Virginia Heffernan
Encyclopedia
Virginia Heffernan is an American journalist. In March, 2011, she began to write regularly about digital and pop culture for the Opinion pages of The New York Times. She is also known as a television critic
for The New York Times
, and as "The Medium" columnist at The New York Times Magazine
. In April of 2011, she moved to the opinion page of the Times as a columnist.
. She received her B.A.
from the University of Virginia
in 1991, and an English Literature Master's Degree
and Ph.D from Harvard University
, in 1993 and 2002, respectively.
magazine. She served as an editor at Harper's
and Talk
magazines, and as TV critic for the online magazine Slate
. Reviewing her work there, online critic Teresa DiFalco called Heffernan a "dazzling talent ... Should you at some point get stranded on a Desert Island, make Heffernan your first stop back. [TV] is life, it is increasingly how we communicate with each other, and a quick read of Heffernan will leave you fully prepared for the most daunting cocktail party crowd."
In June 2002, the Columbia Journalism Review
named Heffernan one of its "Ten Young Editors to Watch." In September of the following year, Heffernan departed Slate to join The New York Times. At the time, media critic Jim Romenesko
published an internal email from Slate publisher Cyrus Krohn that complained, "A prominent East Coast newspaper, The New York Times, has been poaching from Slate, taking key writers and editors invaluable to our evolving franchise."
documentary on the murder of Matthew Shepherd, Matthew's Murder—for which Heffernan wrote the script—was nominated for an Emmy award
.
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, and as "The Medium" columnist at 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...
. In April of 2011, she moved to the opinion page of the Times as a columnist.
Background and education
Virginia Heffernan was born in Hanover, New HampshireHanover, New Hampshire
Hanover is a town along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 11,260 at the 2010 census. CNN and Money magazine rated Hanover the sixth best place to live in America in 2011, and the second best in 2007....
. She received her B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
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...
in 1991, and an English Literature Master's Degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
and Ph.D from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, in 1993 and 2002, respectively.
Journalism
Heffernan began her career as a fact-checker with The New YorkerThe New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
magazine. She served as an editor at Harper's
Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts, with a generally left-wing perspective. It is the second-oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. . The current editor is Ellen Rosenbush, who replaced Roger Hodge in January 2010...
and Talk
Talk (magazine)
Talk was an American magazine published from 1999 to 2001.When it was launched as a joint venture between Miramax and Hearst Publishing, under the editorship of Tina Brown , it generated notoriety for its celebrity profiles and interviews...
magazines, and as TV critic for the online magazine 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...
. Reviewing her work there, online critic Teresa DiFalco called Heffernan a "dazzling talent ... Should you at some point get stranded on a Desert Island, make Heffernan your first stop back. [TV] is life, it is increasingly how we communicate with each other, and a quick read of Heffernan will leave you fully prepared for the most daunting cocktail party crowd."
In June 2002, the Columbia Journalism Review
Columbia Journalism Review
The Columbia Journalism Review is an American magazine for professional journalists published bimonthly by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961....
named Heffernan one of its "Ten Young Editors to Watch." In September of the following year, Heffernan departed Slate to join The New York Times. At the time, media critic Jim Romenesko
Jim Romenesko
Jim Romenesko is an American journalist based in Evanston, IL, who ran the blog Romenesko on the website of the non-profit journalism school the Poynter Institute. The blog provided daily news, commentary, and insider information about journalism and media and was popular among professionals in...
published an internal email from Slate publisher Cyrus Krohn that complained, "A prominent East Coast newspaper, The New York Times, has been poaching from Slate, taking key writers and editors invaluable to our evolving franchise."
Books and TV
In 2005, Heffernan (with co-writer Mike Albo) published the comic novel, The Underminer. The MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
documentary on the murder of Matthew Shepherd, Matthew's Murder—for which Heffernan wrote the script—was nominated for an Emmy award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
.