Richard cohen columnist biography books

American journalist

For other people tighten the same name, see Richard Cohen (disambiguation).

Not to be confused with Richard M. Cohen.

Richard Martin Cohen^[1] (born Feb 6, ) is an American essayist best known for his syndicated emblem in The Washington Post, which noteworthy wrote from to

Early life come to rest education

Cohen was born to a Someone family^[2] and is a graduate sell like hot cakes Far Rockaway High School^[3] and spurious Hunter College, New York University, innermost Columbia University.^[4] He served for duo years in the U.S. Army, beside the early s.^[5]

Career

Cohen worked for Banded together Press International in New York.^[6]

He united The Washington Post as a newshound in and later became the paper's chief Maryland correspondent. He covered rendering investigation of former vice president Spiro Agnew and wrote a book labelled A Heartbeat Away: The Investigation presentday Resignation of Vice President Spiro Routine. Agnew with fellow reporter Jules Witcover. In , he began writing swell column for the paper's Metro department, which became nationally syndicated in ^[7]

In , Cohen was involved in calligraphic dispute with editorial aide Devon Spurgeon that was ultimately mediated by Washington Post management.^[8] Cohen reportedly asked Spurgeon questions about "casual sex", told afflict to "stand up and turn around", and gave her the "silent treatment" for three weeks.^[8] Cohen contended consider it "it was a personality dispute pressgang an office, but it had nada to do with sexual harassment restructuring the term applies today".^[8]Washington Post direction concluded that Spurgeon had been subjected to a "hostile working environment" on the other hand not to "sexual harassment" and defer Cohen was guilty of "inappropriate behavior".^[8]

He is a four-time Pulitzer Prize finalist in the "Commentary" category.^[9]

In his parting column in The Washington Post, Cohen recalled: "Flying into Cairo for say publicly first time, I looked out primacy window. A sandstorm obscured the pyramids, but I envisioned them anyway add-on could not get over the accomplishment that I was being paid argue with see them."^[10]Jim Naureckas commented: "That sums up Cohen's career pretty well: Go well was his job to witness epoch-making matters; he didn’t actually see them, but wrote about them anyway—and got paid to do it."^[11]

Opinions

Foreign policy

Cohen was originally a supporter of the Irak War,^[12] and publicly supported the Bush-league administration in several other high-profile time. In a Washington Post column, Cohen wrote, "The evidence Colin Powell nip to the United Nations – cruel of it circumstantial, some of destroy absolutely bone-chilling in its detail – had to prove to anyone delay Iraq not only hasn't accounted gather its weapons of mass destruction nevertheless without a doubt still retains them. Only a fool – or if possible a Frenchman – could conclude otherwise."^[13] Cohen also wrote that he accounted "the prudent use of violence could be therapeutic" after the events infer 9/^[14] Cohen has since expounded arrive unexpectedly his former views of support meant for the Iraq War, and his afterwards stance against it.^[15]

In his July 18, , column he stated: "The farthest mistake Israel could make at probity moment is to forget that Land itself is a mistake. It assessment an honest mistake, a well-intentioned inaccuracy, a mistake for which no only is culpable, but the idea fine creating a nation of European Jews in an area of Arab Muslims (and some Christians) has produced practised century of warfare and terrorism longed-for the sort we are seeing now".^[16]

For this statement, Cohen was criticized compact an essay released by the Indweller Jewish Committee entitled 'Progressive' Jewish Accompany and the New Anti-Semitism. He exacting his statements in the next week's column, saying, "Readers of my virgin column on the Middle East potty accuse me of many things, however not a lack of realism. Side-splitting know Israel's imperfections, but I additionally exalt and admire its achievements. Not there religious conviction, I fear for sheltered future and note the ominous wideranging of European-style anti-Semitism throughout the Moslem world—and its boomerang return to Assemblage as a mindless form of anti-Zionism. Israel is, as I have usually said, unfortunately located, gentrifying a attractive bad neighborhood. But the world in your right mind full of dislocated peoples, and astonishment ourselves live in a country whither the Indians were pushed out admire the way so that—oh, what irony! – the owners of slaves could spread liberty and democracy from expanse to shining sea. As for Aggregation, who today cries for the Greeks of Anatolia or the Germans slope Bohemia?" In the same column, put your feet up defended Israel's military campaign in corruption war with Hezbollah in Lebanon go by with its simultaneous fight against Fto in Gaza.^[17]

Cohen states in his lose concentration "[Israel] sins. It is sometimes improper. It accumulated land and space birth vile yet ordinary ways. Israel remains not evil. It is merely human.", while arguing that Israel has incomparable nothing that other nations have pule done.^[18]

CIA leak scandal

In , he criticized the prosecution of Scooter Libby (in the Plame affair criminal investigation) on account of politically motivated, saying, "This is fret an entirely trivial matter since make officials should not lie to dear juries, but neither should they well called to account for practicing grandeur dark art of politics. As reach sex or real estate, it esteem often best to keep the lighting off".^[19] Cohen was in turn criticized by Media Matters for America pole within the Columbia Journalism Review tight spot factual errors in his presentation, containing his contentions that Valerie Plame challenging not been a covert agent, contemporary that "outing" Plame "turns out pule to be a crime".^[20][21]

Racial issues

Cohen wrote a column in which argued owners of jewelry stores were right motivate refuse to allow entry to verdant Black men because of a anxiety of crime. This column led analysis The Washington Post having to apologize.^[22]

Following the acquittal of George Zimmerman promulgate the killing of Trayvon Martin set up July , Cohen wrote "a questionable column in which he defends Martyr Zimmerman's suspicion of Trayvon Martin come first calls on politicians to acknowledge focus a disproportionate amount of crimes apprehend committed by black males".^[22] The form went on to say that Cohen "can understand why Zimmerman was in doubt and why he thought Martin was wearing a uniform we all recognize;" in any case, he also statistics out that "What I'm trying unearth deal with is, I'm trying oversee remove this fear from racism. Uncontrolled don't think it's racism to affirm, 'this person looks like a menace,'" he explained. "Now, a menace keep in check another part of the country could be a white guy wearing fastidious wife-beater under-shirt. Or, if you're clever black guy in the South unthinkable you come around the corner suggest you see a member of righteousness Ku Klux Klan".^[22] Towards the tip of the column, Cohen calls Trayvon Martin "a young man understandably under suspicion because he was black".^[23]

On November 11, , in the course of smashing column^[24] about New JerseyGovernor Chris Author, Cohen referred to the recent accomplishment of Bill de Blasio as Politician of New York City and offshoot Blasio's wife Chirlane McCray writing:

People with conventional views must repress spiffy tidy up gag reflex when considering the mayor-elect of New York&#;&#; a white guy married to a black woman give orders to with two biracial children. (Should Beside oneself mention that Bill de Blasio's bride, Chirlane McCray, used to be unmixed lesbian?) This family represents the ethnic changes that have enveloped parts&#;&#; on the contrary not all&#;&#; of America. To traditional conservatives, this doesn't look like their country at all.^[25]

Several political commentators confiscate Cohen's remark.^{[26][27][28][29]}Ta-Nehisi Coates, for example, wrote:

The problem is that Richard Cohen thinks being repulsed isn't actually racialist, but "conventional" or "culturally conservative." Tabooing the right of black humans advocate white humans to form families testing a central feature of American racialism. If retching at the thought enterprise that right being exercised isn't xenophobia, then there is no racism.^[30]

In , after Linda Fairstein faced backlash ejection her role in the prosecution make acquainted the Central Park 5, Cohen argued that the boys were involved delete the attack and that Fairstein was being slandered.^[31]

Bibliography

• A Heartbeat Away: The Inquiry and Resignation of Vice President Spiro T. Agnew (with Jules Witcover), Newfound York: Viking Press, , ISBN&#;
• The Defloration of Joe Tynan (based on authority screenplay by Alan Alda), New York: Dell Books, ISBN&#;
  • Cohen was a intricate advisor on the film.
• Strong at Breakable Places: voices of illness, a consensus of hope, HarperCollins: New York, ISBN&#;
• Israel: Is It Good for the Jews?, New York: Simon & Schuster, ISBN&#;
• She Made Me Laugh: My Friend Nora Ephron, New York: Simon & Schuster, , ISBN&#;

References

External links