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Spencer Ackerman

スペンサー・アッカーマン

Spencer Ackerman

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1980-06-01 （New York City, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Judaism
Residence History
New York City (birth and early life) → New Brunswick, New Jersey (Rutgers University, student) → Washington, D.C. (professional)

Career

Occupations
Journalist, Writer
Active Years
2002-
Affiliations
The New Republic (former), Wired (Danger Room, former), The Guardian (former), The Daily Beast (former), Forever Wars (Substack, founder)

Education

Bronx High School of Science
Period: 1994–1998
Year of Graduation: 1998
Country: United States
Rutgers University
Philosophy
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Period: 1998–2002
Year of Graduation: 2002
Country: United States
Wrote for The Daily Targum; received a Certificate of Merit from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association

Awards

National Magazine Award for Digital Media
2012
Work: Reporting on biased FBI training materials (published in Wired)
Organization: American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME)
Result: 受賞
Pulitzer Prize for Public Service
2014
Work: 2013 global surveillance disclosures reporting (shared work at The Guardian)
Organization: The Pulitzer Prizes (as part of a team)
Result: 共同受賞
Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) Medal
2014
Work: Investigative reporting on NSA surveillance (shared work at The Guardian)
Organization: Investigative Reporters and Editors
Result: 共同受賞
Roy W. Howard Award for Public Service Reporting (Scripps Howard Foundation)
2013
Work: Reporting on surveillance disclosures (shared)
Organization: Scripps Howard Foundation
Result: 共同受賞
Columbia Scholastic Press Association Certificate of Merit
2002
Work: News writing for The Daily Targum (coverage of Florida recount)
Organization: Columbia Scholastic Press Association
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump

2021 Non-fiction

A historical and critical examination of how the post-9/11 'War on Terror' reshaped American politics, security and justice, contributing to political outcomes in the 2010s, including the rise of Donald Trump. Tracks policy decisions, surveillance, interrogation practices and the expansion of domestic security measures.

War on TerrorsurveillanceAmerican political change

Bibliography

  • Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump (Viking, 2021)
  • Foreword, The Plot to Hack America: How Putin's Cyberspies and WikiLeaks Tried to Steal the 2016 Election (Skyhorse Publishing, 2016)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
investigativecritical and analyticfact-based narrative
Recurring Motifs
tension between national security and civil libertiessurveillance and privacyUS military intervention and its consequences

Legacy

Through national security investigative reporting, he exposed problematic FBI training materials and contributed to public understanding of NSA surveillance programs, prompting reviews and policy responses. His book and reporting have influenced contemporary US national security journalism.

In Popular Culture

  • Worked as a political consultant for the film In The Loop (provided input based on D.C. observations)
  • Contributed to comic-book writing for DC and Marvel in recent years

Quotes

  • If you can’t do it without sounding like Pat Buchanan, who has nothing but antipathy and contempt for Jews, then you’ve lost the debate.
    Source: Tablet magazine column (2012) (2012)

Trivia

  • Born in New York City in 1980.
  • Holds a BA in Philosophy from Rutgers University (2002).
  • Won a National Magazine Award (Digital Media) in 2012 for reporting on FBI training materials.
  • Shared the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service as part of The Guardian's reporting on surveillance disclosures.
  • Published Reign of Terror in 2021, named a best nonfiction book by several outlets.
  • Launched the Substack newsletter Forever Wars in 2021.