism.
- In 2010, he won the Distinguished Work in New Media Award from the Society of Professional Journalists.
- In 2011, Ithaca College gave him the Izzy Award for his work in independent media.
- He also won the James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism for his articles about nuclear scientist Wen Ho Lee.
- He has received honors from universities like Stanford University and Yale University.
Personal Life
Robert Scheer has been married three times. His first wife was Serena Turan Scheer. She worked on the editorial staff of Root and Branch. They later divorced.
He married Anne Butterfield Weills in 1965. Their son, Christopher Weills Scheer, was born in 1968. Robert and Anne also later divorced.
Robert Scheer is now married to Narda Catharine Zacchino. She worked at the Los Angeles Times for 31 years and became an associate editor. She also worked at the San Francisco Chronicle. Narda is also a co-author of three books.
Books by Robert Scheer
Robert Scheer has written several books, often focusing on politics and society.
His book, They Know Everything About You: How Data-Collecting Corporations and Snooping Government Agencies Are Destroying Democracy, was released in 2015. It talks about how companies and governments collect information about people.
Another book, The Great American Stickup: How Reagan Republicans and Clinton Democrats Enriched Wall Street While Mugging Main Street (2010), became a Los Angeles Times bestseller. This book argues that both political parties helped Wall Street become richer while ordinary people struggled. A reviewer described Robert Scheer as a journalist who likes to challenge powerful people.
In 2004, he published The Five Biggest Lies Bush Told Us About Iraq. This book also became a Los Angeles Times bestseller. He co-wrote it with his oldest son, Christopher Scheer.
His book Playing President: My Close Encounters with Nixon, Carter, Bush I, Reagan and Clinton – and How They Did Not Prepare Me for George W. Bush (2006) is a collection of his interviews and articles about different presidents.
Film and TV Work
As a Writer
Robert Scheer and his son helped as script consultants for the Oliver Stone film Nixon. This movie was nominated for an Academy Award for its screenplay.
As a Producer
In 2005, a documentary film he co-produced about an activist named Stanley Sheinbaum was shown for the first time.
As an Actor
Robert Scheer has also appeared in a few films. In 1998, he played a journalist in the movie The Siege. He also played a TV pundit in the comedy Bulworth.
Images for kids
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Robert Scheer
