Steve Coll (born October 8, 1958) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

, academic and executive. He is currently the dean of the

Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is located in Pulitzer Hall on the university's Morningside Heights campus in New York City. Founded in 1912 by Joseph Pulitzer, Columbia Journalism School is one of the oldest journalism ...

, where he is also the Henry R. Luce Professor of Journalism. A staff writer for ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'', he served as the president and CEO of the New America think tank from 2007 to 2012. He is the recipient of two

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made ...

awards, two

Overseas Press Club The Overseas Press Club of America (OPC) was founded in 1939 in New York City by a group of foreign correspondents. The wire service reporter Carol Weld was a founding member, as was the war correspondent Peggy Hull. The club seeks to maintain ...

Awards, a PEN American Center John Kenneth Galbraith Award, an Arthur Ross Book Award, a Livingston Award, a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, a ''Financial Times'' and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award, and the

Lionel Gelber Prize The Lionel Gelber Prize is a literary award for English non-fiction books on foreign policy. Founded in 1989 by Canadian diplomat Lionel Gelber, the prize awards "the world’s best non-fiction book in English on foreign affairs that seeks to deep ...

. From 2012 to 2013, he was a voting member of the Pulitzer Prize Board before continuing to serve in an ''

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...

'' capacity as the dean of the Columbia Journalism School.

Early life and family

Steve Coll was born on October 8, 1958, in Washington, D.C. He attended

Thomas S. Wootton High School Thomas S. Wootton High School or Wootton High School (WHS) is a public high school in Rockville, Maryland. Its namesake is Thomas S. Wootton, the founder of Montgomery County. The school was founded in 1970 and is part of the Montgomery County P ...

in Rockville, Maryland, graduating in 1976. He moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, and enrolled in

Occidental College Occidental College (informally Oxy) is a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887 as a coeducational college by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Church, it became non-sectarian in 1910. It is one of the oldes ...

, where he was a member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

. In 1980, he graduated ''

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

'' with majors in English and history. Coll also attended the

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

during his studies. Coll is married to the journalist and poet Eliza Griswold.

Career

Journalism

After college, Coll wrote for the Pasadena Weekly. He then wrote general-interest articles for ''California'' magazine. In 1985, he started working for ''

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 n ...

'' as a general assignment feature writer for the paper's ''Style'' section. Two years later, he was promoted to serve as the financial correspondent for the newspaper, based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He and

David A. Vise David A. Vise (born June 16, 1960), is a journalist and author. He is a Senior Advisor to New Mountain Capital, a New York-based investment firm, and Executive Director of Modern States “Freshman Year for Free,” a philanthropy whose goal is t ...

collaborated on a series of reports scrutinizing the

Securities and Exchange Commission The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The primary purpose of the SEC is to enforce the law against market ...

for which they received the 1990

Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting The Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting has been presented since 1998, for a distinguished example of explanatory reporting that illuminates a significant and complex subject, demonstrating mastery of the subject, lucid writing and clear pr ...

and the

Gerald Loeb Award The Gerald Loeb Award, also referred to as the Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism, is a recognition of excellence in journalism, especially in the fields of business, finance and the economy. The award was estab ...

for Large Newspapers. In 1989, he moved to

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Hous ...

, when he was appointed as the ''Post's'' South Asia bureau chief. He served as a foreign correspondent through 1995. Coll began working for the newspaper's Sunday magazine insert in 1995, serving as publisher of the magazine from 1996 to 1998. He was promoted to managing editor of the newspaper in 1998 and served in that capacity through 2004. He has also served as an associate editor for the newspaper from late 2004 to August 2005. In September 2005, Coll joined the writing staff of ''

''. Based in Washington, D.C., he reported on foreign intelligence and national security.

New America Foundation

On July 23, 2007, Coll was named as the next director of the

New America Foundation New America, formerly the New America Foundation, is a think tank in the United States founded in 1999. It focuses on a range of public policy issues, including national security studies, technology, asset building, health, gender, energy, educ ...

, a non-profit, non-partisan

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-govern ...

headquartered in Washington, D.C. He has also contributed to the '' New York Review of Books,'' particularly about the war in Afghanistan. On June 25, 2012, Coll announced his resignation as President of the New America Foundation to pen a follow up to ''Ghost Wars''. On October 23, 2012, Coll was elected to the

Board, administered by

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism

On March 18, 2013, Coll was announced to succeed Nick Lemann as the Dean of the

, effective July 1, 2013.

Honors and awards

* 1990:

(co-winner with

) * 1991: Livingston Award for International Reporting for "Crisis and Change in South Asia", ''

'' (winner) * 2000: Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for "Peace Without Justice: A Journey to the Wounded Heart of Africa", ''The Washington Post'' (1st Prize: International Print) * 2000: Ed Cunningham Award for "Peace Without Justice: A Journey to the Wounded Heart of Africa", ''The Washington Post'' * 2004:

for '' Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001'' (winner) * 2004:

Cornelius Ryan Award The Cornelius Ryan Award is given for "best nonfiction book on international affairs" by the Overseas Press Club of America (OPC). To be eligible for this literary award a book must be published "in the US or by a US based company or distributed ...

for ''Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001'' (winner) * 2005:

Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction The Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are awarded annually for the "Letters, Drama, and Music" category. The award is given to a nonfiction book written by an American author and published duri ...

for ''Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001'' (winner) * 2005: Arthur Ross Book Award for ''Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001'' (winner) * 2008: National Book Critics Circle Award (biography) for ''The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century'' (finalist) * 2009: PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for ''The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century'' (winner) * 2012: ''Financial Times'' and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award for ''Private Empire'' (winner) * 2012: National Book Critics Circle Award (nonfiction) for ''Private Empire'' (finalist) * 2018: National Book Critics Circle Award (nonfiction) for ''Directorate S'' (winner)

Bibliography

* * * * * * * *

Podcasts

* * * * *

References

External links

Steve Coll
at ''

The New York Review of Books ''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of i ...

'' *

Interviews

Steve Coll discusses ''Ghost Wars''
on

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

's ''

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

,'' August 2004 (three-part online audio series)
Hour-long interview about "The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century"
by

Amy Goodman Amy Goodman (born April 13, 1957) is an American broadcast journalist, syndicated columnist, investigative reporter, and author. Her investigative journalism career includes coverage of the East Timor independence movement, Morocco's occupation ...

on '' Democracy Now!,'' September 15, 2008 (video, audio, and print transcript)
Video (with mp3 available) of conversation with Coll
on Bloggingheads.tv
Webcast Interview
on ''The Bin Ladens'' at the

Pritzker Military Museum & Library The Pritzker Military Museum & Library (formerly Pritzker Military Library) is a non-profit museum and a research library for the study of military history on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. The institution was founded in 2003, and its sp ...

on October 23, 2008
Webcast Interview
on ''Ghost Wars'' at the

on January 27, 2005 {{DEFAULTSORT:Coll, Steve 1958 births Living people American newspaper reporters and correspondents American newspaper editors American male journalists American war correspondents War correspondents of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) American non-fiction crime writers The New Yorker staff writers Espionage writers Occidental College alumni Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction winners Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism winners 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American male writers New America (organization) Gerald Loeb Award winners for Large Newspapers Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs 21st-century American male writers Columbia University faculty