John Dickerson
Encyclopedia
John Frederick Dickerson (born 1968) is an American
journalist
. He is chief political correspondent for Slate magazine and political director of CBS News
. Before joining Slate, he covered politics for 12 years for Time, including his last four as the magazine’s White House correspondent
.
. He graduated from Sidwell Friends School
in 1987. He holds a degree in English with distinction from the University of Virginia
. On Her Trail, Dickerson's book about his relationship with his late mother, Nancy Dickerson Whitehead, a pioneering television newswoman, was published by Simon and Schuster in 2006.
Dickerson hosted Face the Nation
on July 5, 2009, October 18, 2009, and December 27, 2009, and was appointed political director of CBS News in November 2011. a. Dickerson appeared weekly on The Al Franken Show
on Air America Radio
on Wednesdays until Franken's show ended on February 14, 2007, and was also a frequent guest on NPR's Day to Day
. He appears on PBS Washington Week
. He also is the host of "The Political Gabfest," a weekly Slate
magazine podcast with David Plotz
and Emily Bazelon
.
and Massimo Calabresi) a July 17, 2003, Time article, "A War on Wilson?," which attributed the leak of Valerie Plame's CIA identity to senior Bush administration officials. Writing for Slate magazine in February 2006 ("Where's My Subpoena?"), Dickerson speculated about why Patrick Fitzgerald
never called him as a grand jury witness for his "bit role" in the drama.
On January 29, 2007, during the trial of Scooter Libby, former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer
, testifying under an immunity agreement, named Dickerson as one of two reporters (the other was David Gregory
of NBC) to whom he revealed that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA on July 11, 2003, during a Presidential visit to Niger
, three days before her name was published by columnist Robert Novak
. (Another reporter, Tamara Lipper of Newsweek, reportedly walked away before he spoke of Plame.) Dickerson has refuted Fleischer's account, claiming that Fleischer urged him to look into who sent Wilson but that he did not mention Plame's name or CIA identity. In a second trial dispatch on the matter, Dickerson revealed a previously-undisclosed excerpt from his email that July afternoon which he said corroborated his account: "On background WH officials were dissing Wilson. They suggested he was sent on his mission by a low level person at the agency." Neither Lipper nor Gregory has commented publicly about what Fleischer told them.
On January 31, 2007, former Time reporter Matt Cooper testified that Dickerson's Africa sources contributed information to the article "A War on Wilson?" In addition to Ari Fleischer, Dickerson also spoke to White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett
while in Africa.
once wrote about his talent for asking questions: “The master of the game is John Dickerson of Time magazine, who has knocked Bush
off script so many times that his colleagues have coined a term for cleverly worded, seemingly harmless, but incisive questions: ‘Dickersonian.’”
On February 29, 2008, Senator Hillary Clinton released a "red phone" television ad suggesting that her opponent, Senator Barack Obama, was unprepared to be President. On a conference call with Clinton staff, Dickerson asked, "What foreign policy moment would you point to in Hillary's career where she's been tested by crisis?" The question prompted a "pregnant pause", according to The Hotline
, which wrote that "you could've knit a sweater in the time it took the usually verbose team of Mark Penn, Howard Wolfson and Lee Feinstein, Clinton's national security director, to find a cogent answer."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
. He is chief political correspondent for Slate magazine and political director of 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...
. Before joining Slate, he covered politics for 12 years for Time, including his last four as the magazine’s White House correspondent
White House Press Corps
The White House Press Corps is the group of journalists or correspondents usually stationed at the White House in Washington, D.C. to cover the president of the United States, White House events and news briefings. Their offices are located in the West Wing....
.
Biography
A native Washingtonian, Dickerson is a son of C. Wyatt Dickerson and Nancy Dickerson WhiteheadNancy Dickerson
Nancy Dickerson was an American pioneering radio and television newswoman. As famous as a celebrity and socialite as she was for her journalism, she later became an award-winning independent producer of documentaries....
. He graduated from Sidwell Friends School
Sidwell Friends School
Sidwell Friends School is a Quaker private school located in Bethesda, Maryland and Washington, D.C., offering pre-kindergarten through secondary school classes. Founded in 1883 by Thomas Sidwell, its motto is "Eluceat omnibus lux" , alluding to the Quaker concept of inner light...
in 1987. He holds a degree in English with distinction from the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. On Her Trail, Dickerson's book about his relationship with his late mother, Nancy Dickerson Whitehead, a pioneering television newswoman, was published by Simon and Schuster in 2006.
Dickerson hosted Face the Nation
Face the Nation
Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer is an American Sunday-morning political interview show which premiered on the CBS television network on November 7, 1954. It is one of the longest-running news programs in the history of television...
on July 5, 2009, October 18, 2009, and December 27, 2009, and was appointed political director of CBS News in November 2011. a. Dickerson appeared weekly on The Al Franken Show
The Al Franken Show
The Al Franken Show was the flagship talk show of the former talk radio network, Air America Radio. Hosted by Al Franken, it featured commentary and interviews arguing for left-wing positions on the issues of the day, and comically poking fun at the George W. Bush Administration. The show began as...
on Air America Radio
Air America Radio
Air America was an American radio network specializing in progressive talk programming...
on Wednesdays until Franken's show ended on February 14, 2007, and was also a frequent guest on NPR's Day to Day
Day to Day
Day to Day was a one-hour weekday American radio newsmagazine distributed by National Public Radio , and produced by NPR in collaboration with Slate. Madeleine Brand served as host since 2006...
. He appears on PBS Washington Week
Washington Week
Washington Week is a public affairs program on PBS. Unlike panel discussion shows that focus on debate as a means of discussing topics, the program follows a path of moderation and discussion...
. He also is the host of "The Political Gabfest," a weekly Slate
Slate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
magazine podcast with David Plotz
David Plotz
David Plotz is an American journalist. A writer with Slate since its inception in 1996, Plotz was designated as the online magazine's editor in June 2008, succeeding Jacob Weisberg.-Early life and career:...
and Emily Bazelon
Emily Bazelon
Emily Bazelon is an American journalist, senior editor for online magazine Slate, and a senior research fellow at Yale Law School. Her work as a writer focuses on law, abortion, and family issues.-Journalism career:...
.
CIA leak case
Dickerson co-wrote (with reporters Matt CooperMatthew Cooper (American journalist)
Matthew Cooper is a former reporter for Time who, along with New York Times reporter Judith Miller was held in contempt of court and threatened with imprisonment for refusing to testify before the Grand Jury regarding the Valerie Plame CIA leak investigation. He currently works as the managing...
and Massimo Calabresi) a July 17, 2003, Time article, "A War on Wilson?," which attributed the leak of Valerie Plame's CIA identity to senior Bush administration officials. Writing for Slate magazine in February 2006 ("Where's My Subpoena?"), Dickerson speculated about why Patrick Fitzgerald
Patrick Fitzgerald
Patrick J. Fitzgerald is the current United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and a member of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Special Counsel...
never called him as a grand jury witness for his "bit role" in the drama.
On January 29, 2007, during the trial of Scooter Libby, former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer
Ari Fleischer
On May 19, 2003, he announced that he would resign during the summer, citing a desire to spend more time with his wife and to work in the private sector...
, testifying under an immunity agreement, named Dickerson as one of two reporters (the other was David Gregory
David Gregory (journalist)
David Michael Gregory is an American television journalist, and moderator of NBC News' Sunday morning talk show Meet the Press.-Early life:...
of NBC) to whom he revealed that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA on July 11, 2003, during a Presidential visit to Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
, three days before her name was published by columnist Robert Novak
Robert Novak
Robert David Sanders "Bob" Novak was an American syndicated columnist, journalist, television personality, author, and conservative political commentator. After working for two newspapers before serving for the U.S. Army in the Korean War, he became a reporter for the Associated Press and then for...
. (Another reporter, Tamara Lipper of Newsweek, reportedly walked away before he spoke of Plame.) Dickerson has refuted Fleischer's account, claiming that Fleischer urged him to look into who sent Wilson but that he did not mention Plame's name or CIA identity. In a second trial dispatch on the matter, Dickerson revealed a previously-undisclosed excerpt from his email that July afternoon which he said corroborated his account: "On background WH officials were dissing Wilson. They suggested he was sent on his mission by a low level person at the agency." Neither Lipper nor Gregory has commented publicly about what Fleischer told them.
On January 31, 2007, former Time reporter Matt Cooper testified that Dickerson's Africa sources contributed information to the article "A War on Wilson?" In addition to Ari Fleischer, Dickerson also spoke to White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett
Dan Bartlett
Daniel Joseph Bartlett was a Counselor to the President in the Bush administration. The position was previously held by Karen Hughes, who vacated the post in 2002. On June 1, 2007, he announced his resignation and that he would be leaving the White House on July 5, 2007...
while in Africa.
Style
The Washington PostThe Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
once wrote about his talent for asking questions: “The master of the game is John Dickerson of Time magazine, who has knocked Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
off script so many times that his colleagues have coined a term for cleverly worded, seemingly harmless, but incisive questions: ‘Dickersonian.’”
- Dickerson (during April 13, 2004 press conference): “In the last campaign, you were asked a question about the biggest mistake you'd made in your life, and you used to like to joke that it was trading Sammy SosaSammy SosaSamuel Peralta "Sammy" Sosa is a Dominican former professional baseball right fielder. Sosa played with four Major League Baseball teams over his career which spanned from 1989-2007....
. You've looked back before 9/11September 11, 2001 attacksThe September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
for what mistakes might have been made. After 9/11, what would your biggest mistake be, would you say, and what lessons have you learned from it?”
- President Bush: “I wish you would have given me this written question ahead of time, so I could plan for it.”
On February 29, 2008, Senator Hillary Clinton released a "red phone" television ad suggesting that her opponent, Senator Barack Obama, was unprepared to be President. On a conference call with Clinton staff, Dickerson asked, "What foreign policy moment would you point to in Hillary's career where she's been tested by crisis?" The question prompted a "pregnant pause", according to The Hotline
The Hotline
The Hotline is a daily political briefing published by the Atlantic Media Company from its headquarters at The Watergate complex in Washington, DC. It is edited by Reid Wilson with Josh Kraushaar...
, which wrote that "you could've knit a sweater in the time it took the usually verbose team of Mark Penn, Howard Wolfson and Lee Feinstein, Clinton's national security director, to find a cogent answer."