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Jonathan Alter

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Jonathan Alter
Alter at the 2013 Texas Book Festival.
Alter at the 2013Texas Book Festival.
BornJonathan H. Alter
(1957-10-06)October 6, 1957(age 66)
Chicago,Illinois,U.S.
Occupation
  • Journalist
  • author
Alma materHarvard University
GenreNon-fiction
Spouse
​
(m.1986)​
Children3, includingCharlotte Alter
ParentsJoanne Alter(mother)
Website
www.jonathanalter.com

Jonathan H. Alter(born October 6, 1957) is aliberal[1]Americanjournalist, best-selling author, Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker and television producer who was acolumnistand senioreditorforNewsweekmagazine from 1983 until 2011. Alter has written several books aboutAmerican presidents,most recentlyHis Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life,published in 2020, the first independent biography of Carter. Alter is a contributingcorrespondenttoNBC News,where since 1996 he has appeared onNBC,MSNBC,andCNBC.In 2021, Alter launched a newsletter called "Old Goats: Ruminating With Friends", where he has conversations with accomplished people who share their wisdom and experience. In 2013 and 2014, Alter served as an executive producer on theAmazon StudiosproductionAlpha House,which starredJohn Goodman,Mark Consuelos,Clark Johnson,andMatt Malloy.In 2019, he co-produced and co-directedBreslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists,"a documentary about the columnistsJimmy BreslinandPete Hamill,which received the 2020Emmy Awardfor Outstanding Historical Documentary.

Alter's other books areThe Center Holds: Obama and His Enemies(2013),The Promise: President Obama, Year One(2010), which went to number three on theNew York Times Bestsellers List,Between The Lines: A View Inside American Politics, People and Culture(2008), andThe Defining Moment: FDR's Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope(2006), aNew York Times Notable Book of the Year.

A veteran ofChicagopolitics, Alter has known former PresidentBarack Obamaand his closest confidantes for as long as nearly any national columnist, having published the first national magazine cover story on Obama inNewsweek's 2004 "Who's Next Issue."[2][failed verification]

Alter currently hosts a radio show with his children, "Alter Family Politics," as part ofAndy Cohen's 24-hour network, Radio Andy, Channel 102 on Sirius XM.[3]

Early life and education

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Alter was raised in aJewishfamily inChicago,[4]the son of James Alter (1922–2014),[5]who owned a refrigeration and air-conditioning company, andJoanne (née Hammerman)(1927–2008),[6]who was an elected commissioner of theMetropolitan Sanitary District of Greater Chicagoand a member of theDemocratic National Committee.[7][8]His mother was the first woman in the Chicago area to be elected to public office.[9]He graduated fromPhillips Academyin 1975[7][10]andHarvard Universityin 1979, where he was one of the lead editors on theHarvard Crimson.[7][11]

Career

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For a decade in the 1980s, Alter wasNewsweek's media critic, where he was among the first in the mainstream media to break tradition and hold other news organizations accountable for their coverage,[citation needed]a precursor to the role later played by blogs. WhenNewsweeklaunched his wide-ranging column in 1991, it was the first time the magazine allowed regular political commentary in the magazine, other than on the back page. AfterBill Clintonwas elected president in1992,during which time Alter was a consultant toMTV,he was among a small group of reporters and columnists who had regular access to Clinton, though he was far from a reliable supporter, particularly during theMonica Lewinsky scandal."Alter bites me in the ass sometimes, but at least he knows what we're trying to do," Clinton was quoted as saying in the bookMedia CircusbyThe Washington Post'sHoward Kurtz.

Alter gained international notoriety on November 7, 2000, the night of thepresidential election,when on NBC withTim RussertandTom Brokaw,he claimed that the election would be settled in court. He was the first pundit to predict the months-longrecountprocess.[12]

Two months after theSeptember 11 attacks,Alter wrote an article forNewsweekcalled "Time to think about torture" which became one of his best-known articles.[13]In the column, he suggested that the U.S. might need to "rethink... old assumptions about law enforcement". Stating that "some torture clearly works", he suggested the nation should "keep an open mind about certain measures to fight terrorism, like court-sanctioned psychological interrogation", and consider transferring some prisoners to other countries with less stringent rules on torture.[14]While Alter did not explicitly advocate physical torture, he later wrote in his bookBetween the Linesthat he regretted writing the article.

Alter was a fierce critic of PresidentGeorge W. Bush,emphasizing what he considered Bush's lack of accountability and his position on embryonicstem cellresearch. Alter, acancersurvivor, has written about his own bout withlymphomaand experience with an autologousadult stem celltransplant.[15]Despite calling Bush's tone "destructive to American interests," Alter supported Bush's invasion of Iraq, writing in February 2003, "Osama Bin Laden hit us on 9/11 because he thought we were soft and would not respond. Weakness now would further embolden Saddam Hussein."[16]

On NBC'sToday Show,Alter was the correspondent for several stories about the effect of theIraq Waron returning veterans.The Defining Moment,which was reviewed respectfully, surprised some critics with its analysis which concluded that the United States had come very close todictatorshipbeforeFranklin D. Rooseveltbecame president, painting him as the savior of American democracy and capitalism. During an interview with60 Minuteson November 14, 2008, then-President-electBarack Obamasaid he had recently been readingThe Defining Momentand hoped to apply some of Roosevelt's strategies that were outlined in the book into his own administration.[17]

A longtime proponent of education reform, Alter played a major role in theAcademy Award-nominateddocumentaryWaiting for "Superman".[18]He also sits on the Board of Directors ofThe 74,an education news website.[19]

In 2009, Alter was the commencement speaker atWestern Connecticut State University,which awarded him an honorary doctorate.[20]He also has receivedhonorary degreesfromUtica College(2008),Montclair State University(2009), andWilliam Paterson University(2019).

In April 2011, Alter leftNewsweek,joiningBloombergdays after.[21]

Alter was an executive producer of the Amazon Studios showAlpha House,starringJohn Goodman.Written byDoonesburycreatorGarry Trudeau,the comedy series revolves around fourRepublicanU.S. Senators who live together in a townhouse on Capitol Hill. After developing the script with Trudeau, Alter sold the pilot to Amazon, which picked up the show as its first original series.[22]The show ran for two seasons, with a total of21 episodes.

The 2019 HBO filmBreslin and Hamill: Deadline Artistswas co-produced and co-directed by Alter, with Steve McCarthy and John Block. The documentary was the winner of the 2020 Emmy Award for Outstanding Historical Documentary, and is available onHBO Max.

Personal life

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Alter lives inMontclair,New Jersey,[9]with his wife,Emily Lazar,[7]a former executive producer of theComedy CentralshowThe Colbert Report,andThe Late Show with Stephen Colbertand a longtime television news talent producer. Their three children are:Charlotte Alter(b. 1990), a senior national correspondent forTime Magazine,Tommy(b. 1991), a producer for HBO Sports and co-founder ofThreeFourTwo Productions,and Molly (b. 1993), who works as a principal forIndex Venturesand was selected in 2020 as one of Forbes' "30 Under 30" in venture capital.

Alter's family has had wide-ranging influence in politics. His mother, Joanne, was the first woman elected to public office inCook County,Illinois.His sisterJamie Alter Lynton,a journalist and brother-in-lawMichael Lynton,the former CEO of Sony Corporation of America, were two of the most politically active Obama fundraisers in California. His cousin,Charles Rivkin,is a creator ofthe Muppetsfranchise,[23]a formerUnited States Ambassador to France;and the chair of the Motion Picture Association of America(MPAA);another cousin,Robert S. Rivkin,is a former deputy mayor of Chicago.[23]Rivkin's wifeCindy S. Moelisis the former head of the White House Fellows Program and one of formerFirst Lady of the United StatesMichelle Obama's closest friends. Alter is a former member of the Board of Directors ofDonorsChoose,[24]which allows teachers to post online proposals for classroom materials, and a current board member ofThe Blue Card,[25]a national Jewish organization assistingHolocaustsurvivors,the Century Foundation,and theBone Marrow Foundation.

References

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  1. ^Alter, Jonathan (October 21, 2010)."The State of Liberalism".The New York Times.
  2. ^Carlo Wolff (May 18, 2010)."Like its subject, Obama treatise is detail-oriented".The Boston Globe.RetrievedJanuary 2,2014.
  3. ^"SiriusXM Announces New Weekly Shows on Andy Cohen's Exclusive Channel Radio Andy".September 14, 2015.RetrievedSeptember 6,2018.
  4. ^Alter, Jonathan (April 2, 2012)."The fourth outfielder - The day Jonathan Alter played for the Cubs — sort of".The Chicago Tribune.Archived fromthe originalon September 22, 2018.Just two days after Yom Kippur, it was Jew lefty vs. Jew lefty. I was a Jew lefty, too!
  5. ^Kogan, Rick (August 18, 2014)."James Alter, Chicago businessman and civic leader, 1922-2014".Chicago Tribune.RetrievedDecember 13,2014.
  6. ^Jensen, Trevor (November 11, 2008)."Joanne H. Alter: 1927 - 2008".Chicago Tribune.RetrievedDecember 13,2014.
  7. ^abcd"Emily Lazar Engaged To Jonathan H. Alter".The New York Times.August 24, 1986.RetrievedJanuary 2,2014.
  8. ^Ben Goldberger (December 12, 2008)."Joanne Alter, Gender Trailblazer In Chicago Politics, Dies".The Huffington Post.RetrievedJanuary 2,2014.
  9. ^abEric Levin (December 19, 2007)."Writer in Residence - Newsweek Columnist Jonathan Alter interprets history as it happens. At home, he steeps himself in the past, including the edigree [sic] of his Victorian dream house".New Jersey Monthly.RetrievedJanuary 2,2014.
  10. ^"Heffner Adds More Guests for Next Two WPAA Live Political Broadcasts".Phillips Academy website. January 24, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon June 4, 2010.RetrievedMay 24,2011.
  11. ^Who's Who in America 1986-1987.Vol. 1. p. 50.
  12. ^"Election Night 2000: No Decision".YouTube.Archived fromthe originalon November 5, 2012.RetrievedOctober 12,2012.
  13. ^Gordon, Rebecca (May 22, 2014).Mainstreaming Torture: Ethical Approaches in the Post-9/11 United States.Oxford University Press.p. 183.ISBN978-0-19-933643-2.RetrievedApril 15,2015.Although he has since published a well-received history of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's first hundred days in office and two books on Barack Obama's presidency,Newsweekcolumnist Jonathan Alter is probably still best known as the first person to suggest in popular media that the attacks of September 11 meant someone ought to be tortured.
  14. ^Jonathan Alter (November 5, 2001)."Time to think about torture".Newsweek.RetrievedMay 24,2011.
  15. ^Jonathan Alter (April 9, 2007)."My Life with Cancer".Newsweek.RetrievedMay 24,2011.
  16. ^"Roll Call Who's for war, who's against it, and why (February 19, 2003)".Slate.February 19, 2003.RetrievedJune 23,2019.
  17. ^Reardon, Patrick T. (November 18, 2008)."FDR books on Obama's nightstand".The Chicago Tribune.Archived fromthe originalon February 16, 2009.
  18. ^"Waiting for Superman (2010)".IMDb.
  19. ^"Supporters".The74.RetrievedApril 4,2016.
  20. ^Alter, Jonathan.SpeechArchivedJuly 20, 2011, at theWayback Machine,May 24, 2009. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
  21. ^"Jonathan Alter out atNewsweek".politico.com. April 11, 2011.RetrievedMay 24,2011.
  22. ^Felsenthal, Carol (November 21, 2013)."Jonathan Alter on the Making of Alpha House".Chicago Magazine.RetrievedAugust 4,2014.
  23. ^ab"Robert Rivkin takes on challenge of Toyota inquest with Transportation Department".Chicago Tribune.
  24. ^Donorschoose.orgNational board of directors. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
  25. ^Bluecardfund.orgArchived2011-09-10 at theWayback Machinepdf file of Board of Directors. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
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