Leonard Steinhorn
Encyclopedia
Leonard Steinhorn is an American author, specialist in American politics and culture, and professor
of communication at American University
.
A former political speechwriter
and strategist, Steinhorn currently serves as the political analyst for WTTG
in Washington, D.C.
He is the author of a much-debated book on the baby boom generation and co-author of a book on American race relations, and his writing has been featured in several publications, including The Washington Post
, Salon
, and Politico
.
graduate of Vassar College
, where he received a bachelor's degree in history. He later received his master's degree in history from Johns Hopkins University
. For several years, he worked as a speechwriter, press secretary
, and policy advisor for members of the United States Congress
.
In 1995, Steinhorn began teaching at American University
in Washington, D.C.
He was voted American University Faculty Member of the Year in 1999 and 2001. From 2002 to 2004, he was president of American University's chapter of Phi Beta Kappa
. He currently serves as the Director of the Public Communication Division, and is both a professor of communication and an affiliate professor of history.
Steinhorn's work at American University has been covered extensively by broadcast and print media. His courses on the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections were featured on CNN
and the NBC
affiliate in D.C., respectively. In Fall 2008, WTTG
broadcast Steinhorn's 2008 campaign course live on its Web site each week as part of its CampaignU project with American University. His course, "Talking About My Parents' Generation: Understanding Baby Boomers and How They've Shaped Us," was featured in USA Today.
Steinhorn has spoken as part of the Distinguished Lecture Series at the Clinton School of Public Service
, at Charles University in Prague
, and at the University of Ljubljana
in Slovenia. He also contributed to the book The Boomer Century and its accompanying 2007 PBS
documentary.
Since 2007, Steinhorn has served as the political analyst for WTTG
, the Fox
affiliate in Washington, D.C.
He served on AARP's
2011 Council, which included prominent baby boomers in politics, media, business, and higher education. He is also member of the board of the History News Network
with Robert Lehrman
, an adjunct professor in American University's School of Communication and former speechwriter for Al Gore. PunditWire is a news commentary site whose contributors are all current or former speechwriters from across the political spectrum. PunditWire is sponsored by American University.
He has been published in The Washington Post
, Salon
, Politico
, International Herald Tribune
, The Baltimore Sun
, The Seattle Times
, and Chicago Sun-Times
, among others. He has also written several book chapters, including "The Selling of the President in a Converged Media Age," (in Campaigns and Elections American Style: Transforming American Politics, 3rd ed.) and "Ads Are Us" (in Campaigns and Elections American Style: Transforming American Politics, 2nd ed.).
called By the Color of Our Skin "a clear-headed, energetic and pointedly sarcastic book about this country's racial divisions and cultural hypocrisy." Booklist
called it "a provocative and timely critique of race relations in America."
Kirkus
wrote that Steinhorn's widely discussed and debated book, The Greater Generation, was "a sturdy, often convincing defense of his own Boomer generation." Publishers Weekly
called it a "powerful book" and wrote that "Steinhorn forcefully and gracefully defends his age cohort against these stereotypes in a paean to the generation that forever altered the face of American culture." Salon.com
wrote that Steinhorn's "unapologetic celebration of the boomer legacy is refreshing, and much of his argument is convincing," but criticized it for sentimentalizing boomers.
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of communication at American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
.
A former political speechwriter
Speechwriter
A speechwriter is a person who is hired to prepare and write speeches that will be delivered by another person. Speechwriters are used by many senior-level elected officials and executives in the government and private sectors.-Skills and training:...
and strategist, Steinhorn currently serves as the political analyst for WTTG
WTTG
WTTG, channel 5, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Fox Broadcasting Company, located in the American capital city of Washington, D.C...
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....
He is the author of a much-debated book on the baby boom generation and co-author of a book on American race relations, and his writing has been featured in several publications, including The Washington Post
The 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...
, Salon
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
, and Politico
The Politico
The Politico is an American political journalism organization based in Arlington, Virginia, that distributes its content via television, the Internet, newspaper, and radio. Its coverage of Washington, D.C., includes the U.S. Congress, lobbying, media and the Presidency...
.
Career
Steinhorn is a Phi Beta KappaPhi Beta Kappa Society
The Phi Beta Kappa Society is an academic honor society. Its mission is to "celebrate and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences"; and induct "the most outstanding students of arts and sciences at America’s leading colleges and universities." Founded at The College of William and...
graduate of Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
, where he received a bachelor's degree in history. He later received his master's degree in history from Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
. For several years, he worked as a speechwriter, 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....
, and policy advisor for members of the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
.
In 1995, Steinhorn began teaching at American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
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....
He was voted American University Faculty Member of the Year in 1999 and 2001. From 2002 to 2004, he was president of American University's chapter of Phi Beta Kappa
Phi Beta Kappa Society
The Phi Beta Kappa Society is an academic honor society. Its mission is to "celebrate and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences"; and induct "the most outstanding students of arts and sciences at America’s leading colleges and universities." Founded at The College of William and...
. He currently serves as the Director of the Public Communication Division, and is both a professor of communication and an affiliate professor of history.
Steinhorn's work at American University has been covered extensively by broadcast and print media. His courses on the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections were featured on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
affiliate in D.C., respectively. In Fall 2008, WTTG
WTTG
WTTG, channel 5, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Fox Broadcasting Company, located in the American capital city of Washington, D.C...
broadcast Steinhorn's 2008 campaign course live on its Web site each week as part of its CampaignU project with American University. His course, "Talking About My Parents' Generation: Understanding Baby Boomers and How They've Shaped Us," was featured in USA Today.
Steinhorn has spoken as part of the Distinguished Lecture Series at the Clinton School of Public Service
Clinton School of Public Service
The Clinton School of Public Service is a branch of the University of Arkansas system and is the newest of the presidential schools. It is located on the grounds of the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock. The school is housed in a former Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad station...
, at Charles University in Prague
Charles University in Prague
Charles University in Prague is the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic. Founded in 1348, it was the first university in Central Europe and is also considered the earliest German university...
, and at the University of Ljubljana
University of Ljubljana
The University of Ljubljana is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. With 64,000 enrolled graduate and postgraduate students, it is among the largest universities in Europe.-Beginnings:...
in Slovenia. He also contributed to the book The Boomer Century and its accompanying 2007 PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
documentary.
Since 2007, Steinhorn has served as the political analyst for WTTG
WTTG
WTTG, channel 5, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Fox Broadcasting Company, located in the American capital city of Washington, D.C...
, the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
affiliate 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....
He served on AARP's
AARP
AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, is the United States-based non-governmental organization and interest group, founded in 1958 by Ethel Percy Andrus, PhD, a retired educator from California, and based in Washington, D.C. According to its mission statement, it is "a...
2011 Council, which included prominent baby boomers in politics, media, business, and higher education. He is also member of the board of the History News Network
History News Network
History News Network is a project of the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University. Although the HNN resides on GMU's server, it operates independently of the university as a non-profit corporation registered in Washington State...
PunditWire
In 2010, Steinhorn founded the website PunditWirePunditWire
PunditWire is a news commentary site featuring contributors from across the political spectrum who are all current or former political speechwriters. Launched on September 13, 2010, the content on PunditWire varies in scope - from foreign policy to campaigns and elections to civil rights and...
with Robert Lehrman
Robert Lehrman
Robert A. Lehrman is an American novelist, commentator, speechwriter, Democratic aide, and teacher.Former White House Chief Speechwriter for Vice President Al Gore , Lehrman has written six books including several award-winning novels, and thousands of speeches for Democratic politicians,...
, an adjunct professor in American University's School of Communication and former speechwriter for Al Gore. PunditWire is a news commentary site whose contributors are all current or former speechwriters from across the political spectrum. PunditWire is sponsored by American University.
Works
Steinhorn wrote The Greater Generation: In Defense of the Baby Boom Legacy (2006) and co-authored By the Color of Our Skin: The Illusion of Integration and the Reality of Race (1999).He has been published in The Washington Post
The 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...
, Salon
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
, Politico
The Politico
The Politico is an American political journalism organization based in Arlington, Virginia, that distributes its content via television, the Internet, newspaper, and radio. Its coverage of Washington, D.C., includes the U.S. Congress, lobbying, media and the Presidency...
, International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
, The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....
, The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, US. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. It has been, since the demise in 2009 of the printed version of the rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.-History:The Seattle Times...
, and Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
, among others. He has also written several book chapters, including "The Selling of the President in a Converged Media Age," (in Campaigns and Elections American Style: Transforming American Politics, 3rd ed.) and "Ads Are Us" (in Campaigns and Elections American Style: Transforming American Politics, 2nd ed.).
Critical reception
Steinhorn's work has been largely well-received by critics. The New York Times Book ReviewThe New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to The New York Times in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read book review publications in the industry. The offices are located near Times Square in New York...
called By the Color of Our Skin "a clear-headed, energetic and pointedly sarcastic book about this country's racial divisions and cultural hypocrisy." Booklist
Booklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
called it "a provocative and timely critique of race relations in America."
Kirkus
Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus . Kirkus serves the book and literary trade sector, including libraries, publishers, literary and film agents, film and TV producers and booksellers. Kirkus Reviews is published on the first and 15th of each month...
wrote that Steinhorn's widely discussed and debated book, The Greater Generation, was "a sturdy, often convincing defense of his own Boomer generation." Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
called it a "powerful book" and wrote that "Steinhorn forcefully and gracefully defends his age cohort against these stereotypes in a paean to the generation that forever altered the face of American culture." Salon.com
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
wrote that Steinhorn's "unapologetic celebration of the boomer legacy is refreshing, and much of his argument is convincing," but criticized it for sentimentalizing boomers.
Selected works
- "When the Great Communicator Turned Silent: Ronald Reagan and AIDS." PunditWire, 11 February 2011.
- "A Wave Election Indeed -- Wave of the Past, Not the Future." PunditWire, 5 November 2010.
- "If the Chilean Mine Disaster Happened Here." PunditWire, 17 October 2010.
- "The Tea Party is Mad as Hell -- And the Media Shouldn't Take it Anymore." PunditWire, 18 September 2010.
- "Look Courtside to Clues for Obama’s Presidency." Politico, 7 January 2009.
- "Pre-Palin, a VP Pick Judged on Looks." Politico, 6 September 2008.
- "Blue-Collar Fault Line Is Not to Blame." Politico, 5 May 2008.
- "Did Sarah Palin Shade the Truth?" History News Network, 29 August 2008.
- "Is the Theory of Evolution Really a Matter of Faith?" History News Network, 31 December 2007.
- "Boomers: The Real Greatest Generation." The Washington Post, 19 February 2006.
- "What Katrina Tells Us About Mr. Bush’s Philosophy of Government." History News Network, 12 September 2005.
- "Scrooge’s Nightmare." Salon, 11 November 2004.
- "Give Al a Chance." History News Network, 12 November 2001.
- "Now’s a Good Time to Remember Richard Jewell." History News Network, 16 July 2001.
- "The Media Decade." The Baltimore Sun, 25 July 1999.