Steven Long
Encyclopedia
Steven Hayward Long from Houston, Texas, is an American journalist
, magazine publisher and nonfiction author of three true crime books. He's worked the three roles simultaneously, covering a variety of news events for magazines and newspapers while editing the monthly Horseback Magazine and researching books.
after his hometown paper published an article about his troop.
, Texas Lutheran College and Sam Houston State University
. Working as a weekend reporter in the early 1960s for Galveston's KGBC, Long covered the arrival of President John F. Kennedy
to Houston's Hobby Airport on the day before Kennedy's assassination the next day in Dallas. He also read the AP bulletin live announcing the shooting of Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald
. Long spent four years at Galveston's KILE radio as an advertising sales associate while also reading the news and coordinating a weekly high school sports program during football season.
and then launched a career as a freelancer, covering a number of high-profile Texas cases for national publications. While at the Chronicle, he several investigative reports, including exposing the dealings of the late Houston adoption attorney Leslie Thacker, who was convicted for buying and selling so-called drug-addicted crack babies in several Texas county jails. Long also wrote a series of articles about the indictment and conviction of the head librarian at the University of Texas Medical Branch
for stealing rare and historic medical texts, some dating to the 16th Century. Also while at the Chronicle, he contributed articles raising questions about the use of state prison inmates for training medical residents in cosmetic surgery.
As a freelance contract correspondent, Long was assigned by The New York Post to cover several high-profile Texas criminal cases as they unfolded in the late 1990s. They included the case of Andrea Yates
, convicted for drowning her five children in 2001, and the investigation into the fall of Enron Corporation. He also covered the complex Enron-related trial of former accounting firm Arthur Andersen
for Agence France Press and Crain's Chicago Business. His knowledge of the issues in these cases led to appearances as an interview subject on several television news magazine programs, including "Inside Edition
," the CBS Early Show, "Catherine Crier Live"
In addition, Long appeared on the E! Network's "Women Who Kill" series. He served as a consultant for the Dateline NBC
series on its story about controversial New York City financier Robert Durst
. He also served as a courtroom analyst and special correspondent with CNBC
for its gavel-to-gavel coverage of the criminal trial of former Enron executives Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling
, appearing to update that case for viewers of CNBC's Squawk Box
and Power Lunch
programs as well as the NBC Nightly News
with Brian Williams
.
Press. That book won a 1987 Gavel Award from the State Bar of Texas
for distinguished journalism.
Out of Control, released in 2004 by St. Martin's True Crime Library, recounts the much-publicized story of Houston-area dentist Clara Harris, convicted in the 2002 murder of David Lynn Harris
, her dentist husband, by running him down with her car outside a local hotel where she had caught him engaged in an extra-marital affair.
Every Woman's Nightmare: The Fairytale Marriage and Brutal Murder of Lori Hacking in 2006, published by St. Martin's Paperbacks, covers the Utah murder of housewife Lori Hacking
, whose body was left in a city dump. The investigation ultimately led to charges against her husband, Mark, accused of murdering her while she slept because she had exposed his lies to her about acceptance into medical school. Long's book triggered opposition from members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Long's experience as a true crime author also has made him a frequent contributor to the now-closed online true crime blog In Cold Blog.
He also was given an award from the American Quarter Horse Association
for his 2003 article "Hoofbeats on Hollow Ground," published in Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine. Besides publishing the monthly Horseback Magazine, Long also oversees development of Horseback Online, which includes a breaking-news page about the horse industry. Long also has served as vice president of the Greater Houston Horse Council.
He appeared in Saving America's Horse: , a documentary about the controversial years'-long roundup of mustangs on federal land in the Southwest part of the country
In the summer of 2010, Long sat down with actor Tony Curtis
, a horse lover whose wife Jill runs a rescue center, for an article in Cowboys & Indians magazine. It turned out to be Curtis's final interview before his September 29, 2010, death.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, magazine publisher and nonfiction author of three true crime books. He's worked the three roles simultaneously, covering a variety of news events for magazines and newspapers while editing the monthly Horseback Magazine and researching books.
Early years
Steven Long was born in Galveston one of five children to a rice farmer and his wife. At 11 years old, he won his first journalism award with a merit badge from the Boy ScoutsBoy Scouts
A Boy Scout is a member of a Scouting organization. There are thousands of national Scouting organizations or federations; these are grouped into six international Scouting associations with some non-aligned organizations....
after his hometown paper published an article about his troop.
Radio career
He began his journalism career as a radio reporter after attending Alvin Community CollegeAlvin Community College
Alvin Community College is a community college in Brazoria County in the U.S. state of Texas. Alvin Community College provides educational opportunities in workforce training, academics, technical fields, adult basic education, and personal development.As defined by the Texas Legislature, the...
, Texas Lutheran College and Sam Houston State University
Sam Houston State University
Sam Houston State University was founded in 1879 and is the third oldest public institution of higher learning in the State of Texas. It is located in Huntsville, Texas. It is one of the oldest purpose-built institutions for the instruction of teachers west of the Mississippi River and the first...
. Working as a weekend reporter in the early 1960s for Galveston's KGBC, Long covered the arrival of President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
to Houston's Hobby Airport on the day before Kennedy's assassination the next day in Dallas. He also read the AP bulletin live announcing the shooting of Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald was, according to four government investigations,These were investigations by: the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the Warren Commission , the House Select Committee on Assassinations , and the Dallas Police Department. the sniper who assassinated John F...
. Long spent four years at Galveston's KILE radio as an advertising sales associate while also reading the news and coordinating a weekly high school sports program during football season.
Publisher
During the course of his journalism career, Long has worked on the entrepreneurial side of the business twice. From 1977 until '88 he owned and published the Galveston alternative weekly newspaper In Between. Since 2004, he has worked with his wife, Vicki, to publish the monthly Horseback Magazine, formerly known as Texas Horse Talk.Newspaper and broadcast journalist
After closing In Between in 1988, Long spent six years as a features writer for the Houston ChronicleHouston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
and then launched a career as a freelancer, covering a number of high-profile Texas cases for national publications. While at the Chronicle, he several investigative reports, including exposing the dealings of the late Houston adoption attorney Leslie Thacker, who was convicted for buying and selling so-called drug-addicted crack babies in several Texas county jails. Long also wrote a series of articles about the indictment and conviction of the head librarian at the University of Texas Medical Branch
University of Texas Medical Branch
The University of Texas Medical Branch is a component of the University of Texas System located in Galveston, Texas, United States, about 50 miles southeast of Downtown Houston...
for stealing rare and historic medical texts, some dating to the 16th Century. Also while at the Chronicle, he contributed articles raising questions about the use of state prison inmates for training medical residents in cosmetic surgery.
As a freelance contract correspondent, Long was assigned by The New York Post to cover several high-profile Texas criminal cases as they unfolded in the late 1990s. They included the case of Andrea Yates
Andrea Yates
Andrea Yates is a former Houston, Texas resident who killed her five children on June 20, 2001 by drowning them in the bathtub in her house. She had been suffering for some time with very severe postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis...
, convicted for drowning her five children in 2001, and the investigation into the fall of Enron Corporation. He also covered the complex Enron-related trial of former accounting firm Arthur Andersen
Arthur Andersen
Arthur Andersen LLP, based in Chicago, was once one of the "Big Five" accounting firms among PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young and KPMG, providing auditing, tax, and consulting services to large corporations...
for Agence France Press and Crain's Chicago Business. His knowledge of the issues in these cases led to appearances as an interview subject on several television news magazine programs, including "Inside Edition
Inside Edition
Inside Edition is a thirty-minute American television syndicated news program, first aired on CBS on October 9, 1988. It was originally similar to the programs Hard Copy and A Current Affair, but now more closely resembles a condensed version of breakfast television, exclusively with pre-recorded...
," the CBS Early Show, "Catherine Crier Live"
In addition, Long appeared on the E! Network's "Women Who Kill" series. He served as a consultant for the Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
series on its story about controversial New York City financier Robert Durst
Robert Durst
Robert Alan "Bobby" Durst is a son of the late New York real estate mogul Seymour Durst, and brother of commercial developer Douglas Durst.-Early life:...
. He also served as a courtroom analyst and special correspondent with CNBC
CNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
for its gavel-to-gavel coverage of the criminal trial of former Enron executives Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling
Jeffrey Skilling
Jeffrey Keith "Jeff" Skilling is the former president of Enron Corporation, headquartered in Houston, Texas. In 2006 he was convicted of multiple federal felony charges relating to Enron's financial collapse, and is currently serving a 24-year, four-month prison sentence at the Federal...
, appearing to update that case for viewers of CNBC's Squawk Box
Squawk Box
Squawk Box is a business news television program which airs at breakfast time on the CNBC network. The program is currently co-hosted by Joe Kernen, Rebecca Quick and Andrew Ross Sorkin. Since debuting in 1995, the show has spawned a number of versions across CNBC's international channels, many of...
and Power Lunch
Power Lunch
Power Lunch is a television business news program on CNBC, airing between 1:00pm and 2:00pm Eastern Time. It is presented by Tyler Mathisen, Sue Herera, and Michelle Caruso-Cabrera. Simon Hobbs will fill in on occasion. Bill Griffeth anchored the program alone from 1996 to 2002...
programs as well as the NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News is the flagship daily evening television news program for NBC News and broadcasts. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is located in the center...
with Brian Williams
Brian Williams
Brian Douglas Williams is the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News, the evening news program of the NBC television network, a position he assumed in 2004...
.
True crime author
Long published his first true crime book in 1987, turning an investigation on nursing home irregularities into Death Without Dignity: The Story of the First Nursing Home Corporation Indicted for Murder for Texas MonthlyTexas Monthly
Texas Monthly is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Austin, Texas. Texas Monthly is published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. and was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, Texas Monthly chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the environment, industry, and education...
Press. That book won a 1987 Gavel Award from the State Bar of Texas
State Bar of Texas
The State Bar of Texas is an agency of the judiciary under the administrative control of the Texas Supreme Court. The Texas Bar is responsible for assisting the Texas Supreme Court in overseeing all attorneys licensed to practice law in Texas...
for distinguished journalism.
Out of Control, released in 2004 by St. Martin's True Crime Library, recounts the much-publicized story of Houston-area dentist Clara Harris, convicted in the 2002 murder of David Lynn Harris
Murder of David Lynn Harris
-Background:David Lynn Harris was an orthodontist who owned a chain of orthodontist offices along with his wife, Clara Harris. The chain was particularly successful, and the couple were able to afford an upscale home in Friendswood, Texas and luxury cars, including Clara's Mercedes-Benz...
, her dentist husband, by running him down with her car outside a local hotel where she had caught him engaged in an extra-marital affair.
Every Woman's Nightmare: The Fairytale Marriage and Brutal Murder of Lori Hacking in 2006, published by St. Martin's Paperbacks, covers the Utah murder of housewife Lori Hacking
Lori Hacking
Lori Kay Soares Hacking was a Salt Lake City, Utah, woman who was killed by her husband, Mark Hacking, in 2004. She was reported missing by her husband, and the search earned national attention before her husband confessed to the crime.-Biography:Lori was the adopted daughter of Thelma and Herald...
, whose body was left in a city dump. The investigation ultimately led to charges against her husband, Mark, accused of murdering her while she slept because she had exposed his lies to her about acceptance into medical school. Long's book triggered opposition from members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Long's experience as a true crime author also has made him a frequent contributor to the now-closed online true crime blog In Cold Blog.
Horses and journalism
As a crusader for horses who has publicly opposed slaughter, Long has appeared with his adopted horse, Facade, on the Animal Cops: Houston cable-TV series while also working to publish Horseback Magazine and contributing articles to Western Horseman magazine. An article he wrote about the slaughter of healthy horses appeared in "New England Equine Rescues" publication.He also was given an award from the American Quarter Horse Association
American Quarter Horse Association
The American Quarter Horse Association , based in Amarillo, Texas, is an international organization dedicated to the preservation, improvement and record-keeping of the American Quarter Horse. The association sanctions many competitive events and maintains the official registry...
for his 2003 article "Hoofbeats on Hollow Ground," published in Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine. Besides publishing the monthly Horseback Magazine, Long also oversees development of Horseback Online, which includes a breaking-news page about the horse industry. Long also has served as vice president of the Greater Houston Horse Council.
He appeared in Saving America's Horse: , a documentary about the controversial years'-long roundup of mustangs on federal land in the Southwest part of the country
In the summer of 2010, Long sat down with actor Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama...
, a horse lover whose wife Jill runs a rescue center, for an article in Cowboys & Indians magazine. It turned out to be Curtis's final interview before his September 29, 2010, death.