Josh Levin
Encyclopedia
Josh Levin is a senior editor at Slate magazine
. He also hosts the magazine's sports podcast
Hang Up and Listen.
where he earned degrees in computer science
and history
.
career as an intern
at the Washington City Paper
in Washington, D.C.
. He moved to Slate in 2003 where he is currently is a senior editor. He edits the magazine's sports and technology sections.
In addition to writing and editing, he also hosts Slates sports podcast Hang Up and Listen with Stefan Fatsis
and Mike Pesca
.
artist R. Kelly
's defense to child pornography charges which stemmed from the release of a sex tape which apparently featured Kelly and an under-age female. Levin wrote, "I predict that in the decades to come, law schools will teach this as the 'Shaggy defense.' You allege that I was caught on camera, butt naked, banging on the log cabin floor? It wasn't me." The term is inspired by the lyrics of the song "It Wasn't Me
" by reggae
artist Shaggy
.
Slate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
. He also hosts the magazine's sports podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
Hang Up and Listen.
Early life
Levin was born and raised in New Orleans. He attended Brown UniversityBrown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
where he earned degrees in computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
and history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
.
Career
After graduating from Brown, Levin began his journalismJournalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
career as an intern
Intern
Internship is a system of onthejob training for white-collar jobs, similar to an apprenticeship. Interns are usually college or university students, but they can also be high school students or post graduate adults seeking skills for a new career. They may also be as young as middle school or in...
at the Washington City Paper
Washington City Paper
The Washington City Paper is a U.S. alternative weekly newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.Founded in 1981, and published for its first year under the masthead 1981, taking the City Paper name in volume 2, by Russ Smith, it shared ownership with the Chicago Reader from 1982...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. He moved to Slate in 2003 where he is currently is a senior editor. He edits the magazine's sports and technology sections.
In addition to writing and editing, he also hosts Slates sports podcast Hang Up and Listen with Stefan Fatsis
Stefan Fatsis
Stefan Fatsis is an author and journalist. He regularly appears as a guest on National Public Radio's All Things Considered daily radio news program and as a panelist on Slate's sports podcast Hang Up and Listen. He is a former staff reporter for The Wall Street Journal.-Biography:Fatsis grew up...
and Mike Pesca
Mike Pesca
Mike Pesca is a Jewish American radio journalist based in New York City. He serves as a National Desk correspondent for National Public Radio , and is a panelist on Slate magazine's weekly sports podcast Hang Up and Listen....
.
The "Shaggy defense" coining
Levin coined the term "Shaggy defense" to describe Contemporary R&BContemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
artist R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
's defense to child pornography charges which stemmed from the release of a sex tape which apparently featured Kelly and an under-age female. Levin wrote, "I predict that in the decades to come, law schools will teach this as the 'Shaggy defense.' You allege that I was caught on camera, butt naked, banging on the log cabin floor? It wasn't me." The term is inspired by the lyrics of the song "It Wasn't Me
It Wasn't Me
"It Wasn't Me" is the first official single from reggae artist Shaggy's multi-platinum studio album Hot Shot, released on February 26, 2001. The song has since been regarded as Shaggy's breakthrough in the pop market, and is his highest charting song to date, topping the charts in Australia,...
" by reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
artist Shaggy
Shaggy (musician)
Orville Richard Burrell , better known by his stage name Shaggy, is a Jamaican-American reggae singer and rapper. He is perhaps best known for his 1995 single "Boombastic" and 2000 single "It Wasn't Me"...
.
Awards
- Association of Alternative NewsweekliesAssociation of Alternative NewsweekliesThe Association of Alternative Newsmedia is a diverse group of covering every major metropolitan area and other less-populated regions of North America. AAN members have a combined weekly circulation of over 6.5 million as well as a print readership of nearly 17 million active, educated and...
' Media Reporting/Criticism Award in 2004 - for article titled "Off Target", co-written with Erik WempleErik WempleErik Wemple is the editor of the alternative weekly Washington City Paper. He was raised in Schenectady, New York and attended Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, graduating in 1986. In 1986-87 Wemple taught and coached sports at Trinity Pawling School, in Pawling, New York. In the fall of...
, published in Washington City PaperWashington City PaperThe Washington City Paper is a U.S. alternative weekly newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.Founded in 1981, and published for its first year under the masthead 1981, taking the City Paper name in volume 2, by Russ Smith, it shared ownership with the Chicago Reader from 1982...
which helped to break the Jayson BlairJayson BlairJayson Blair is an American reporter formerly with The New York Times. He resigned from the newspaper in May 2003 in the wake of the discovery of plagiarism and fabrication in his stories. Since 2007 he has worked as a life coach in the field of mental health.-Background:Blair was born in...
plagiarismPlagiarismPlagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
scandal.