Jackson Diehl (born 1956) was the deputy
editorial page
An editorial, or leading article (UK) or leader (UK) is an article written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper, magazine, or any other written document, often unsigned. Australian and major United States newspapers, such ...
editor of ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' from February, 2001 to August, 2021. He was part of the ''Washington Post'' team that won the 2022
Pulitzer Prize in Public Service.
He wrote many of the paper's editorials on foreign affairs, helped to oversee the editorial and op-ed pages and authored a regular column. He is a member of the
Council on Foreign Relations and can speak two foreign languages, Spanish and Polish.
Diehl was born in San Antonio, Texas. He received a B.A. from
Yale College
Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...
in 1978.
Career
Diehl joined ''The Washington Post'' as a reporter in 1978. From 1982 to 1992, he worked at the paper's foreign bureaus in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
,
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
and
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. He was foreign editor and assistant managing editor for foreign news from 1992 to 1999, and oversaw the expansion of ''The Washington Post''s foreign staff. In 1999, he became assistant managing editor for national news and oversaw coverage of the 2000 presidential election campaign.
As an editor and columnist, Diehl favored the 2003
invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...
under the
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
administration. Diehl had advocated for democratic reforms and a tougher U.S. policy toward
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
, criticizing
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
for his "dangerous passivity," and in 2011 he was a Finalist for the
Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing
The Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing is one of the fourteen American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Journalism. It has been awarded since 1917 for distinguished editorial writing, the test of excellence being clearness of style ...
, for his commentary on Egypt.
Coverage of Venezuela
In Jan of 2010, Diehl criticized Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez
Hugo or HUGO may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese
* Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback
* Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise based on a ...
and the
Bolivarian Revolution
The Bolivarian Revolution is a political process in Venezuela that was led by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, the founder of the Fifth Republic Movement and later the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). The Bolivarian Revolution is ...
and wrote that "Chavez's socialism for the 21st century" had been defeated "and is on its way to collapse."
In October 2011, Diehl, in his opinion column, ''
Obama's policy on Venezuela leaves Chavez's victims paying price'', criticized the Obama administration over their foot-dragging, in granting asylum for Nelson Mezerhane. Mezerhane, who had been threatened by Chavez, to stifle
Globolvision's network coverage criticizing Chavez, had fled
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
, after he and his family faced threats to their lives. Diehl noted in his column, that asylum decisions should be nonpolitical, but under
Hillary Clinton's State Department, a strategy of avoiding "scrapes" with Chavez, left people like Mezerhane danger. In his column he wrote:
Diehl was also critical of the
Trump
Trump most commonly refers to:
* Donald Trump (born 1946), 45th president of the United States (2017–2021)
* Trump (card games), any playing card given an ad-hoc high rank
Trump may also refer to:
Businesses and organizations
* Donald J. T ...
administration's handling of Venezuelan President
Nicolás Maduro, saying of Trump's foreign policy, in his column in January 2020:
2012 Syria coverage
Diehl was nominated for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing; in the cover letter, nominating Jackson Diehl for the Prize,
Fred Hiatt wrote:
The series of editorial columns, that resulted in Diehl becoming a finalist for the prize, are listed below.
* Time to lead on Syria, March 8, 2012
* An unworkable plan for Syria, March 23, 2012
* Needed: Plan B for Syria, April 22, 2012
* The U.N.'s monitors of death, April 26, 2012
* As Syria burns, May 11, 2012
* Who will stop Syria's massacres?, May 30, 2012
* What to do in Syria, June 1, 2012
* Scapegoat for Syria, July 1, 2012
* Syria's hard core, August 9, 2012
* Impotent on Syria, December 31, 2012
Awards and recognition
During his career, Diehl has received multiple awards as listed below.
* 1984
Inter-American Press Association
The Inter American Press Association (IAPA; Spanish: ''Sociedad Interamericana de Prensa'', SIP) is a press advocacy group representing major media organizations in North America, South America and the Caribbean. It is made up of more than 1,3 ...
Award for Interpretive Journalism, for his coverage of South America
* 1989 Bob Considine Award of the Overseas Press Association, for his coverage of the 1989 revolution in Eastern Europe.
* 2011 Finalist for the 2011
Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing
The Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing is one of the fourteen American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Journalism. It has been awarded since 1917 for distinguished editorial writing, the test of excellence being clearness of style ...
, for his commentary on Egypt
* 2013 Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize finalist, for editorials about Syria.
* 2018 The Eugene Meyer and Ben Bradlee Award, for extraordinary journalism
* 2019 Journalist of the Year Award by the Algemeiner Foundation
* 2022 He was part of the team that won the 2022
Pulitzer Prize in Public Service
References
External links
*
Jackson Diehl - Author Archive*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diehl, Jackson
Living people
1956 births
The Washington Post people
Yale College alumni
Writers from San Antonio
American male journalists
20th-century American journalists