Seymour Hersh

Seymour Hersh (b. 1937) has been the most important, famous, and controversial investigative journalist in the United States for the last forty years. After beginning his career as a police reporter in Chicago, Hersh went on to become a journalist for United Press International and the Associated Press, before coming to work for the New York Times in 1972. Since then he has published a number of controversial books about U.S. figures and policy, winning several prizes for his efforts, including the 1983 National Book Critics Circle Award. From his exposé of the My Lai massacre and its cover-up in 1969 to his revelations about torture at Abu Ghraib prison in 2004, Hersh has consistently captured the public imagination and spurred policymakers to reform. He has also drawn the ire of presidents with his revelations, including a revealing volume about the wild and reckless White House under John F. Kennedy. Tracing his journey from the streets of Chicago to the newsrooms of the most powerful newspapers and magazines in the United States, Seymour Hersh tells the story of this Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author. Robert Miraldi scrutinizes the scandals and national figures that have drawn Hersh's attention, from My Lai to Watergate, from John F. Kennedy to Henry Kissinger. This first-ever biography captures a stunningly successful career of important exposés and stunning accomplishments from a man whose unpredictable and quirky personality has turned him into an icon of American life and the unrivaled "scoop artist" of American journalism.