Jeff Jacoby
Encyclopedia
Jeff Jacoby is an American journalist and syndicated newspaper columnist.
to a Jewish family, Jacoby is a graduate of George Washington University
and the Boston University School of Law
, both with honors. His father, a Holocaust survivor, was born in present-day Slovakia
in 1925 and came to the United States in 1948. Jacoby has been married to Laura Weller since 1996. They have two sons, Caleb (b. 1997), and Micah (b. 2003); the latter was adopted from Guatemala
in 2004. Jacoby is a member of Young Israel of Brookline .Before becoming a columnist, Jacoby worked briefly as an attorney with the firm Baker & Hostetler, and as deputy manager of Raymond Shamie's senatorial campaign in 1984. Following Shamie's loss, Jacoby worked for 15 months as an assistant to John Silber, then-president of Boston University. He is a member of the board of the Ford Hall Forum, the nation's oldest free public-lecture series.
. Within months of his debut at the Globe, he was described by the left-leaning Boston Phoenix as "the region's pre-eminent spokesman for Conservative Nation," and a columnist who had "quickly established himself as a must-read." Jacoby has also been a commentator on the local NPR
affiliate, WBUR
, and for several years hosted a talk show on local television. He is also a public speaker who lectures nationwide.
In 2000, Jacoby was suspended by the Globe for four months without pay for what the paper called his "serious journalistic misconduct" in failing to provide sources for a Fourth of July column on the fate of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Although the themes and ideas in the column had already appeared in other media outlets, Jacoby neglected to mention that the column's content was not original. The Globe "avoided calling the column a work of plagiarism," On CNN's Reliable Sources, veteran journalists Bernard Kalb and Howard Kurtz concluded that "Jeff Jacoby got shafted by the Boston Globe." Time magazine's Lance Morrow wrote that "Jacoby's offense was no offense." Many conservative organizations and commentators expressed outrage, saying that Jacoby had been unfairly held to a far stricter standard than other journalists would be. The Boston Phoenix, often at odds with Jacoby's views, also rose to Jacoby's defense.
Jacoby acknowledged having "made a mistake" in not including a disclaimer that the material in the column had been recycled, but called the critical reaction of the Globe ombudsman
, Jack Thomas, "disgraceful and nonsensical." He told Fox News' Bill O'Reilly
that he had received an offer from another media outlet. The suspension came two years after the forced resignations of Boston Globe columnists Mike Barnicle
and Patricia Smith, who were caught fabricating stories and quotes. Boston University
professor Tobe Berkovitz hypothesized that the scandals surrounding those two columnists had influenced the Globe's decision to suspend Jacoby. "Considering the recent track record with problems with columnists at the Globe, I'm not surprised with the action they took," Berkovitz said.
Jacoby claimed that as the only conservative columnist on the otherwise liberal Boston Globe Op-Ed pages, he was held to a higher standard. "I've been aware from the outset that I have to be extremely aware of my column," he told the Associated Press
.In August 2000, Jacoby filed a grievance through his union, The Newspaper Guild.
awarded by Rupert Murdoch's
News Corporation
. In 2004, he received the Thomas Paine Award of the libertarian
law firm the Institute for Justice
, an award presented to journalists "who dedicate their work to the preservation and championing of individual liberty." In December 2009, he was presented by the Zionist Organization of America with its Ben Hecht Award for Outstanding Journalism on the Middle East, an award previously won by, among others, the Jerusalem Post's Caroline Glick
, syndicated columnist Cal Thomas
, the late A.M. Rosenthal of the New York Times, and Daniel Pipes
, founder of the Middle East Forum and publisher of Middle East Quarterly.
Biography
Born in ClevelandCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
to a Jewish family, Jacoby is a graduate of George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
and the Boston University School of Law
Boston University School of Law
Boston University School of Law is the law school affiliated with Boston University, and is ranked #22 among American law schools by US News and World Report magazine. It is the second-oldest law school in Massachusetts and one of the first law schools in the country to admit students regardless...
, both with honors. His father, a Holocaust survivor, was born in present-day Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
in 1925 and came to the United States in 1948. Jacoby has been married to Laura Weller since 1996. They have two sons, Caleb (b. 1997), and Micah (b. 2003); the latter was adopted from Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
in 2004. Jacoby is a member of Young Israel of Brookline .Before becoming a columnist, Jacoby worked briefly as an attorney with the firm Baker & Hostetler, and as deputy manager of Raymond Shamie's senatorial campaign in 1984. Following Shamie's loss, Jacoby worked for 15 months as an assistant to John Silber, then-president of Boston University. He is a member of the board of the Ford Hall Forum, the nation's oldest free public-lecture series.
Journalism career
Jeff Jacoby's column has been published on the op-ed page of the Boston Globe since 1994. From 1987 to 1994, he was chief editorial writer for the Boston HeraldBoston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
. Within months of his debut at the Globe, he was described by the left-leaning Boston Phoenix as "the region's pre-eminent spokesman for Conservative Nation," and a columnist who had "quickly established himself as a must-read." Jacoby has also been a commentator on the local NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
affiliate, WBUR
WBUR
WBUR refers to two radio stations in Massachusetts, WBUR AM and FM, both owned by Boston University. WBUR is the largest of three NPR member stations in Boston, Massachusetts, along with WGBH and WUMB-FM, and the only one to focus exclusively on news and talk...
, and for several years hosted a talk show on local television. He is also a public speaker who lectures nationwide.
In 2000, Jacoby was suspended by the Globe for four months without pay for what the paper called his "serious journalistic misconduct" in failing to provide sources for a Fourth of July column on the fate of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Although the themes and ideas in the column had already appeared in other media outlets, Jacoby neglected to mention that the column's content was not original. The Globe "avoided calling the column a work of plagiarism," On CNN's Reliable Sources, veteran journalists Bernard Kalb and Howard Kurtz concluded that "Jeff Jacoby got shafted by the Boston Globe." Time magazine's Lance Morrow wrote that "Jacoby's offense was no offense." Many conservative organizations and commentators expressed outrage, saying that Jacoby had been unfairly held to a far stricter standard than other journalists would be. The Boston Phoenix, often at odds with Jacoby's views, also rose to Jacoby's defense.
Jacoby acknowledged having "made a mistake" in not including a disclaimer that the material in the column had been recycled, but called the critical reaction of the Globe ombudsman
Ombudsman
An ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...
, Jack Thomas, "disgraceful and nonsensical." He told Fox News' Bill O'Reilly
Bill O'Reilly (commentator)
William James "Bill" O'Reilly, Jr. is an American television host, author, syndicated columnist and political commentator. He is the host of the political commentary program The O'Reilly Factor on the Fox News Channel, which is the most watched cable news television program on American television...
that he had received an offer from another media outlet. The suspension came two years after the forced resignations of Boston Globe columnists Mike Barnicle
Mike Barnicle
Michael "Mike" Barnicle is an award-winning American print and broadcast journalist as well as a social and political commentator. He is a frequent contributor and occasional guest host on MSNBC's Morning Joe and Hardball with Chris Matthews and is frequently seen on NBC's Today Show with...
and Patricia Smith, who were caught fabricating stories and quotes. 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...
professor Tobe Berkovitz hypothesized that the scandals surrounding those two columnists had influenced the Globe's decision to suspend Jacoby. "Considering the recent track record with problems with columnists at the Globe, I'm not surprised with the action they took," Berkovitz said.
Jacoby claimed that as the only conservative columnist on the otherwise liberal Boston Globe Op-Ed pages, he was held to a higher standard. "I've been aware from the outset that I have to be extremely aware of my column," he told the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
.In August 2000, Jacoby filed a grievance through his union, The Newspaper Guild.
Awards and honors
In 1999, he became the first recipient of the Breindel Prize, a $10,000 award (since increased to $20,000) for excellence in opinion journalismOpinion journalism
Opinion journalism is journalism that makes no claim of objectivity. Although distinguished from advocacy journalism in several ways, both forms feature a subjective viewpoint, usually with some social or political purpose...
awarded by Rupert Murdoch's
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
. In 2004, he received the Thomas Paine Award of the libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
law firm the Institute for Justice
Institute for Justice
The Institute for Justice is a 501 non-profit libertarian public interest law firm in the United States. Its mission is to provide pro bono legal advice and representation, litigating strategically to pursue its goal of a rule of law under which individuals can control their destinies as free and...
, an award presented to journalists "who dedicate their work to the preservation and championing of individual liberty." In December 2009, he was presented by the Zionist Organization of America with its Ben Hecht Award for Outstanding Journalism on the Middle East, an award previously won by, among others, the Jerusalem Post's Caroline Glick
Caroline Glick
Caroline Glick is an American-Israeli journalist for Makor Rishon and is the deputy managing editor of The Jerusalem Post. She is also the Senior Fellow for Middle East Affairs of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Security Policy.-Life:...
, syndicated columnist Cal Thomas
Cal Thomas
John Calvin "Cal" Thomas is an American conservative syndicated columnist, pundit, author and radio commentator.-Life and career:...
, the late A.M. Rosenthal of the New York Times, and Daniel Pipes
Daniel Pipes
Daniel Pipes is an American historian, writer, and political commentator. He is the founder and director of the Middle East Forum and its Campus Watch project, and editor of its Middle East Quarterly journal...
, founder of the Middle East Forum and publisher of Middle East Quarterly.