Jump to content

Craig Whitlock

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Craig Whitlock
Craig Whitlock (2015)
Born
Craig Michael Whitlock

(1968-03-26) March 26, 1968 (age 56)
Ithaca, New York, U.S.
Alma materDuke University
OccupationJournalist
Known forThe Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War
Spouse
​
(m. 1996)​

Craig Michael Whitlock (born March 26, 1968) is an American journalist working for The Washington Post, where he is responsible for covering the Pentagon and national security.

In 2021, he published his first book, The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War. The work debuted at number one on The New York Times nonfiction best-seller list.

Early life and education

[edit]

Craig Michael Whitlock[1] was born in Ithaca, New York.[2] He is the son of Dr. Robert Whitlock, a professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.[1] He was raised in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.[3] In 1986, he graduated from Unionville High School, where he was editor of the school newspaper The Indian Post[4] (now known as the Unionville Post). He received a bachelor's degree in history from Duke University,[3] where he was editor of student paper The Chronicle.[2]

Career

[edit]

Prior to joining The Washington Post, Whitlock worked for seven years as a reporter for The News & Observer of Raleigh, North Carolina.[1][3] He was also briefly a staff writer for The Anniston Star of Anniston, Alabama.[3] He is a journalist for The Washington Post and is assigned to the Investigative Desk, where he covers national security. He has worked as a staff writer for the Post since 1998,[3] and covered the Maryland Statehouse in Annapolis[5] and the Prince George's County police department.[6] From 2010 until 2016, he reported on the Pentagon for the National Desk. For almost six years, Whitlock served as the paper's Berlin bureau chief and covered terrorism networks in Europe, South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. He has reported from over 60 countries.[3]

Whitlock is also known for writing the Afghanistan Papers, a book containing a series of interviews conducted by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction covering information about the reconstruction effort in Afghanistan. The coverage focused on the difference between public and private statements voiced by U.S. government officials about the progress and success of the overall war effort. Public statements about the war in Afghanistan usually portrayed a more positive picture than statements reflected in those interviews.[7]

In August 2021, Whitlock published his debut book, The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War.[8][9] Shortly before its publication, Whitlock discussed Afghanistan in an appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher.[10] The book debuted at number one on The New York Times nonfiction best-seller list for the week ending September 4, 2021.[11] The book was also included in the Wall Street Journal best-selling books list.[12] The book was reviewed by Kirkus Reviews,[13] New York,[14] The Guardian,[15] and The Sunday Times.[16] It was selected for The Washington Post's "10 Best Books of 2021" list.[17]

Personal life

[edit]

In 1996, he married journalist Jennifer Toth.[1] They have a son and live in Silver Spring, Maryland.[3]

Awards and honors

[edit]

He was awarded the German Marshall Fund's 2005 Peter R. Weitz senior prize for his coverage of international terrorist networks. He is also a three-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize,[3] most recently in 2013 for national reporting on counterterrorism, and received the National Press Club's Michael A. Dornheim Award - along with Nate Jones - in 2023.[18]

Bibliography

[edit]
  • The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War. New York: Simon & Schuster. August 31, 2021. ISBN 978-1-9821-5900-9.[19]
  • Fat Leonard: How One Man Bribed, Bilked, and Seduced the U.S. Navy. New York: Simon & Schuster. May 14, 2024. ISBN 978-1-9821-3163-0.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d "WEDDINGS;Jennifer Toth, Craig Whitlock". The New York Times. June 30, 1996. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Duke alum and reporter Craig Whitlock honored for exceptional work in journalism". DeWitt Wallace Center for Media & Democracy. April 5, 2017. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Monuts Friday: Alumni Edition with Craig Whitlock". DeWitt Wallace Center for Media & Democracy. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  4. ^ "Underground edition of Indian Posts earns editors a trip to DC". Daily Local. August 16, 2011. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  5. ^ Montgomery, Lori; Whitlock, Craig (January 21, 2004). "Md. Governor Ready To Try, Try Again". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  6. ^ Whitlock, Craig; Fallis, David S. (July 2, 2001). "Police Routinely Clear Their Own". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  7. ^ At War With the Truth, Washington Post, Craig Whitlock, December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  8. ^ Ashford, Emma (August 20, 2021). "Buried doubts and public deceptions in the Afghan war". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  9. ^ Rosen, Jacob (August 20, 2021). "Washington Post reporter Craig Whitlock discusses Afghanistan withdrawal on "The Takeout"". CBS News. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  10. ^ Patten, Dominic (August 27, 2021). "Bill Maher Mocks Joe Biden's Afghanistan Withdrawal After Fatal Kabul Airport Attack; "We Did This Completely Ass-Backwards"". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  11. ^ "Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction - Best Sellers - Books". The New York Times. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  12. ^ "Bestselling Books Week Ended September 4". The Wall Street Journal. September 9, 2021. Archived from the original on September 12, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  13. ^ "The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War by Craig Whitlock". Kirkus Reviews. June 5, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  14. ^ Jacobs, Ben (August 25, 2021). "The Shocking New Book That Exposes U.S. Lies About Afghanistan". New York. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  15. ^ Borger, Julian (September 5, 2021). "The Afghanistan Papers review: superb exposé of a war built on lies". The Guardian. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  16. ^ Hastings, Max (September 3, 2021). "The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War by Craig Whitlock review — a catalogue of American failures". The Times. Archived from the original on September 3, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  17. ^ "The 10 Best Books of 2021". The Washington Post. November 18, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  18. ^ Helster, Kate. "Wall Street Journal, ABC News and PBS NewsHour Win National Press Club Awards". PR Newswire (Press release). National Press Club. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  19. ^ The Afghanistan Papers. ISBN 978-1-7971-3152-8. Retrieved August 30, 2021. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Craig Whitlock.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Craig_Whitlock&oldid=1230281989"