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Seth Rosenfeld

セス・ローゼンフェルド

Seth Rosenfeld

Profile

Gender
Male
Nationality
United States
Languages
English

Career

Occupations
journalist, non-fiction author, investigative reporter
Active Years
1984-
Affiliations
Center for Investigative Reporting (contributor), San Francisco Examiner (former staff reporter), San Francisco Chronicle (former staff reporter)

Awards

Ridenhour Prize (Books)
2013
Work: Subversives: The FBI's War on Student Radicals, and Reagan's Rise to Power
Category: 書籍
Organization: Ridenhour Prize
Result: 受賞
PEN Center USA Literary Award for Research Nonfiction
2013
Work: Subversives: The FBI's War on Student Radicals, and Reagan's Rise to Power
Category: 書籍
Organization: PEN Center USA
Result: 受賞
Sunshine Award (National Society of Professional Journalists)
2013
Work: Subversives: The FBI's War on Student Radicals, and Reagan's Rise to Power
Category: 調査報道
Organization: National Society of Professional Journalists
Result: 受賞
American Book Award
2013
Work: Subversives: The FBI's War on Student Radicals, and Reagan's Rise to Power
Category: 書籍
Organization: Before Columbus Foundation
Result: 受賞
George Polk Award
1992
Work: Reporting on Dow Corning (silicone gel breast implants)
Category: 調査報道
Organization: George Polk Awards
Result: 受賞
Mencken Award
1990
Work: Series on police shootings (Anatomy of a Killing, Shots Fired)
Category: 調査報道
Organization: Free Press Association
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Subversives: The FBI's War on Student Radicals, and Reagan's Rise to Power

2012 Non-fiction (investigative journalism, contemporary history)

An investigative account based on archival records and interviews documenting the FBI's covert activities during the Cold War against student radicals and the University of California. It examines efforts to remove UC President Clark Kerr, harassment of Free Speech Movement leaders like Mario Savio, and the FBI's interactions that aided Ronald Reagan.

Cold Warsurveillance and covert operationsuniversity and student movementsgovernment power abusecivil liberties

Bibliography

  • Subversives: The FBI's War on Student Radicals, and Reagan's Rise to Power (2012)
  • San Francisco Chronicle article "Trouble on campus" (2002)
  • San Francisco Chronicle article "60s Free Speech Leader got caught in FBI web" (2004)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
meticulous archival investigative reportingnarrative non-fictionfact-driven explanatory prose
Recurring Motifs
secrecy and exposurestate surveillancepursuit of institutional accountability

Legacy

Rosenfeld's investigative work exposed problems in prison healthcare, corporate wrongdoing, failures in police investigations, and FBI surveillance activities, prompting public debate, congressional inquiries, and regulatory reviews. His book 'Subversives' presented a documented history of Cold War surveillance and received multiple awards.

Archives

  • San Francisco Chronicle archives
  • Center for Investigative Reporting archives

Quotes

  • Rosenfeld's determination to look beyond an obscure verdict and his newspaper's dedication to public service sparked a national debate and prompted reforms that otherwise might not have happened.
    Source: George Polk Award judges' citation (1992)

Trivia

  • In 2012 Rosenfeld reported, based on a FOIA request, that Richard Aoki was listed as an FBI informant.
  • 'Subversives' became a New York Times bestseller and won multiple awards.
  • During the 1980s and 1990s Rosenfeld's reporting drew attention for investigations into prison healthcare, prison construction issues, and police shootings.