Steve Benen(born May 15, 1973) is an American progressive political writer, blogger,MSNBCcontributor, and the producer ofThe Rachel Maddow Show,for which he received twoEmmy Awardsin 2017.[1]Benen's first book,The Impostors: How Republicans Quit Governing and Seized American Politics,was published in 2020.[2]His latest book isMinistry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past,which was published in August 2024.
Steve Benen | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 15, 1973 Miami,Florida, United States |
| Education | Florida International University(BA) George Washington University |
| Occupation(s) | Political writer and blogger, producer ofThe Rachel Maddow Show |
| Awards | Emmy Awards(x2) |
Early life and education
editBenen was born and raised inMiami,Florida. He earned a B.A. inPolitical SciencefromFlorida International University,where he served in thestudent governmentalongside future Maryland state legislatorKirill Reznik.[3]He then earned a master's degree in Political Management fromGeorge Washington University,and served as aWhite House internfor PresidentBill Clinton.[4]
Career
editPolitics
editIn 1996, he was the communications director for an unsuccessful Democratic congressional campaign in Pennsylvania. From 1997 to 2002, Benen worked as a staff writer atChurch & Statemagazine, published byAmericans United for the Separation of Church and State.[4][better source needed]
Media
editFrom August 2008 to January 2012, Benen was the lead blogger for theWashington Monthly's "Political Animal" blog,[5]taking over from founderKevin Drum.He was the publisher of the political blogThe Carpetbagger Reportfor five years[6][dead link]and was the lead editor ofSalon.com'sBlog Report.
In July 2009,The Atlanticnamed Benen one of the top 50 most influential political commentators in the United States.[7]In 2012, Benen wrote the introduction to the e-book,Elephant in the Room: Washington in the Bush Years.[8]
Digital Pamphleteer,a short film about Benen's work as a blogger, was created by Bill Simmon[9]and won an award at the Vermont International Film Festival[10]in 2008.
Benen's articles and op-eds have appeared in a variety of publications, includingThe New York Times,[11]theWashington Monthly,The American Prospect,The Huffington Post,and theNew York Daily News.He has been a contributor toTalking Points Memo,Crooks and Liars,The Guardian,AlterNet,Political Wire,andSeven Days.
He has been a guest on several radio and television programs, includingNPR'sTalk of the Nation,[12]MSNBC'sThe Rachel Maddow Show,MSNBC'sThe Ed Show,MSNBC'sMartin Bashir,MSNBC'sLive with Thomas Roberts,Current TV'sCountdown with Keith Olbermann,Air America Radio'sThe Sam Seder Show,andXM Satellite Radio'sPOTUS '08.
As a producer ofThe Rachel Maddow Show,Benen received Emmy nominations in 2013,[13]2017,[1]2018,[14]2019,[15]and 2020.[16]2021,[17]winning two Emmys in 2017 for production of the episodes, "An American Disaster: The Crisis in Flint", and "One-on-One with Kellyanne Conway".[1]
Following the June 2020 publication of his book,The Impostors: How Republicans Quit Governing and Seized American Politics,the book reached the top 100 on theUSA Todaybest selling books list.[18]
In August 2024, Benen publishedMinistry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past,a book that critically examines the Republican Party's strategies for shaping public perception and historical narratives in the post-Trump era, receiving praise fromKirkus Reviews,[19]for its incisive analysis of contemporary political tactics.[citation needed]Ministry of Truthdebuted at number nine onThe New York TimesBest Seller listfor nonfiction.[20]
References
edit- ^abc"The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Announces Winners of the 38th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards"(PDF).National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. October 7, 2017. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on October 7, 2017.
- ^"The Impostors".www.harpercollins.com.HarperCollins Publishers. November 17, 2022.Archivedfrom the original on December 2, 2022.RetrievedAugust 18,2024.
- ^"Meeting Minutes 07.11.94; Student Government Association BBC".digitalcommons.fiu.edu.Miami-Dade, Florida: Florida International University. July 11, 1994.Archivedfrom the original on June 17, 2020.RetrievedJune 17,2020.
- ^abResmer, Cathy (September 26, 2006)."Posting Truth to Power".www.sevendaysvt.com.Burlington, Vermont: Da Capo Publishing, Inc.Archivedfrom the original on August 18, 2024.RetrievedAugust 18,2024.
- ^Benen, Steve (January 24, 2012)."Hello, I must be going".washingtonmonthly.com.Washington, D.C.:Washington Monthly.Archived fromthe originalon June 29, 2019.RetrievedOctober 21,2015.
- ^"Commentary and analysis on politics in America by Steve Benen".The Carpetbagger Report.RetrievedSeptember 18,2012.
- ^"The Atlantic 50".The Atlantic Monthly.Archived fromthe originalon September 23, 2009.
- ^Elephant in the Room: Washington in the Bush Years 1st, Paul Glastris, Steve Benen - Amazon.com.Washington Monthly. September 19, 2012 – via amazon.com.
- ^"Films".billsimmon.com.
- ^"VTIFF Vermont International Film Foundation Screenings Events".VTIFF.
- ^"The Voters Should Have Decided Weiner's Fate".www.nytimes.com.RetrievedJuly 29,2019.
- ^"Bush and New Faith-based Executive Office".NPR.org.January 29, 2001.
- ^"Nominees for The 38th Annual News & Documentary Emmy® Awards Announced – The Emmys".theemmys.tv.Archived fromthe originalon September 29, 2020.RetrievedJuly 29,2019.
- ^"Nominees for The 39th Annual News & Documentary Emmy® Awards Announced – The Emmys".theemmys.tv.July 26, 2018.
- ^"NOMINEES FOR THE 40th ANNUAL NEWS & DOCUMENTARY EMMY® AWARDS ANNOUNCED – The Emmys".theemmys.tv.July 25, 2019.
- ^"News 2020 Nominees – The Emmys"(PDF).theemmys.tv.
- ^"News 2021 Nominees – The Emmys".theemmys.tv.July 26, 2021.
- ^"The Impostors, by Steve Benen".USA Today.RetrievedNovember 14,2022.
1 Weeks Listed: #73 Best Week
- ^"Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past".Kirkus Reviews.May 25, 2024.
- ^"Hardcover Nonfiction".The New York Times.Archived fromthe originalon August 23, 2024.RetrievedAugust 24,2024.
External links
edit- The Maddow BlogArchived2013-10-15 at theWayback Machine