Spencer Ackerman
Encyclopedia
Spencer Ackerman is an American national security reporter and blogger. He began his career at The New Republic
and currently writes for Wired
magazine's national security blog, Danger Room.
Ackerman graduated from Rutgers University
where he was an editor for the Daily Targum student paper. In 2002, he moved to Washington D.C. to become an intern and later an associate editor at The New Republic
magazine. He initially supported the Iraq War, but became disillusioned and in 2004 started a blog on The New Republic website called Iraq'd which chronicled the dilemma of pro-war liberals. He also wrote, with John B. Judis
, an article that started the chain of events that led to the Plame affair
.
In 2006 Ackerman was fired from TNR for "insubordination" (in TNR editor Franklin Foer
's account) or "irreconciliable ideological differences" (in Ackerman's). He subsequently wrote for The American Prospect
(which offered him a job within a day of his firing) and Talking Points Memo
. Ackerman blogged and reported on national security issues at the Washington Independent from the paper's creation in 2008 until 2010, when he left for Wired.
Ackerman also maintains a personal blog, Attackerman, which was hosted at Firedoglake
from June 2008 through December 2010. On 29 December 2010, he reported that it was necessary for him to relocate, saying, "the congressional press galleries are wary of giving me permanent credentials while I’m affiliated here." In September 2011, Ackerman reported a series of articles for Wired alleging anti-Islamic bias in FBI training materials. As a result, the FBI launched "a comprehensive review of all training and reference materials that relate in any way to religion or culture."
Ackerman is a fan of comic books and hardcore punk
music. He has appeared on CNN
, MSNBC
, Fox News, Democracy Now!
, Al Jazeera
and BloggingHeads.tv
.
Ackerman worked as a consultant on the 2009 satirical film In the Loop
.
. Describing it as a "painful" decision, Foer attributed the firing to Ackerman's "insubordination": disparaging the magazine on his personal blog Too Hot For TNR, saying that he would "skullfuck" a terrorist's corpse at an editorial meeting if that was required to "establish his anti-terrorist bona fides" and sending Foer an e-mail where he said—in what according to Ackerman was intended to be a joke—he would “make a niche in [his] skull” with a baseball bat.
Ackerman, by contrast, argued that the dismissal was due to “irreconcilable ideological differences”. He believed that his leftward drift as a result of the Iraq War and the actions of the Bush administration was not appreciated by the senior editorial staff. Ackerman reports having no regrets over anything he wrote or said but in retrospect believes that he should have quit well before he was fired. http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/studentwork/nyrm/hendler_well.html
. Following revelations by The Daily Caller
of comments on the list, Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel was forced to resign. "Incendiary" JournoList comments by Ackerman on topics like the Jeremiah Wright controversy
were also revealed by the Caller, but a spokesman for Wired said that Ackerman would keep his job, saying "We hired Spencer Ackerman for his well-informed national security reporting and fully support it. Anyone with access to Google can discover his political leanings."
Ann Coulter
criticized Ackerman for suggesting that opponents of conservatives 'start randomly picking conservatives -- "Fred Barnes, Karl Rove, who cares -- and call them racists."'
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
and currently writes for Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
magazine's national security blog, Danger Room.
Ackerman graduated from Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
where he was an editor for the Daily Targum student paper. In 2002, he moved to Washington D.C. to become an intern and later an associate editor at The New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
magazine. He initially supported the Iraq War, but became disillusioned and in 2004 started a blog on The New Republic website called Iraq'd which chronicled the dilemma of pro-war liberals. He also wrote, with John B. Judis
John Judis
John B. Judis is an American journalist. He received B.A. and M.A. degrees in Philosophy from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a senior editor at The New Republic and a contributing editor to The American Prospect....
, an article that started the chain of events that led to the Plame affair
Plame affair
The Plame Affair involved the identification of Valerie Plame Wilson as a covert Central Intelligence Agency officer. Mrs. Wilson's relationship with the CIA was formerly classified information...
.
In 2006 Ackerman was fired from TNR for "insubordination" (in TNR editor Franklin Foer
Franklin Foer
Franklin Foer is an American journalist and editor-at-large for The New Republic. Foer is a 2012 Bernard L. Schwartz fellow at the New America Foundation as of Sept...
's account) or "irreconciliable ideological differences" (in Ackerman's). He subsequently wrote for The American Prospect
The American Prospect
The American Prospect is a monthly American political magazine dedicated to American liberalism. Based in Washington, DC, The American Prospect is a journal "of liberal ideas, committed to a just society, an enriched democracy, and effective liberal politics" which focuses on United States politics...
(which offered him a job within a day of his firing) and Talking Points Memo
Talking Points Memo
Talking Points Memo is a web-based political journalism organization created and run by Josh Marshall, journalist and historian covering issues from a "politically left perspective,". It debuted on November 12, 2000...
. Ackerman blogged and reported on national security issues at the Washington Independent from the paper's creation in 2008 until 2010, when he left for Wired.
Ackerman also maintains a personal blog, Attackerman, which was hosted at Firedoglake
Firedoglake
Firedoglake is a US collaborative blog which primarily specialises in covering news from a left-progressive/left-liberal stance...
from June 2008 through December 2010. On 29 December 2010, he reported that it was necessary for him to relocate, saying, "the congressional press galleries are wary of giving me permanent credentials while I’m affiliated here." In September 2011, Ackerman reported a series of articles for Wired alleging anti-Islamic bias in FBI training materials. As a result, the FBI launched "a comprehensive review of all training and reference materials that relate in any way to religion or culture."
Ackerman is a fan of comic books and hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
music. He has appeared 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...
, MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
, Fox News, Democracy Now!
Democracy Now!
Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...
, Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
and BloggingHeads.tv
Bloggingheads.tv
Bloggingheads.tv is a political, world events, philosophy, and science video blog discussion site in which the participants take part in an active back and forth conversation via webcam which is then broadcast online to viewers...
.
Ackerman worked as a consultant on the 2009 satirical film In the Loop
In the Loop (film)
In the Loop is a 2009 British satirical black comedy film directed by Armando Iannucci. It is based on the BBC Television series The Thick of It satirising Anglo-American politics in the 21st century and the Invasion of Iraq...
.
Firing from The New Republic
In October 2006 he was fired by The New Republic Editor Franklin FoerFranklin Foer
Franklin Foer is an American journalist and editor-at-large for The New Republic. Foer is a 2012 Bernard L. Schwartz fellow at the New America Foundation as of Sept...
. Describing it as a "painful" decision, Foer attributed the firing to Ackerman's "insubordination": disparaging the magazine on his personal blog Too Hot For TNR, saying that he would "skullfuck" a terrorist's corpse at an editorial meeting if that was required to "establish his anti-terrorist bona fides" and sending Foer an e-mail where he said—in what according to Ackerman was intended to be a joke—he would “make a niche in [his] skull” with a baseball bat.
Ackerman, by contrast, argued that the dismissal was due to “irreconcilable ideological differences”. He believed that his leftward drift as a result of the Iraq War and the actions of the Bush administration was not appreciated by the senior editorial staff. Ackerman reports having no regrets over anything he wrote or said but in retrospect believes that he should have quit well before he was fired. http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/studentwork/nyrm/hendler_well.html
JournoList
Ackerman was a member of the private Google Groups forum JournoListJournoList
JournoList was a private Google Groups forum for discussing politics and the news media with 400 "left-leaning"...
. Following revelations by The Daily Caller
The Daily Caller
The Daily Caller is a news website based in Washington, D.C., United States, with a focus on politics, original reporting and breaking news, founded by journalist and political pundit Tucker Carlson and Neil Patel, former adviser to former Vice President Dick Cheney...
of comments on the list, Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel was forced to resign. "Incendiary" JournoList comments by Ackerman on topics like the Jeremiah Wright controversy
Jeremiah Wright controversy
The Jeremiah Wright controversy is an American political issue that gained national attention in March 2008 when ABC News, after reviewing dozens of U.S. 2008 Presidential Election candidate Barack Obama's pastor Jeremiah Wright's sermons, excerpted parts which were subject to intense media scrutiny...
were also revealed by the Caller, but a spokesman for Wired said that Ackerman would keep his job, saying "We hired Spencer Ackerman for his well-informed national security reporting and fully support it. Anyone with access to Google can discover his political leanings."
Ann Coulter
Ann Coulter
Ann Hart Coulter is an American lawyer, conservative social and political commentator, author, and syndicated columnist. She frequently appears on television, radio, and as a speaker at public events and private events...
criticized Ackerman for suggesting that opponents of conservatives 'start randomly picking conservatives -- "Fred Barnes, Karl Rove, who cares -- and call them racists."'
External links
- Danger Room - Ackerman's national security blog at WiredWired (magazine)Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
- Attackerman - Ackerman's personal blog
- Attackerman - Ackerman's personal blog, at FiredoglakeFiredoglakeFiredoglake is a US collaborative blog which primarily specialises in covering news from a left-progressive/left-liberal stance...
, from 2008 to 2010 - Too Hot For TNR – Ackerman's personal blog from 2006 to 2008
- List of video conversations with Ackerman on BloggingHeads.tvBloggingheads.tvBloggingheads.tv is a political, world events, philosophy, and science video blog discussion site in which the participants take part in an active back and forth conversation via webcam which is then broadcast online to viewers...
- Articles by Ackerman at The New Republic
- Articles by Ackerman at The American Prospect
- Killing the Messenger by Ackerman in SalonSalon.comSalon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
, November 16, 2004 - Q&A: Spencer Ackerman 2009 interview with Ackerman at Columbia Journalism ReviewColumbia Journalism ReviewThe Columbia Journalism Review is an American magazine for professional journalists published bimonthly by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961....