Tom Junod (born April 9, 1958) is an American journalist. He is the recipient of two

National Magazine Award The National Magazine Awards, also known as the Ellie Awards, honor print and digital publications that consistently demonstrate superior execution of editorial objectives, innovative techniques, noteworthy enterprise and imaginative design. Or ...

s from the

American Society of Magazine Editors The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) is an industry trade group for magazine journalists and editors of magazines published in the United States. ASME includes the editorial leaders of most major consumer magazine in print and digital ex ...

Early life

In 1980, Junod graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in English from the

State University of New York at Albany The State University of New York at Albany, commonly referred to as the University at Albany, UAlbany or SUNY Albany, is a public research university with campuses in Albany, Rensselaer, and Guilderland, New York. Founded in 1844, it is one ...

Career

Junod worked as a writer for ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

'' magazine beginning in 1997, after following editor David Granger to the magazine from '' GQ''. He also worked for ''

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

'' magazine, ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...

'', and ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

''. Junod has published award-winning pieces for several magazines. Among his notable works are ''The Abortionist'', ''The Rapist Says He's Sorry'', ''

The Falling Man ''The Falling Man'' is a photograph taken by Associated Press photographer Richard Drew of a man falling from the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks in New York City. The Unidentified Man in the image was trapped on the uppe ...

'' and a controversial 2001 piece on

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternative ...

lead singer

Michael Stipe John Michael Stipe (; born January 4, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and artist, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of alternative rock band R.E.M. He is known for his vocal quality, poetic lyrics and unique stage presence. Poss ...

, in which he satirically fabricated information for an interview that never happened. As of November 2019, he is a writer for ''

ESPN The Magazine ''ESPN The Magazine'' was an American monthly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut. The first issue was published on March 11, 1998. Initially published every other week, it scaled back to 24 issues a year i ...

''. Junod is also noted for his ''Esquire'' profile of

Fred Rogers Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003), commonly known as Mister Rogers, was an American television host, author, producer, and Presbyterian minister. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television se ...

. Junod has stated that his encounter with Rogers changed his perspective on life. The event is the premise of the 2019 feature film ''

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood ''A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood'' is a 2019 American biographical drama film directed by Marielle Heller and written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster, inspired by the 1998 article "Can You Say... Hero?" by Tom Junod, published in ...

''. Junod also appeared in the critically acclaimed documentary '' Won't You Be My Neighbor?'' (2018). Among his controversial articles, Junod came to regret the tone of his 1997 profile of

Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, obtaining supporting roles before gaining a leading man status in film and television. Spacey has received various accolades ...

for ''Esquire'' that "more or less outed the actor". At the time Spacey described the profile as "mean-spirited" and "homophobic" and called for a boycott of both the author and publication. "That story had the reek of bad faith to it, to be quite honest with you," Junod admitted when interviewed by ''Atlanta Magazine'' in 2019, noting that the negative response to his Kevin Spacey profile had stalled his career prior to his Fred Rogers assignment.

Awards

Junod is the recipient of two

s from the

; one for a profile of John Britton, an abortion doctor, and one for a profile of a rapist undergoing therapy while enduring what is known as "civil commitment" finalist for the award. In 2011, Junod won the

James Beard Award The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media award ...

for his essay "My Mom Couldn't Cook", published in ''Esquire'' in September 2010.

References

External links

Interview with Tom Junod on NPR's ''All Things Considered''Junod's ''The Falling Man'' feature in ''Esquire''Junod's ''Can You Say...Hero?'' profile in ''Esquire''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Junod, Tom American male journalists Life (magazine) photojournalists American magazine staff writers University at Albany, SUNY alumni 1958 births Living people 20th-century American journalists 21st-century American journalists GQ (magazine) Sports Illustrated photojournalists Esquire (magazine) people ESPN people