Patrick Tyler
Encyclopedia
Patrick E. Tyler is an author and formerly chief correspondent for the New York Times. He is the author of three books: A World of Trouble: The White House and the Middle East from the Cold War to the War on Terror, A Great Wall: Six Presidents and China
, a history of U.S.-China relations since the 1972 opening by President Richard Nixon, and Running Critical - The Silent War, Rickover and General Dynamics, a history of the U.S. nuclear submarine program under Admiral Hyman G. Rickover.
, graduating in 1974. He edited two weekly newspapers in South Carolina, worked as a reporter for The Charlotte News
and the St. Petersburg Times
, and then joined the Washington Post in 1979. He spent nearly a year hosting Congressional Outlook, a national public affairs television program on the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) that examined issues before Congress. The program was a joint-venture betweenCongressional Quarterly
and WCET-Cincinnati
.
The trial judge's verdict was later reversed by a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia, whose split (2-1) verdict against the newspaper led to an appeal to the full Court of Appeals. The Appellate Court ruled 7-1 in favor of the Post, citing the truthfulness of every major assertion in the Post's article. The Post's case was argued by a team of lawyers under Edward Bennett Williams
. The Appellate Court included then Appellate Court
judges Antonin Scalia
, Ruth Bader Ginsburg
and Kenneth Starr
. Tyler later praised the Post, commenting "I had thought my career was over, and so their determination to take the case all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary was one of the most singular acts of editorial courage...that I had ever witnessed.”
, whose Electric Boat Division took the lead in building the nuclear attack submarine fleet that is critical to U.S. national security.
Tyler continued to write for the Post until 1990, when he left to join the New York Times. While at the Times he wrote his second book, A Great Wall: Six Presidents and China: An Investigative History, which received the Lionel Gelber Prize
in 2000. He has served in various posts at the Times
, including as chief of the Beijing
, Moscow
, Baghdad
and London
news bureau
s. He was promoted to chief correspondent in 2002 by then executive editor Howell Raines, and in 2003 he traveled to Kuwait to prepare and anchor the newspaper's coverage of the invasion of Iraq. After the fall of Saddam Hussein, he established the Times bureau in Iraq. Tyler moved to London in 2004, where he served as bureau chief until he resigned from the newspaper in December of that year to write a diplomatic history of American policy in the Middle East. He signed a contract in 2005 with Farrar, Straus & Giroux to produce A World of Trouble. In 2008, he signed a second contract with the same New York publisher to produce a political biography of Israel's leadership class.
A Great Wall: Six Presidents and China
A Great Wall: Six Presidents and China: An Investigative History is a history of international relations written by journalist Patrick Tyler. The book details high level relations between the United States and China from the Nixon administration to the Clinton Administration...
, a history of U.S.-China relations since the 1972 opening by President Richard Nixon, and Running Critical - The Silent War, Rickover and General Dynamics, a history of the U.S. nuclear submarine program under Admiral Hyman G. Rickover.
Early newspaper and radio experience
Tyler studied physics at the University of Texas in 1969-70 and transferred to journalism at the University of South CarolinaUniversity of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
, graduating in 1974. He edited two weekly newspapers in South Carolina, worked as a reporter for The Charlotte News
The Charlotte News
The Charlotte News was the afternoon newspaper in Charlotte, North Carolina. The newspaper was eventually purchased by its larger rival, The Charlotte Observer but continued to be published until 1985.- See also :* The Charlotte Observer...
and the St. Petersburg Times
St. 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...
, and then joined the Washington Post in 1979. He spent nearly a year hosting Congressional Outlook, a national public affairs television program on the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) that examined issues before Congress. The program was a joint-venture betweenCongressional Quarterly
Congressional Quarterly
Congressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress...
and WCET-Cincinnati
WCET (TV)
WCET is the PBS member public television station serving Cincinnati, Ohio. It broadcasts digitally on channel 34 but is displayed on-screen as channel 48, its former analog and present virtual channel, via the PSIP protocol. Its signal is multiplexed, broadcasting one high-definition channel, CET...
.
Libel suit
While at the Post, he worked under Bob Woodward, then Metropolitan Editor, and in his first year at the newspaper wrote a story critical of William P. Tavoulareas, then president of Mobil Oil Corp, which led to a $50-million libel suit against the newspaper. The story alleged that Tavoulareas and Mobil had not adequately disclosed under the related-party transaction rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission a series of transactions that enriched Tavoulareas' son, Peter, who was a young shipping clerk in London until the dealings of his firm with Mobil made him an overnight millionaire due to the exclusive, no-bid contracts Mobil granted the firm to manage ships under a Mobil-Saudi joint venture. The article suggested that Tavoulareas had been guilty of nepotism and failure to disclose the dealings with his son's firm to shareholders. in installing his son as chairman. Mobil sued the Washington Post and secured a 2 million dollar verdict, which was overturned by the trial judge, who entered a judgment in favor of the Washington Post notwithstanding the verdict.The trial judge's verdict was later reversed by a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia, whose split (2-1) verdict against the newspaper led to an appeal to the full Court of Appeals. The Appellate Court ruled 7-1 in favor of the Post, citing the truthfulness of every major assertion in the Post's article. The Post's case was argued by a team of lawyers under Edward Bennett Williams
Edward Bennett Williams
Edward Bennett Williams was a Washington, D.C. trial attorney who founded the law firm of Williams & Connolly and owned several professional sports teams...
. The Appellate Court included then Appellate Court
Appellate court
An appellate court, commonly called an appeals court or court of appeals or appeal court , is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal...
judges Antonin Scalia
Antonin Scalia
Antonin Gregory Scalia is an American jurist who serves as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. As the longest-serving justice on the Court, Scalia is the Senior Associate Justice...
, Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ruth Joan Bader Ginsburg is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Ginsburg was appointed by President Bill Clinton and took the oath of office on August 10, 1993. She is the second female justice and the first Jewish female justice.She is generally viewed as belonging to...
and Kenneth Starr
Kenneth Starr
Kenneth Winston "Ken" Starr is an American lawyer and educational administrator who has also been a federal judge. He is best known for his investigation of figures during the Clinton administration....
. Tyler later praised the Post, commenting "I had thought my career was over, and so their determination to take the case all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary was one of the most singular acts of editorial courage...that I had ever witnessed.”
Transition to the New York Times
In 1986, he published his first book, Running Critical, an expose of the massive cost-overruns that afflicted the building of the Los Angeles class nuclear attack submarine fleet. Tyler conducted extensive interviews with Admiral Rickover and other senior U.S. military officers, as well as the top executives of General DynamicsGeneral Dynamics
General Dynamics Corporation is a U.S. defense conglomerate formed by mergers and divestitures, and as of 2008 it is the fifth largest defense contractor in the world. Its headquarters are in West Falls Church , unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Falls Church area.The company has...
, whose Electric Boat Division took the lead in building the nuclear attack submarine fleet that is critical to U.S. national security.
Tyler continued to write for the Post until 1990, when he left to join the New York Times. While at the Times he wrote his second book, A Great Wall: Six Presidents and China: An Investigative History, which received the Lionel Gelber Prize
Lionel Gelber Prize
The Lionel Gelber Prize was founded in 1989 by Canadian diplomat Lionel Gelber. The prize is a literary award for the world’s best non-fiction book in English on foreign affairs that seeks to deepen public debate on significant international issues. A prize of $15,000 is awarded to the winner...
in 2000. He has served in various posts at the Times
Times
The Times is a UK daily newspaper, the original English language newspaper titled "Times". Times may also refer to:In newspapers:*The Times , went defunct in 2005*The Times *The Times of Northwest Indiana...
, including as chief of the Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
news bureau
News bureau
A News bureau is an office for gathering or distributing news. Similar terms are used for specialized bureaus, often to indicate geographic location or scope of coverage: a ‘Tokyo bureau’ refers to a given news operation's office in Tokyo; foreign bureau is a generic term for a news office set up...
s. He was promoted to chief correspondent in 2002 by then executive editor Howell Raines, and in 2003 he traveled to Kuwait to prepare and anchor the newspaper's coverage of the invasion of Iraq. After the fall of Saddam Hussein, he established the Times bureau in Iraq. Tyler moved to London in 2004, where he served as bureau chief until he resigned from the newspaper in December of that year to write a diplomatic history of American policy in the Middle East. He signed a contract in 2005 with Farrar, Straus & Giroux to produce A World of Trouble. In 2008, he signed a second contract with the same New York publisher to produce a political biography of Israel's leadership class.