Donald Gerard McNeil Jr.(born February 1, 1954) is an American journalist. He was ascienceandhealthreporter forThe New York Timeswhere he reported on epidemics, includingHIV/AIDSand theCOVID-19 pandemic.His reporting onCOVID-19earned him widespread recognition for being one of the earliest and most prominent voices covering the pandemic.
Donald McNeil Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | Donald Gerard McNeil Jr. February 1, 1954 San Francisco,California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley(BA) |
| Subjects | Science and health reporting |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Notable works | Zika: The Emerging Epidemic(2016) |
| Spouse | |
In February 2021, McNeil resigned under pressure fromThe New York Timesfollowing reports that high-school students on a trip to Peru organized by theTimesaccused McNeil of making racially offensive remarks. After his resignation, McNeil published a lengthy response, disputing the high-school students' accusations and criticizing theTimes.[1]
Early life and education
editMcNeil was born on February 1, 1954, inSan Francisco.He graduatedsumma cum laudefrom theUniversity of California, Berkeley,in 1975 with a bachelor's degree in rhetoric.[2]
Career
editMcNeil started atThe New York Timesin 1976 as acopy boy.[3]He left in 1979 to teachjournalismatColumbia Universitywhile studying history. From 1995 to 2002, he was a foreign correspondent based inSouth AfricaandFrance.It was during this time that McNeil began covering HIV/AIDS and took an interest invaccine-preventable diseases.
In 2002, McNeil joined the science staff ofThe New York Timesand was assigned to coverglobal health.McNeil's later work on a series of stories about diseases on the brink oferadicationwas awarded the top prize by the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Prize in Journalism in 2006.[4]
In 2013, he was featured in an acclaimeddocumentaryabout AIDS drugs,Fire in the Blood.[5]
In late 2015, McNeil began coveringthe outbreakof theZika virusforThe New York Times.[6]He gained attention for his coverage of viral outbreaks.[7]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic,he became known for his early and persistent warnings about the severity of the situation.[8]McNeil appeared onThe Dailyto discuss COVID-19 on February 27, 2020, marking him as one of the first to bring widespread attention to theCOVID-19 virus in the United States.[9][10]He also interviewed Dr.Anthony Fauciabout Fauci's working relationship with PresidentDonald Trump.[10]His early coverage and acclaimed writing made him one of the prominent journalists covering COVID-19.[11][10][12]He was the author of two of the fifteen articles about the coronavirus pandemic that won the 2021Pulitzer Prize for Public Servicefor theTimes.[13][14]
Contract negotiations withThe New York Times
editMcNeil was part of a briefwalkoutduring contract negotiations between newsroom members of theNewspaper Guild of New Yorkand the management ofThe New York Times.[15]During negotiations on October 12, 2012, McNeil reported that 375 union members had walked out of the New York City offices and another 23 had walked out of the Washington D.C. newsroom.[16]At the time, union members had been without a contract for 18 months and talks over pension payments were at a standstill. McNeil was joined by many other prominent reporters and editors in directing harsh criticism at the paper.[17]
Dismissal fromThe New York Times
editIn 2019 McNeil accompanied a group of high school students on aNew York Timessponsored trip toPeru.The purpose of the trip was for the students to learn about community-based healthcare in Peru. On January 28, 2021,The Daily Beastreported that multiple participants accused McNeil of repeatedly making racist and sexist remarks, including having used the word "nigger"in the context of discussing racist language, as well as" [using] stereotypes about Black teenagers ".[10]McNeil initially released a very short statement toThe Washington Post,saying "Don't believe everything you read", which led to 150Timesemployees signing an internal letter on February 3, demanding an apology from McNeil.[12]
The New York Timessaid they had "disciplined Donald for statements and language that had been inappropriate and inconsistent with our values" after initial complaints in 2019,[12]writing that theTimes"found [McNeil] had used bad judgment by repeating aracist slurin the context of a conversation about racist language ".[10]On February 5, 2021,The New York Timesannounced that McNeil would be leaving.[18][12]In the announcement McNeil apologized, saying that he had been "asked at dinner by a student whether [he] thought a classmate of hers should have been suspended for a video she had made as a 12-year-old in which she used a racial slur. To understand what was in the video, [he] asked if she had called someone else the slur or whether she was rapping or quoting a book title. In asking the question, [he] used the slur itself."[12]
In March 2021, McNeil published an essay onMediumcontesting the students' allegations and criticizing theTimes'handling of his case.[19][20][1]Describing his interactions with the high school students on the trip to Peru, McNeil wrote, "I thought I was generally arguing in favor of open-mindedness and tolerance — but it clearly didn't come across that way. And my bristliness makes me an imperfect pedagogue for sensitive teenagers."[21][22]
Personal life
editMcNeil lives inBrooklyn.He was previously married toSuzanne Daley,also a journalist for theTimes.He has two daughters and a stepson.[23][24]
Books
edit- Zika: The Emerging Epidemic(2016,W. W. Norton & Company)[6]
- The Wisdom of Plagues: Lessons from 25 Years of Covering Pandemics.Simon & Schuster. 2024.ISBN9781668001394.,favourably reviewed bythe Lancet.[25]
Awards
edit- 2002 – First Place, International Reporting (Over 150,000),National Association of Black Journalists[26]
- 2006 – Madeline Dane Ross Award,Overseas Press Club[27]
- 2007 –Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award[28]
- 2012 – Third Place, Beat Reporting,Association of Health Care Journalists[29]
- 2013 – Third Place, Beat Reporting, Association of Health Care Journalists[30]
- 2020 –John Chancellor Award[31][32]
References
edit- ^abMcCarthy, Tom (March 1, 2021)."Reporter says New York Times panicked over alleged racism case that led to his resignation".The Guardian.RetrievedMarch 2,2021.
- ^"Poynter Fellowship in Journalism: Donald McNeil".communications.yale.edu.Office of Public Affairs & Communications, Yale University. May 27, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 9,2021.
- ^"Philanthropy in Global Health: Speakers".baselgovernance.org.Basel Institute on Governance.Archived fromthe originalon July 25, 2011.RetrievedNovember 28,2012.
- ^Dunavan, Claire Panosian(August 2019)."Vaccine Confidential A Conversation with Donald G. McNeil Jr".The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.101(2): 472–474.doi:10.4269/ajtmh.19-0427.ISSN0002-9637.PMC6685584.PMID31287040.
- ^Bale, Miriam (September 5, 2013)."'Fire in the Blood' Spotlights AIDS in Africa ".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on August 3, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 22,2021.
- ^ab"'Zika: The Emerging Epidemic' Takes An In-Depth Look At The Virus ".WBUR-FM.August 11, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 9,2021.
- ^Kiely, Kathy (April 22, 2020)."Global Journalist: Covering Two Deadly Viruses".KBIA.RetrievedFebruary 9,2021.
ButNew York Timesreporter Donald G. McNeil Jr.'s interest in what would become the Zika epidemic has made him something of an expert on viral outbreaks.
- ^Delkic, Melina (March 19, 2020)."Our Infectious Diseases Reporter on the 'Urgent' Response to the Coronavirus".The New York Times.RetrievedJune 19,2020.
- ^"The Coronavirus Goes Global".The New York Times.February 27, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 11,2021.
- ^abcdeTani, Maxwell; Cartwright, Lachlan (January 28, 2021)."Star NY Times Reporter Accused of Using 'N-Word,' Making Other Racist Comments".The Daily Beast.Archivedfrom the original on February 7, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 28,2021.
- ^Kang, Shinhee (December 15, 2020)."The best journalism of 2020: Covering the pandemic".Columbia Journalism Review.RetrievedFebruary 11,2021.
- ^abcdePompeo, Joe (February 10, 2021).""It's Chaos": Behind the Scenes of Donald McNeil's New York Times Exit ".Vanity Fair.RetrievedFebruary 11,2021.
- ^Robertson, Katie (June 11, 2021)."Pulitzer Prizes Focus on Coverage of Pandemic and Law Enforcement".The New York Times.RetrievedJune 27,2021.
- ^Jones, Tom (June 14, 2021)."A special Poynter Report: Looking at this year's Pulitzer Prizes".Poynter.RetrievedJune 27,2021.
- ^Beaujon, Andrew (October 10, 2012)."Guild: New York Times management canceled today's negotiations, plans 'final offer' tomorrow".poynter.org.Poynter Institute.RetrievedFebruary 10,2021.
- ^Moos, Julie (October 8, 2012)."New York Times union members stage brief walkout to protest contract negotiations".poynter.org.Poynter Institute.RetrievedFebruary 10,2021.
- ^"New York Times' Donald G. McNeil Jr. On Contract Talks: Management Has 'Acted Like Belligerent Idiots'".HuffPost.October 9, 2012.RetrievedFebruary 10,2021.
- ^Folkenflik, David(February 6, 2021)."Two Prominent 'New York Times' Journalists Depart Over Past Behavior".NPR.Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2021.RetrievedFebruary 6,2021.
- ^McNeil, Donald G. Jr. (March 1, 2021)."NYTimes Peru N-Word, Part One: Introduction".Medium.RetrievedMarch 25,2021.
- ^Tracy, Marc (March 1, 2021)."Ex-Times Reporter Who Used Racial Slur Publishes a Lengthy Defense".The New York Times.RetrievedMarch 2,2021.
- ^McNeil, Donald G. Jr. (March 12, 2021)."NYTimes Peru N-Word, Part Four: What Happened in Peru?".Medium.RetrievedMarch 25,2021.
- ^Moore, Thomas (March 1, 2021)."Ousted NYT reporter says he's been a jackal circled by jackals".The Hill.RetrievedMarch 24,2021.
- ^"Donald G. McNeil Jr".The New York Times.Archived fromthe originalon May 7, 2010.RetrievedNovember 28,2012.
- ^Hannerz, Ulf(2012).Foreign News: Exploring the World of Foreign Correspondents.Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 98.ISBN978-0-226-92253-9.
- ^Horton, Richard (April 19, 2024)."Offline: America's reckoning".The Lancet.403(10436): 1525.doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(24)00804-3.ISSN0140-6736.PMID38642941.
- ^"2002 NABJ Award Winners".nabj.org.National Association of Black Journalists.Archived fromthe originalon August 3, 2002.RetrievedFebruary 11,2021.
- ^"2006 OPC Award Winners".opcofamerica.org.Overseas Press Club of America.May 1, 2007.Archivedfrom the original on January 30, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 22,2021.
- ^"2007: Donald McNeil, Jr. and Celia W. Dugger," Disease on the Brink "New York Times".rfkcenter.org.Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights.Archived fromthe originalon January 8, 2011.RetrievedDecember 8,2020.
- ^"2012 winners named in top health journalism awards".healthjournalism.org.Association of Health Care Journalists.February 25, 2013.Archivedfrom the original on October 30, 2020.RetrievedDecember 8,2020.
- ^"Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism: 2013 winners".healthjournalism.org.Association of Health Care Journalists.RetrievedDecember 8,2020.
- ^"New York Times Science and Health Reporter Donald G. McNeil Jr. Wins Prestigious 2020 John Chancellor Award".journalism.columbia.edu.Columbia Journalism School.September 29, 2020.Archivedfrom the original on January 30, 2021.RetrievedDecember 8,2020.
- ^2020 Chancellor Ceremony - Donald G. McNeil, Jr.Alfred I. duPont Awards. November 19, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 9,2021– viaVimeo.