Christopher J. Harper is an American professor and former journalist.
Early life and education
Born October 1, 1951, in
Boise,
Idaho, Harper graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism and English literature from the
University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1973. He earned a master's degree in journalism in 1974 from
Northwestern University.
Career
As a reporter for ''Newsweek'', Harper reported on
Jonestown, Guyana, in November 1978. His reporting was nominated for a National Magazine Award.
As
Beirut bureau chief for ''Newsweek'' in 1979-1980, Harper reported on the continuing
Lebanese civil war and the
Iran hostage crisis. He was expelled from Iraq in 1980 for his reporting about
Saddam Hussein, whom Harper described as "The Butcher of Baghdad."
As
Cairo bureau chief for ABC News in 1981, Harper was expelled by
Anwar Sadat in September 1981 for interviewing a previously expelled correspondent in
Beirut.
During his work as a correspondent and then bureau chief in Rome from 1981 to 1986, Harper reported on the
1981 plot to kill Pope John Paul II,
1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon
The 1982 Lebanon War, dubbed Operation Peace for Galilee ( he, מבצע שלום הגליל, or מבצע של"ג ''Mivtsa Shlom HaGalil'' or ''Mivtsa Sheleg'') by the Israeli government, later known in Israel as the Lebanon War or the First L ...
, the
1983 bombing of the Marine barracks that left 241 soldiers and Navy seaman dead, and the 1985 hijacking of
TWA Flight 847 for which he and his team were nominated for five Emmy awards.
Harper joined ''20/20'' in 1986 and worked there until 1995.
He left the news business to teach journalism at
New York University in 1995 and later at
Temple University, where he headed the Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab. He now teaches multiple classes within the journalism department such as Journalism and the Law International Reporting, and Ethics of Journalism.
Harper has edited and written seven books, including one of the first about the digital age and its influence on journalism. The 1998 book, ''And That’s the Way It Will Be''. His 2011 book, ''Flyover Country'', documents the history of his high school graduation class of 1969 from Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Harper wrote a
column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...
on the journalism industry for ''
The Washington Times'' beginning in January 2013. His last column was published on Wednesday, May 27, 2015.
Harper currently writes a weekly column fo
DaTechGuyblogever
Tuesday
Selected bibliography
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harper, Christopher J.
American male journalists
1951 births
Living people
People from Boise, Idaho
University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni
New York University faculty
Temple University faculty