John A. Jenkins
Encyclopedia
John A. Jenkins is an American journalist, author, President and Publisher of CQ Press
in Washington, D.C.
.
Prior to joining CQ in 1998, Jenkins served as a subsidiary president of high-tech magazine publisher Ziff Davis
, Inc., a subsidiary president of France Telecom
, and, for 23 years, as an executive and member of the board of directors of The Bureau of National Affairs
, Inc. (BNA), the Washington, D.C.
information and publishing company.
Jenkins began his career in 1971 as a reporter for BNA covering the U.S. Justice Department
and courts. He demonstrated an investigative streak from the start, breaking stories about corporate scandals that led to investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Watergate Special Prosecutor. In the summer of 1974, he scooped the world by revealing the Justice Department’s intention to break apart the giant AT&T telephone monopoly. His story ran four months before the lawsuit was filed.
As a journalist and author, Jenkins’s work appeared in major magazines in the U.S. and abroad, including The New York Times Magazine
, where he was a regular contributor from 1983 through 1987; GQ
(American and British editions); The Washington Monthly
; and The American Lawyer
. He is a four-time recipient of the American Bar Association
’s Gavel Award Certificate of Merit, the highest award in legal journalism, for his coverage of law and the courts. His historic article in The New York Times Magazine
, “A Candid Talk with Justice Blackmun,” won the ABA award.
Jenkins’s 1983 cover story about Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun
, based on numerous interviews spanning many months, was his first assignment for The Times Magazine. Blackmun’s blunt assessments of his colleagues and the court were unprecedented for a sitting justice, and they garnered headlines nationwide. Two years later, Justice William Rehnquist
sat for similar interviews. Jenkins’s cover story in The Times Magazine, entitled “The Partisan,” revealed new information about Rehnquist’s conservative past and brought unwelcome attention to the justice, who vowed never again to cooperate in such an endeavor. Eleven years later, Rehnquist wrote to Jack Rosenthal, the editor of The Times Magazine: “You are correct that I did give an interview to John Jenkins for the article which appeared in your magazine in 1985; it may have been in part the impression that article made on me that led me to decide not to grant any such interviews in the future."
Jenkins wrote only occasionally for magazines after the 1980s, and mostly then for his friend Michael VerMeulen, who was editor of the British edition of GQ. Jenkins preferred to concentrate on book writing and publishing. Jenkins is also the author of two popular books about lawyers, The Litigators: Inside the Powerful World of America's High-Stakes Trial Lawyers (Doubleday, 1989), and Ladies’ Man: The Life and Trials of Marvin Mitchelson
(St. Martin’s, 1992).
Jenkins is a member of the Authors Guild, PEN American Center
, and the executive council of the Association of American Publishers
’ Professional and Scholarly Division, and is active in civic, professional and charitable affairs as a board member. He is the founder of the Broadway Bound Fund, which provides acting classes to youngsters through Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City
, and is the chairman of the American Publishers Awards for Professional and Scholarly Excellence http://www.proseawards.org. He served on the Federal Advisory Committee of the Commerce Department’s National Technical Information Service, the board of directors of the Friends of the Law Library of Congress
, and the board of directors of the Information Industry Association
.
A 1972 graduate of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism
at the University of Maryland, College Park
, he lives with his wife and children in New York City
and Washington, where he remains active in city affairs following nine years of service as an elected advisory neighborhood commissioner.
Books by Jenkins:
CQ Press
CQ Press, a division of SAGE Publications, publishes books, directories, periodicals, and electronic products on American government and politics, with an expanding list in international affairs and journalism and mass communication....
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
.
Prior to joining CQ in 1998, Jenkins served as a subsidiary president of high-tech magazine publisher Ziff Davis
Ziff Davis
Ziff Davis Inc. is an American publisher and Internet company. It was founded in 1927 in Chicago by William B. Ziff, Sr. and Bernard G. Davis. Throughout most of its history, it was a publisher of hobbyist magazines, often ones devoted to expensive, advertiser-rich hobbies such as cars,...
, Inc., a subsidiary president of France Telecom
France Télécom
France Telecom S.A. is the main telecommunications company in France, the third-largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. It currently employs about 180,000 people and has 192.7 million customers worldwide . In 2010 the group had revenue of €45.5 billion...
, and, for 23 years, as an executive and member of the board of directors of The Bureau of National Affairs
Bureau of National Affairs
The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. — known as BNA — is an independent, privately owned publisher of specialized online and print news and information for professionals in business and government, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, USA...
, Inc. (BNA), the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
information and publishing company.
Jenkins began his career in 1971 as a reporter for BNA covering the U.S. Justice Department
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
and courts. He demonstrated an investigative streak from the start, breaking stories about corporate scandals that led to investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Watergate Special Prosecutor. In the summer of 1974, he scooped the world by revealing the Justice Department’s intention to break apart the giant AT&T telephone monopoly. His story ran four months before the lawsuit was filed.
As a journalist and author, Jenkins’s work appeared in major magazines in the U.S. and abroad, including The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...
, where he was a regular contributor from 1983 through 1987; GQ
GQ (magazine)
GQ is a monthly men's magazine focusing on fashion, style, and culture for men, through articles on food, movies, fitness, sex, music, travel, sports, technology, and books...
(American and British editions); The Washington Monthly
The Washington Monthly
The Washington Monthly is a bimonthly nonprofit magazine of United States politics and government that is based in Washington, D.C.The magazine's founder is Charles Peters, who started the magazine in 1969 and continues to write the "Tilting at Windmills" column in each issue. Paul Glastris, former...
; and The American Lawyer
The American Lawyer
The American Lawyer is a monthly law magazine published by ALM. It was founded in 1979 by Steven Brill. Features include the annual AmLaw 100 Survey and AmLaw 200 Survey , "The View From the Top", their annual poll of law firm chairpersons, and their "Corporate Scorecard"...
. He is a four-time recipient of the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
’s Gavel Award Certificate of Merit, the highest award in legal journalism, for his coverage of law and the courts. His historic article in The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...
, “A Candid Talk with Justice Blackmun,” won the ABA award.
Jenkins’s 1983 cover story about Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun
Harry Blackmun
Harold Andrew Blackmun was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1970 until 1994. He is best known as the author of Roe v. Wade.- Early years and professional career :...
, based on numerous interviews spanning many months, was his first assignment for The Times Magazine. Blackmun’s blunt assessments of his colleagues and the court were unprecedented for a sitting justice, and they garnered headlines nationwide. Two years later, Justice William Rehnquist
William Rehnquist
William Hubbs Rehnquist was an American lawyer, jurist, and political figure who served as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States and later as the 16th Chief Justice of the United States...
sat for similar interviews. Jenkins’s cover story in The Times Magazine, entitled “The Partisan,” revealed new information about Rehnquist’s conservative past and brought unwelcome attention to the justice, who vowed never again to cooperate in such an endeavor. Eleven years later, Rehnquist wrote to Jack Rosenthal, the editor of The Times Magazine: “You are correct that I did give an interview to John Jenkins for the article which appeared in your magazine in 1985; it may have been in part the impression that article made on me that led me to decide not to grant any such interviews in the future."
Jenkins wrote only occasionally for magazines after the 1980s, and mostly then for his friend Michael VerMeulen, who was editor of the British edition of GQ. Jenkins preferred to concentrate on book writing and publishing. Jenkins is also the author of two popular books about lawyers, The Litigators: Inside the Powerful World of America's High-Stakes Trial Lawyers (Doubleday, 1989), and Ladies’ Man: The Life and Trials of Marvin Mitchelson
Marvin Mitchelson
Marvin M. Mitchelson was an American celebrity lawyer who pioneered the concept of palimony, calling it "marriage with no rings attached."-Biography:...
(St. Martin’s, 1992).
Jenkins is a member of the Authors Guild, PEN American Center
PEN American Center
PEN American Center , founded in 1922 and based in New York City, works to advance literature, to defend free expression, and to foster international literary fellowship. The Center has a membership of 3,300 writers, editors, and translators...
, and the executive council of the Association of American Publishers
Association of American Publishers
The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the American book publishing industry. AAP has more than 300 members, including most of the major commercial publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly...
’ Professional and Scholarly Division, and is active in civic, professional and charitable affairs as a board member. He is the founder of the Broadway Bound Fund, which provides acting classes to youngsters through Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City
Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City
Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC is a 501 non-profit organization based in New York City, whose mission is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with mentors that try to have a measurable impact on youth...
, and is the chairman of the American Publishers Awards for Professional and Scholarly Excellence http://www.proseawards.org. He served on the Federal Advisory Committee of the Commerce Department’s National Technical Information Service, the board of directors of the Friends of the Law Library of Congress
Law Library of Congress
The Law Library of the United States Congress was established in 1832.-Mission statement:From the Law Library of Congress website:"The mission of the Law Library of Congress is to provide research and legal information to the U.S. Congress as well as to U.S. Federal Courts and Executive Agencies,...
, and the board of directors of the Information Industry Association
Software and Information Industry Association
The Software & Information Industry Association is a United States based software trade association. The organization lobbies United States policy makers as well as conducting surveys and research and many conferences and webcasts....
.
A 1972 graduate of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Philip Merrill College of Journalism
The Philip Merrill College of Journalism is a journalism school located at the University of Maryland, College Park. The college was founded in 1945 and was named after newspaper editor Philip Merrill in 2001. The school has about 600 undergraduates and 70 graduate students enrolled.The school...
at the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
, he lives with his wife and children in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Washington, where he remains active in city affairs following nine years of service as an elected advisory neighborhood commissioner.
External links
Articles by Jenkins in the New York Times Magazine:- The Hunt Brothers: Battling a Billion-Dollar Debt http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE7D6143AF934A1575AC0A961948260&scp=6&sq=%22john+a+jenkins%22&st=nyt
- Mr. Power http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50715FE3A5F0C718DDDA90994DE484D81&scp=8&sq=%22john+a+jenkins%22&st=nyt
- The Partisan http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40711F7385D0C708CDDAA0894DD484D81&scp=7&sq=%22john+a+jenkins%22&st=nyt
Books by Jenkins:
- The Litigators: Inside the Powerful World of America's High-Stakes Trial Lawyers (Doubleday) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0312923937
- Ladies’ Man: The Life and Trials of Marvin Mitchelson (St. Martin’s) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000J0UIY4.