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Nick Turse

ニック・タース

Nikku Tāsu

Profile

Gender
Male
Nationality
United States
Languages
English

Career

Occupations
Journalist, Historian, Author, Investigative reporter
Active Years
1999-
Affiliations
TomDispatch (associate editor / research director), The Nation Institute (fellow), The Intercept (contributing investigative team)
Influenced By
Christian Appy (mentioned as a mentor/influence)

Education

Rutgers University–Newark
Humanities/Social Sciences (History) / History
Degree: MA
Year of Graduation: 1999
Country: United States
Columbia University (GSAS)
Sociomedical Sciences / Sociomedical Sciences
Degree: PhD
Year of Graduation: 2005
Country: United States
Doctoral dissertation focused on U.S. war crimes and atrocities in Vietnam
Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study (Harvard)
Period: 2010–2011
Year of Graduation: 2011
Country: United States
Fellowship

Awards

Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. book award (Finalist)
2016
Work: Next Time They'll Come to Count The Dead
Category: 書籍部門
Organization: Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE)
Result: Finalist
American Book Award
2016
Work: Tomorrow's Battlefield: U.S. Proxy Wars and Secret Ops in Africa
Result: 受賞
New York Press Club Award for Special Event Reporting
2016
Work: The Drone Papers (as part of investigative team)
Organization: New York Press Club
Result: 受賞
Online Journalism Association Award for Investigative Data Journalism
2016
Work: The Drone Papers (investigation)
Organization: Online News Association
Result: 受賞
Ridenhour Prize
2009
Work: Investigation into Operation Speedy Express
Organization: Ridenhour Prizes
Result: 受賞
James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism
2009
Result: 受賞
MOLLY National Journalism Prize (honorable mention)
2009
Result: Honorable Mention
Tom Renner Award for Outstanding Crime Reporting (Finalist)
2006
Work: Los Angeles Times series
Organization: Investigative Reporters and Editors
Result: Finalist

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Kill Anything That Moves: The Real American War in Vietnam

2013 Non-fiction / History

A detailed investigative history documenting civilian suffering and alleged U.S. war crimes in the Vietnam War, based on archival research and eyewitness interviews.

War crimesCivilian sufferingMilitary accountabilityArchival research

Tomorrow's Battlefield: U.S. Proxy Wars and Secret Ops in Africa

2015 Non-fiction / Journalism

An investigative account exposing U.S. proxy wars, secret operations, and expanding military activities across Africa.

U.S. military expansionSecret operationsAfricaMilitary doctrine

Next Time They'll Come to Count The Dead: War and Survival in South Sudan

2016 Non-fiction / Reportage

A reportage on the South Sudanese civil war documenting ethnic cleansing, the struggle to count the dead, and the failure of accountability mechanisms.

Ethnic conflictHuman rightsWar reportingInternational justice

The Complex: How the Military Invades Our Everyday Lives

2008 Non-fiction / Social criticism

Analyzes the entanglement of the military with everyday life and critiques how military institutions and policies affect civilian society.

Military-society relationsMilitary-industrial complexPolicy critique

Bibliography

  • The Complex: How the Military Invades Our Everyday Lives (2008)
  • The Case for Withdrawal from Afghanistan (2010)
  • Terminator Planet: The First History of Drone Warfare, 2001-2050 (co-authored, 2012)
  • The Changing Face of Empire (2012)
  • Kill Anything That Moves (2013)
  • Tomorrow's Battlefield (2015)
  • Next Time They'll Come to Count The Dead (2016)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Document-based investigative reportageInvestigative narrativeAnalytical, fact-driven prose
Recurring Motifs
War and civilian harmLack of military transparencyConcealment of power and accountability

Legacy

Nick Turse is known for investigative reporting that probes U.S. military activities abroad and the impact of war on civilians. Combining archival research and field reporting, he has highlighted issues of accountability and transparency.

Quotes

  • Turse gives a sobering account of the horrific crimes against ordinary people that define South Sudan's conflict. He shows how efforts to count the dead, investigate the crimes, and bring perpetrators to justice have so far failed. His compelling account reminds us why accountability is both urgent and necessary.
    Source: Kenneth Roth (Human Rights Watch), review of Next Time They'll Come to Count The Dead (2016)

Trivia

  • Holds a PhD in sociomedical sciences from Columbia University.
  • Part of the investigative team for The Drone Papers in 2016 that won several awards.
  • Won an American Book Award for Kill Anything That Moves (noted in recognition lists).