Gordon Ackerman
Encyclopedia
Gordon Ackerman is an American journalist, writer and photographer. He was born in Albany, N.Y. His father, Earl Ackerman, was CEO of a feed manufacturing and grain brokerage firm. His mother, Helen Ackerman, was a classical pianist.
He was educated at the Albany Academy
, the Fessenden School
, Boston University
and the University of Paris
.
Ackerman began his career with the Albany, N.Y. Times-Union, but has lived and worked for most of his life in Europe, where he has reported and written for major American print and broadcast media
, notably Time
, Life
, Sports Illustrated
and Newsweek
magazines, CBS News
, ABC News
and UPI. He was Chief Paris Correspondent for the Westinghouse Broadcasting Corporation before joining the Paris Bureau of Time-Life as a correspondent and writer, in 1959. He reported throughout Europe and Africa for all of the Time Inc. publications, as well as for Paris-Match, a leading weekly French magazine. He was, briefly, an editor at People magazine in New York.
Ackerman reported major news events in Europe and North Africa
in the 1950s and ‘60s. He was the first American newsman to arrive in Agadir, Morocco
, on 29 Feb., 1960, following the earthquake in which 30,000 people were killed and injured, and he witnessed the street battles between French infantrymen and civilians in Algiers in 1961 that heralded the end of the Franco-Algerian War.
In the late 1980s, Ackerman carried out reporting assignments in Eastern Europe
for the late Pierre Salinger
, European News Director of ABC News and former press secretary
to President John F. Kennedy
. In 1989, on assignment for Salinger, Ackerman entered the former German Democratic Republic
(East Germany) posing as a “university professor.” Arrested by the East German secret police
, the Stasi
, Ackerman was released after convincing the police that he was a close friend of East German chief of state
Erich Honecker
. He continued reporting, and clandestinely filmed massive public demonstrations in Leipzig and Berlin that preceded the collapse of the Communist government
and the fall of the Berlin Wall
. The films, as well as the motorcyclist Ackerman hired to smuggle them out of the country, were intercepted and seized, probably by the STASI, before reaching West Berlin
.
On the night of 9 Nov., 1989, with East Germany falling rapidly into anarchy, Ackerman and another correspondent became the first newsmen to reach the Brandenburg Gate
as jubilant crowds of West and East Germans ripped down the first sections of the Wall and tearfully embraced.
Ackerman’s war reporting is included in a book collection edited by the late Life magazine
photographer, Carl Mydans
, entitled The Violent Peace, published by Atheneum. It is in public libraries in most major American cities. A collection of his short fiction
, Eleven Stories, was published in 1964.
Ackerman’s writing and reporting are in permanent collection at the University of Wyoming
and the American Heritage Foundation. His art photography
has been exhibited in galleries and museums in Europe and the United States, and acquired by, among others, the Albany Institute of History & Art
.
He has two children.
Ackerman resides in upstate New York
and divides his time between the U. S. and Europe.
He was educated at the Albany Academy
The Albany Academy
The Albany Academy is an independent college preparatory day school for boys in Albany, New York, USA, enrolling students from Preschool to Grade 12. It was established in 1813 by a charter signed by Mayor Philip Schuyler Van Rensselaer and the city council of Albany...
, the Fessenden School
Fessenden School
The Fessenden School is an independent day and boarding school for boys, founded in 1903 by Frederick J. Fessenden, and located at 250 Waltham Street, West Newton, Massachusetts, United States, on a campus....
, Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
and the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
.
Ackerman began his career with the Albany, N.Y. Times-Union, but has lived and worked for most of his life in Europe, where he has reported and written for major American print and broadcast media
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
, notably Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
, Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
and Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
magazines, CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
, ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
and UPI. He was Chief Paris Correspondent for the Westinghouse Broadcasting Corporation before joining the Paris Bureau of Time-Life as a correspondent and writer, in 1959. He reported throughout Europe and Africa for all of the Time Inc. publications, as well as for Paris-Match, a leading weekly French magazine. He was, briefly, an editor at People magazine in New York.
Ackerman reported major news events in Europe and North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
in the 1950s and ‘60s. He was the first American newsman to arrive in Agadir, Morocco
Agadir
Agadir is a major city in southwest Morocco, capital of the Agadir province and the Sous-Massa-Draa economic region .-Etymology:...
, on 29 Feb., 1960, following the earthquake in which 30,000 people were killed and injured, and he witnessed the street battles between French infantrymen and civilians in Algiers in 1961 that heralded the end of the Franco-Algerian War.
In the late 1980s, Ackerman carried out reporting assignments in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
for the late Pierre Salinger
Pierre Salinger
Pierre Emil George Salinger was a White House Press Secretary to U.S. Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson...
, European News Director of ABC News and former press secretary
Press secretary
A press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the news media and, using news management techniques, helps their employer to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage....
to President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. In 1989, on assignment for Salinger, Ackerman entered the former German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
(East Germany) posing as a “university professor.” Arrested by the East German secret police
Secret police
Secret police are a police agency which operates in secrecy and beyond the law to protect the political power of an individual dictator or an authoritarian political regime....
, the Stasi
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...
, Ackerman was released after convincing the police that he was a close friend of East German chief of state
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
Erich Honecker
Erich Honecker
Erich Honecker was a German communist politician who led the German Democratic Republic as General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party from 1971 until 1989, serving as Head of State as well from Willi Stoph's relinquishment of that post in 1976....
. He continued reporting, and clandestinely filmed massive public demonstrations in Leipzig and Berlin that preceded the collapse of the Communist government
Communist state
A communist state is a state with a form of government characterized by single-party rule or dominant-party rule of a communist party and a professed allegiance to a Leninist or Marxist-Leninist communist ideology as the guiding principle of the state...
and the fall of the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
. The films, as well as the motorcyclist Ackerman hired to smuggle them out of the country, were intercepted and seized, probably by the STASI, before reaching West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
.
On the night of 9 Nov., 1989, with East Germany falling rapidly into anarchy, Ackerman and another correspondent became the first newsmen to reach the Brandenburg Gate
Brandenburg Gate
The Brandenburg Gate is a former city gate and one of the most well-known landmarks of Berlin and Germany. It is located west of the city centre at the junction of Unter den Linden and Ebertstraße, immediately west of the Pariser Platz. It is the only remaining gate of a series through which...
as jubilant crowds of West and East Germans ripped down the first sections of the Wall and tearfully embraced.
Ackerman’s war reporting is included in a book collection edited by the late Life magazine
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
photographer, Carl Mydans
Carl Mydans
Carl Mydans was an American photographer who worked for the Farm Security Administration and Life magazine....
, entitled The Violent Peace, published by Atheneum. It is in public libraries in most major American cities. A collection of his short fiction
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
, Eleven Stories, was published in 1964.
Ackerman’s writing and reporting are in permanent collection at the University of Wyoming
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
and the American Heritage Foundation. His art photography
Fine art photography
Fine art photography refers to photographs that are created in accordance with the creative vision of the photographer as artist. Fine art photography stands in contrast to photojournalism, which provides a visual account for news events, and commercial photography, the primary focus of which is to...
has been exhibited in galleries and museums in Europe and the United States, and acquired by, among others, the Albany Institute of History & Art
Albany Institute of History & Art
The Albany Institute of History & Art is a museum in Albany, New York "dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting and promoting interest in the history, art, and culture of Albany and the Upper Hudson Valley region". The museum is located at 125 Washington Avenue in downtown Albany...
.
He has two children.
Ackerman resides in upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
and divides his time between the U. S. and Europe.