Raymond Bonner
Encyclopedia
Raymond Bonner has been an investigative reporter and foreign correspondent for The New York Times
and the International Herald Tribune
. He has also been a staff writer at The New Yorker
and contributed to The New York Review of Books
. His forthcoming book, Anatomy of Injustice: A Murder Case Gone Wrong, will be published by Knopf in February 2012.
and earned a J.D. degree from Stanford University Law School in 1967. In 1968 he joined the U.S. Marine Corps, and was honorably discharged with the rank of captain in 1971. Before taking up journalism, Bonner worked as a staff attorney with Ralph Nader
's Public Citizen Litigation Group, as the director of the West Coast office of Consumers Union
, and as director of the consumer fraud/white collar crime unit of the San Francisco District Attorney's office.
of The Washington Post
) who broke the story of the El Mozote massacre
, in which some 900 villagers at El Mozote
, El Salvador
, were slaughtered by the Salvadoran army in December 1981. A Times staff reporter at the time, Bonner was smuggled by FMLN rebels to visit the site approximately a month after the massacre took place.
When the story broke simultaneously in the Post and Times on January 27, 1982, it was dismissed as propaganda by the Reagan
administration, as it seriously undermined efforts by the US government to bolster the human rights image of the Salvadoran government, which the US was supporting with large amounts of military aid.
The Times was strongly criticized by the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal, by Accuracy In Media
and by the Reagan government for reporting the story of the massacre. The Times was pressured to pull Bonner from the Central American Desk. The then managing editor Abe Rosenthal
moved Bonner to the Business Desk and Bonner resigned soon afterward. He continued to contribute as a freelance correspondent and returned to the staff of the Times in 1992 after details of the massacre were verified when a United Nations forensic team excavated the site and found hundreds of skeletons, including many tiny ones, and the reality of the El Mozote massacre was confirmed.
He has since written on contract for the New York Times, covering the Rwanda genocide, Bosnia, and the two terrorist bombings in Bali. He was also a staff writer at The New Yorker from 1988–1992, writing from Peru, Sudan, Indonesia, Kuwait, and Kurdistan. From 1988 until 2007 Bonner lived in Nairobi, and then Warsaw, Vienna, and Jakarta. Since 2007, he has written book reviews, principally about international security, for The New York Times, The Economist, The Australian, The National Interest and The Guardian.
In 2008 it emerged, in an article in the Washington Post, that Bonner had been one of four journalists whose telephone call records had been illegally obtained by the FBI between 2002 and 2006. During that time Bonner had been based in Jakarta, filing reports on detainee abuse and illegal surveillance.
, who is also a New York Times journalist.
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...
and the International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
. He has also been a staff writer at The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
and contributed to The New York Review of Books
The New York Review of Books
The New York Review of Books is a fortnightly magazine with articles on literature, culture and current affairs. Published in New York City, it takes as its point of departure that the discussion of important books is itself an indispensable literary activity...
. His forthcoming book, Anatomy of Injustice: A Murder Case Gone Wrong, will be published by Knopf in February 2012.
Early life
Bonner graduated from MacMurray CollegeMacMurray College
MacMurray College is a career-directed liberal arts college located in Jacksonville, Illinois. Its enrollment in fall 2011 was 548. It is from Springfield and from Chicago....
and earned a J.D. degree from Stanford University Law School in 1967. In 1968 he joined the U.S. Marine Corps, and was honorably discharged with the rank of captain in 1971. Before taking up journalism, Bonner worked as a staff attorney with Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader is an American political activist, as well as an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government....
's Public Citizen Litigation Group, as the director of the West Coast office of Consumers Union
Consumers Union
Consumers Union is a non-profit organization best known as the publisher of Consumer Reports, based in the United States. Its mission is to "test products, inform the public, and protect consumers."...
, and as director of the consumer fraud/white collar crime unit of the San Francisco District Attorney's office.
Career
Bonner is best known as one of two journalists (the other was Alma GuillermoprietoAlma Guillermoprieto
Alma Guillermoprieto is a Mexican journalist who has written extensively about Latin America for the British and American press. Her writings have also been widely disseminated within the Spanish-speaking world.-Life:...
of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
) who broke the story of the El Mozote massacre
El Mozote massacre
The El Mozote Massacre took place in and around the village of El Mozote, in Morazán department, El Salvador, on December 11, 1981, when Salvadoran armed forces trained by the United States military killed at least 200 and up to 1000 civilians in an anti-guerrilla campaign during the Salvadoran...
, in which some 900 villagers at El Mozote
El Mozote
El Mozote is a village in the Morazán department in El Salvador. It was the site of the El Mozote massacre during the civil war in December 1981 when nearly 1,000 civilians were killed by the US-trained Atlacatl Battalion, backed by the Salvadoran government....
, El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, were slaughtered by the Salvadoran army in December 1981. A Times staff reporter at the time, Bonner was smuggled by FMLN rebels to visit the site approximately a month after the massacre took place.
When the story broke simultaneously in the Post and Times on January 27, 1982, it was dismissed as propaganda by the Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
administration, as it seriously undermined efforts by the US government to bolster the human rights image of the Salvadoran government, which the US was supporting with large amounts of military aid.
The Times was strongly criticized by the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal, by Accuracy In Media
Accuracy in Media
Accuracy In Media is an American, non-profit news media watchdog founded in 1969 by economist Reed Irvine. AIM describes itself as "a non-profit, grassroots citizens watchdog of the news media that critiques botched and bungled news stories and sets the record straight on important issues that...
and by the Reagan government for reporting the story of the massacre. The Times was pressured to pull Bonner from the Central American Desk. The then managing editor Abe Rosenthal
A. M. Rosenthal
Abraham Michael "A.M." Rosenthal , born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, was a New York Times executive editor and columnist and New York Daily News columnist . He joined the New York Times in 1943 and worked for the Times for 56 years - from 1943 to 1999...
moved Bonner to the Business Desk and Bonner resigned soon afterward. He continued to contribute as a freelance correspondent and returned to the staff of the Times in 1992 after details of the massacre were verified when a United Nations forensic team excavated the site and found hundreds of skeletons, including many tiny ones, and the reality of the El Mozote massacre was confirmed.
He has since written on contract for the New York Times, covering the Rwanda genocide, Bosnia, and the two terrorist bombings in Bali. He was also a staff writer at The New Yorker from 1988–1992, writing from Peru, Sudan, Indonesia, Kuwait, and Kurdistan. From 1988 until 2007 Bonner lived in Nairobi, and then Warsaw, Vienna, and Jakarta. Since 2007, he has written book reviews, principally about international security, for The New York Times, The Economist, The Australian, The National Interest and The Guardian.
In 2008 it emerged, in an article in the Washington Post, that Bonner had been one of four journalists whose telephone call records had been illegally obtained by the FBI between 2002 and 2006. During that time Bonner had been based in Jakarta, filing reports on detainee abuse and illegal surveillance.
Personal
Bonner currently lives in London. He is married to Jane PerlezJane Perlez
Jane Perlez is an Australian born journalist who has been The New York Times correspondent in Africa, Eastern Europe and Indonesia. She is currently reporting from Pakistan....
, who is also a New York Times journalist.
Awards
- Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, 1985, for "Weakness and Deceit: U.S. Policy and El Salvador".
- Overseas Press Club Award, 1994, for coverage of Rwanda.
- Louis M. Lyons Award for Conscience and Integrity in Journalism, by the Nieman Foundation Fellows, in 1996. “In his work in Central America, the Philippines, Central Europe and Africa, Bonner has demonstrated a passionate, principled journalism,” the citation reads.
- He was nominated for the Pulitzer PrizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
by The New York Times in 2001, along with Sara Rimer, for their coverage of the death penalty.
Publications
- Weakness and Deceit: U.S. Policy and El Salvador. New York: Times Books, 1984. ISBN 0812911083 ISBN 978-0812911084 (Winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award)
- Waltzing with a Dictator: The Marcoses and the Making of American Policy. New York: Times Books, 1987. ISBN 0812913264 ISBN 978-0812913262 (winner of Overseas Press Club, and Sidney Hillman Foundation awards for best book on foreign affairs)
- At the Hand of Man: Peril and Hope for Africa's Wildlife. New York: Knopf, 1993. ISBN 0679400087 ISBN 978-0679400080 http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1316/is_n5_v25/ai_13786334, http://www.naiaonline.org/articles/archives/campfir1.htm
- Anatomy of Injustice: A Murder Case Gone Wrong. New York: Knopf, 2012. ISBN 0307700216 ISBN 978-0307700216