David Weir (journalist)
Encyclopedia
David Weir is a journalist and co-founder, in 1977, of the Center for Investigative Reporting
.
He's written for The Economist
, HotWired
, L.A. Weekly, Mother Jones
, The Nation
, New West, New York Magazine, The New York Times
, Rolling Stone
, Salon.com
, San Francisco Chronicle
, San Francisco Examiner, and others.
Weir has written or co-authored at least three books, listed below.
Weir taught at the University of California
Graduate School of Journalism from 1985 to 1999, and was the Lorry I. Lokey visiting professor in professional journalism at Stanford University
from 2002-2005.
He wrote a retrospective of Hunter Thompson.
He was an editor at SunDance Magazine, Rolling Stone
, California Magazine, Mother Jones
, the Stanford Social Innovation Review, and (in 2001) was the founding editor of 7x7 Magazine
in San Francisco. He was a content executive at Wired
Digital, Salon.com
, and Excite@Home. He was Editor in Chief at Keep Media, (which became MyWire) from 2005–07, and held the same title at Predicify (2008–09).
In college, David Weir was the sports editor of the Michigan Daily
at the University of Michigan
, and a stringer for UPI.
While at Rolling Stone, Weir and Howard Kohn revealed the "Inside Story" of Patty Hearst
's odyssey while she was underground following her kidnapping by the Symbionese Liberation Army
. He also exposed FBI surveillance scandals involving the Black Panther Party
and the American Indian Movement
.
In 1977, he published the first article leading to the best-selling book, Circle of Poison in Rolling Stone.
He currently is Vice-President of the Center for Investigative Reporting and a member of the editorial board of The Nation Institute
. He is also a judge, in 2008, for Alternet
, the Society of Professional Journalists
, and PEN
USA.
Weir is working on a memoir of his years at Rolling Stone.
Center for Investigative Reporting
The Center for Investigative Reporting is a non-profit journalism organization located in Berkeley, California. It was founded in 1977 by Lowell Bergman, , and David Weir to reveal injustice and abuse of power through the tools of journalism....
.
He's written for The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
, HotWired
HotWired
Hotwired was the first commercial web magazine, launched on October 27, 1994. Although it was part of Wired Ventures, Hotwired was a separate entity from Wired, the print magazine, and had original content....
, L.A. Weekly, Mother Jones
Mother Jones (magazine)
Mother Jones is an American independent news organization, featuring investigative and breaking news reporting on politics, the environment, human rights, and culture. Mother Jones has been nominated for 23 National Magazine Awards and has won six times, including for General Excellence in 2001,...
, The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, New West, New York Magazine, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, Salon.com
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
, San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
, San Francisco Examiner, and others.
Weir has written or co-authored at least three books, listed below.
Weir taught at the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
Graduate School of Journalism from 1985 to 1999, and was the Lorry I. Lokey visiting professor in professional journalism at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
from 2002-2005.
He wrote a retrospective of Hunter Thompson.
He was an editor at SunDance Magazine, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, California Magazine, Mother Jones
Mother Jones (magazine)
Mother Jones is an American independent news organization, featuring investigative and breaking news reporting on politics, the environment, human rights, and culture. Mother Jones has been nominated for 23 National Magazine Awards and has won six times, including for General Excellence in 2001,...
, the Stanford Social Innovation Review, and (in 2001) was the founding editor of 7x7 Magazine
7x7 Magazine
7x7 is a city-living-focused fashion, lifestyle, food, culture, opinion and entertainment digital, print, mobile and events platform. 7x7 covers San Francisco, Seattle and Portland....
in San Francisco. He was a content executive at Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
Digital, Salon.com
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
, and Excite@Home. He was Editor in Chief at Keep Media, (which became MyWire) from 2005–07, and held the same title at Predicify (2008–09).
In college, David Weir was the sports editor of the Michigan Daily
Michigan Daily
The Michigan Daily is the daily student newspaper of the University of Michigan. Its first edition was published on September 29, 1890. The newspaper is financially and editorially independent of the University's administration and other student groups, but shares a university building with other...
at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, and a stringer for UPI.
While at Rolling Stone, Weir and Howard Kohn revealed the "Inside Story" of Patty Hearst
Patty Hearst
Patricia Campbell Hearst , now known as Patricia Campbell Hearst Shaw, is an American newspaper heiress, socialite, actress, kidnap victim, and convicted bank robber....
's odyssey while she was underground following her kidnapping by the Symbionese Liberation Army
Symbionese Liberation Army
The Symbionese Liberation Army was an American self-styled left-wing urban militant group active between 1973 and 1975 that considered itself a revolutionary vanguard army...
. He also exposed FBI surveillance scandals involving the Black Panther Party
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....
and the American Indian Movement
American Indian Movement
The American Indian Movement is a Native American activist organization in the United States, founded in 1968 in Minneapolis, Minnesota by urban Native Americans. The national AIM agenda focuses on spirituality, leadership, and sovereignty...
.
In 1977, he published the first article leading to the best-selling book, Circle of Poison in Rolling Stone.
He currently is Vice-President of the Center for Investigative Reporting and a member of the editorial board of The Nation Institute
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
. He is also a judge, in 2008, for Alternet
AlterNet
AlterNet, a project of the non-profit Independent Media Institute, is a progressive/liberal activist news service. Launched in 1998, AlterNet now claims a readership of over 3 million visitors per month .AlterNet publishes original content as well as journalism from a wide variety of other sources...
, the Society of Professional Journalists
Society of Professional Journalists
The Society of Professional Journalists , formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is one of the oldest organizations representing journalists in the United States. It was established in April 1909 at DePauw University, and its charter was designed by William Meharry Glenn. The ten founding members of...
, and PEN
International PEN
PEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
USA.
Weir is working on a memoir of his years at Rolling Stone.
Books
- Weir, David and Mark Schapiro. Circle of Poison: Pesticides and People in a Hungry World (Food First Books) February 1981) ISBN 9780935028096 Describes the international marketing of pesticides banned in the United States and incidences of pesticide poisoning in farm workers and through the exportation of contaminated foods.
- Weir, David and Dan Noyes. Raising Hell: How the Center for Investigative Reporting Gets the StoryRaising Hell (book)Raising Hell: How the Center for Investigative Reporting Gets the Story is a nonfiction work by David Weir and Dan Noyes, with a foreword by Mike Wallace...
(Addison-Wesley Pub Co, 1983: 1983) ISBN 0201108593. - Weir, David. The Bhopal Syndrome: Pesticides, Environment and Health ISBN 9780871567185 (Sierra Club BooksSierra Club BooksSierra Club Books is the publishing division of the Sierra Club, founded in 1960 by then Sierra Club President David Brower. Volumes intended for club members had been published prior to 1960. In addition, books under their name had been published before 1960, but done through already established...
, 1987) Discusses the disasterDisasterA disaster is a natural or man-made hazard that has come to fruition, resulting in an event of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life, or drastic change to the environment...
at Bhopal, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in the context of a global syndrome that puts countless lives at risk; proposes measures to reduce unnecessary risk.