Ken Auletta
Encyclopedia
Ken Auletta is an American
writer, journalist and media critic for The New Yorker
.
Auletta is a graduate of State University of New York at Oswego
(SUNY Oswego) where he was a member of Sigma Tau Chi fraternity.
volunteers. He was also the first executive director of the New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation. In 1974, Auletta became the chief political correspondent for the New York Post
. Following that, he was a staff writer and weekly columnist for the Village Voice, and then a contributing editor at New York magazine
. He started contributing to The New Yorker in 1977. Between 1977 and 1993, he wrote a weekly political column for the New York Daily News
. He was the guest editor of the 2002 edition of The Best Business Stories of the Year.
Auletta has written the "Annals of Communications" column for The New Yorker
since 1992. He is the author of ten books, including Greed and Glory on Wall Street: The Fall of The House of Lehman (1986), Three Blind Mice: How the TV Networks Lost Their Way (1991), The Highwaymen: Warriors of the Information Superhighway (1997), and World War 3.0: Microsoft and Its Enemies (2001). His book Backstory: Inside the Business of News (2003) is a collection of his columns from The New Yorker. His book, Media Man: Ted Turner’s Improbable Empire, was published in the fall of 2004. His most recent book, "Googled: The End of the World As We Know It," was published in November 2009 and will be released in paperback in October 2010.
Auletta was among the first to popularize the idea of the so-called "information superhighway
" with his February 22, 1993, New Yorker profile of Barry Diller
, in which he described how Diller used his Apple PowerBook to anticipate the digital future. He has profiled the leading figures and companies of the Information Age
, including Bill Gates
, Rupert Murdoch
, AOL Time Warner, John Malone, and the New York Times. His 2001 profile of Ted Turner won a National Magazine Award
.
Auletta has been named a Literary Lion by the New York Public Library
. He has won numerous journalism awards, and was selected as one of the twentieth century’s top one hundred business journalists. He has served as a Pulitzer Prize
juror, and for nearly two decades has been a judge of the annual Livingston Award for Young Journalists, one of the National Journalism Awards
. He has twice served as a board member of International PEN
, and is a trustee of The Public Theatre/New York Shakespeare Festival
.
, with his wife, the literary agent Amanda Urban
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer, journalist and media critic for The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
.
Early life and education
Auletta grew up in Brooklyn, the son of an Italian-American father and a Jewish-American mother. He attended Abraham Lincoln High School there.Auletta is a graduate of State University of New York at Oswego
State University of New York at Oswego
State University of New York at Oswego, also known as SUNY Oswego and Oswego State, is a public university in the City of Oswego and Town of Oswego, New York, on the shore of Lake Ontario...
(SUNY Oswego) where he was a member of Sigma Tau Chi fraternity.
Writing career
Auletta worked in government and on several political campaigns, and taught and trained Peace CorpsPeace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
volunteers. He was also the first executive director of the New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation. In 1974, Auletta became the chief political correspondent for the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
. Following that, he was a staff writer and weekly columnist for the Village Voice, and then a contributing editor at New York magazine
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
. He started contributing to The New Yorker in 1977. Between 1977 and 1993, he wrote a weekly political column for the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
. He was the guest editor of the 2002 edition of The Best Business Stories of the Year.
Auletta has written the "Annals of Communications" column for The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
since 1992. He is the author of ten books, including Greed and Glory on Wall Street: The Fall of The House of Lehman (1986), Three Blind Mice: How the TV Networks Lost Their Way (1991), The Highwaymen: Warriors of the Information Superhighway (1997), and World War 3.0: Microsoft and Its Enemies (2001). His book Backstory: Inside the Business of News (2003) is a collection of his columns from The New Yorker. His book, Media Man: Ted Turner’s Improbable Empire, was published in the fall of 2004. His most recent book, "Googled: The End of the World As We Know It," was published in November 2009 and will be released in paperback in October 2010.
Auletta was among the first to popularize the idea of the so-called "information superhighway
Information superhighway
The information superhighway or infobahnwas a popular term used through the 1990s to refer to digital communication systems and the Internet telecommunications network. It is associated with United States Senator and later Vice-President Al Gore....
" with his February 22, 1993, New Yorker profile of Barry Diller
Barry Diller
Barry Charles Diller is the Chairman and Senior Executive of IAC/InterActiveCorp and the media executive responsible for the creation of Fox Broadcasting Company and USA Broadcasting.-Early life:...
, in which he described how Diller used his Apple PowerBook to anticipate the digital future. He has profiled the leading figures and companies of the Information Age
Information Age
The Information Age, also commonly known as the Computer Age or Digital Age, is an idea that the current age will be characterized by the ability of individuals to transfer information freely, and to have instant access to knowledge that would have been difficult or impossible to find previously...
, including Bill Gates
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
, Rupert Murdoch
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....
, AOL Time Warner, John Malone, and the New York Times. His 2001 profile of Ted Turner won a National Magazine Award
National Magazine Award
The National Magazine Awards are a series of US awards that honor excellence in the magazine industry. They are administered by the American Society of Magazine Editors and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City...
.
Auletta has been named a Literary Lion by the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
. He has won numerous journalism awards, and was selected as one of the twentieth century’s top one hundred business journalists. He has served as a Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
juror, and for nearly two decades has been a judge of the annual Livingston Award for Young Journalists, one of the National Journalism Awards
National Journalism Awards
The National Journalism Awards are awards of US$10,000 to $25,000 in American journalism given by the Scripps Howard Foundation that recognize the best work in journalism in 17 categories, including: human interest writing; environmental and public service reporting; investigative reporting;...
. He has twice served as a board member of International 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....
, and is a trustee of The Public Theatre/New York Shakespeare Festival
New York Shakespeare Festival
New York Shakespeare Festival is the previous name of the New York City theatrical producing organization now known as the Public Theater. The Festival produced shows at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, as part of its free Shakespeare in the Park series, at the Public Theatre near Astor Place...
.
Personal life
Auletta lives in Manhattan, New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, with his wife, the literary agent Amanda Urban
Amanda Urban
Amanda "Binky" Urban is a literary agent with International Creative Management, Inc.She paved the way for the success of Donna Tartt's first novel, The Secret History, by creating such media hype and buzz for creating a bidding war and demanding a huge advance for a first time novelist...
.
Publications
- Three Blind Mice: How the TV Networks Lost Their Way
- Greed and Glory on Wall Street: The Fall of the House of Lehman
- The Highwaymen: Warriors of the Information Superhighway
- World War 3.0: Microsoft and Its Enemies
- Media Man: Ted Turner's Improbable Empire
- The Art of Corporate Success: The Story of Schlumberger
- The Streets Were Paved with Gold
- Hard Feelings: Reporting on Pols, the Press, People, and the City
- Backstory: Inside the Business of News
- The Best Business Stories of the Year, 2002 edition (with Andrew Leckey)
- Googled: The End of the World As We Know It (2009) ISBN 1594202354