Jeffrey Gettleman
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey A. Gettleman is an American
journalist who has been the East Africa bureau chief for The New York Times
, based in Nairobi
, Kenya
, since 2006.
in 1990, and Cornell University
in 1994 with a B.A. in Philosophy. Initially he did not know what he wanted to do after graduation, so took a leave of absence to back pack around the world which he says help set his life trajectory. However, when a professor suggested journalism as a profession, he scoffed at the idea, saying "That was the dumbest idea I had heard... who wants to work for a boring newspaper?”. Beginning in 1994, he was a communications officer for Save the Children
organization in Addis Ababa
, Ethiopia
.
After his graduation from Cornell, he received a Marshall Scholarship
to attend Oxford University, where he received a Masters degree in Philosophy in June 1996. While at Oxford, Gettleman was the first American editor of Cherwell, the university's student newspaper.
from 1997-1998. In 1999, Gettleman joined the Los Angeles Times
as a general assignment reporter. Two years later he became bureau chief in Atlanta
, he was also a war correspondent for them in Afghanistan
and the Middle East.
In 2002, Gettleman joined The New York Times as a domestic correspondent in Atlanta, where he later became the bureau chief. He reported from Iraq
beginning in 2003, where he did a total of five tours. After a stint as a reporter for the papers Metro desk in 2004, he would become a foreign correspondent for the East Africa bureau of The New York Times, located in Nairobi in July of 2006. Only a month later he would be named chief.
Currently he covers over ten countries, focusing the majority of his work on the conflicts in Kenya
, Congo
, Somalia
, Sudan
and Ethiopia
. During his time working in these countries, he has been kidnapped multiple times, threatened, held at gun point, and been shot at. He is known for his style of coverage on horrific events, dubbed by Jack Shafer as the Gettleman method, he plays it straight and direct, is easy on the cynicism, and reports without a hint of any world weariness. His realism on the subjects he covers provides a snap shot of reality that the majority of his readers will never experience.
He has been a commentator on CNN
, BBC
, PBS, NPR
and ABC
.
, and Joyce R. Gettleman, a psychotherapist with a private practice in Evanston, Illinois
. Gettleman's sister Lynn Gettleman Chehab is a physician.
Gettleman is married to Courtenay Morris, a former assistant public defender
who is now a web producer for the Times.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist who has been the East Africa bureau chief for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, based in Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, since 2006.
Early Life
Gettleman graduated from Evanston Township High SchoolEvanston Township High School
Evanston Township High School District 202, is a four-year, comprehensive high school occupying a campus in Evanston, Illinois, a Chicago suburb along the Lake Michigan shore. ETHS serves the multiracial city of Evanston and a small portion of the neighboring village of Skokie, for a total...
in 1990, and Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in 1994 with a B.A. in Philosophy. Initially he did not know what he wanted to do after graduation, so took a leave of absence to back pack around the world which he says help set his life trajectory. However, when a professor suggested journalism as a profession, he scoffed at the idea, saying "That was the dumbest idea I had heard... who wants to work for a boring newspaper?”. Beginning in 1994, he was a communications officer for Save the Children
Save the Children
Save the Children is an internationally active non-governmental organization that enforces children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries...
organization in Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
.
After his graduation from Cornell, he received a Marshall Scholarship
Marshall Scholarship
The Marshall Scholarship, a postgraduate scholarships available to Americans, was created by the Parliament of the United Kingdom when the Marshall Aid Commemoration Act was passed in 1953. The scholarships serve as a living gift to the United States of America in recognition of the post-World War...
to attend Oxford University, where he received a Masters degree in Philosophy in June 1996. While at Oxford, Gettleman was the first American editor of Cherwell, the university's student newspaper.
Career
He began his Journalism career as a city hall and police reporter for the St. Petersburg TimesSt. Petersburg Times
The St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
from 1997-1998. In 1999, Gettleman joined the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
as a general assignment reporter. Two years later he became bureau chief in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, he was also a war correspondent for them in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and the Middle East.
In 2002, Gettleman joined The New York Times as a domestic correspondent in Atlanta, where he later became the bureau chief. He reported from Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
beginning in 2003, where he did a total of five tours. After a stint as a reporter for the papers Metro desk in 2004, he would become a foreign correspondent for the East Africa bureau of The New York Times, located in Nairobi in July of 2006. Only a month later he would be named chief.
Currently he covers over ten countries, focusing the majority of his work on the conflicts in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Congo
Congo
Congo, Kongo, or Kongō may refer to:-Africa : ** , the name of the country under Mobutu regime...
, Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
and Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. During his time working in these countries, he has been kidnapped multiple times, threatened, held at gun point, and been shot at. He is known for his style of coverage on horrific events, dubbed by Jack Shafer as the Gettleman method, he plays it straight and direct, is easy on the cynicism, and reports without a hint of any world weariness. His realism on the subjects he covers provides a snap shot of reality that the majority of his readers will never experience.
He has been a commentator on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, PBS, NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
and ABC
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin alphabet. They may refer to:- Broadcasting media :* American Broadcasting Company, a private US broadcaster* Australian Broadcasting Corporation, national publicly funded broadcaster of Australia...
.
Awards
- Florida Press Club awarded him first place for general reporting-1997
- First place for spot news from the Tampa Bay Society of Professional Journalists-1997 and 1998
- Los Angeles Times Editorial Award for Breaking News-2001
- Overseas Press Club award-2003
- Overseas Press Club award-2008
Personal
Gettleman is the son of Robert W. Gettleman (b. 1943), a judge of the United State District Court for the Northern District of IllinoisIllinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, and Joyce R. Gettleman, a psychotherapist with a private practice in Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
. Gettleman's sister Lynn Gettleman Chehab is a physician.
Gettleman is married to Courtenay Morris, a former assistant public defender
Public defender
The term public defender is primarily used to refer to a criminal defense lawyer appointed to represent people charged with a crime but who cannot afford to hire an attorney in the United States and Brazil. The term is also applied to some ombudsman offices, for example in Jamaica, and is one way...
who is now a web producer for the Times.