Jamil Smith (journalist) explained

Birth Date:23 September 1975
Birth Place:Cleveland, Ohio
Nationality:American
Alma Mater:University of Pennsylvania
Years Active:2002 - present
Employer:Los Angeles Times
Awards:Sports Emmy Awards (2006, 2009 and 2010)

Jamil Smith (born September 23, 1975) is an American print and television journalist. After working as an essayist at the Los Angeles Times, he became the editor-in-chief of The Emancipator in November 2023.[1] His reporting and commentary deal with a range of political and cultural topics, including race, gender, national politics, and pop culture. He has been a senior editor at The New Republic, and a senior national correspondent at MTV News, a senior writer for Rolling Stone magazine, and a senior correspondent at Vox.

While a television segment producer for NFL Films, Smith won three Sports Emmy Awards, in 2006, 2009, and 2010. He has also served as a producer for The Rachel Maddow Show and Melissa Harris-Perry.

Early life

Born September 23, 1975,[2] [3] in Cleveland, Ohio,[4] Smith attended Hawken School through eighth grade, then graduated from Shaker Heights High School in 1993. While attending Shaker Heights High School, Smith wrote for the student newspaper, The Shakerite, for four years,[5] as well as participating in the wrestling and track teams and the school's Minority Achievement Community program, where black upperclassmen with high grade point averages mentor black freshman and sophomore boys with lower GPAs.

Smith then attended the University of Pennsylvania and graduated with a bachelor's degree in English in 1997.[6] While in college, Smith wrote for the campus student newspaper, The Daily Pennsylvanian, and participated in Students Together Against Acquaintance Rape.[7] He also studied abroad at King's College London.

Career

After four years as an assistant at the William Morris Agency,[8] Smith began his career in television and film production in 2002 as a production assistant with CNN. He next went to HBO Sports, then NFL Films, where he worked on production teams that won three Sports Emmys, two for Inside the NFL and another for the Cincinnati Bengals installment of the Hard Knocks series.[9] [10] In 2010, Smith joined MSNBC, serving as a producer for both The Rachel Maddow Show and Melissa Harris-Perry.[11] [12]

As a journalist and commentator, Smith has drawn notice for work on a range of political and cultural topics, including race and racism,[13] [14] [15] police brutality,[16] [17] [18] feminism and gender roles,[19] and national politics.[20] [21]

Smith joined The New Republic in January 2015, part of a wave of new hires following the 2014 removal of editor-in-chief Franklin Foer, which prompted the departure of 55 staff members and contributors. Foer's replacement, Gabriel Snyder, hired Smith as a senior editor covering race, politics and gender.[22] With the magazine facing criticism both from those upset by changes at the long-standing institution and also from those critical of the magazine's history, particularly its treatment of race-related topics, Smith described his role, with colleagues, as aiming "to help usher this magazine into a different era."[23] While at The New Republic, Smith also launched and hosted the magazine's first podcast, Intersection.[24]

In 2016, Smith became a senior national correspondent for MTV News,[25] hired alongside writers and editors including Ana Marie Cox, Jessica Hopper, Charles Aaron, Meredith Graves, Doreen St. Félix, and Ira Madison III as part of a significant expansion of MTV News programming.[26] [27] Among other on-air appearances for MTV, Smith served as a co-host, with Charlamagne Tha God, Marc Lamont Hill and Franchesca Ramsey,[28] of the joint MTV-BET townhall "What Now", following the police shooting deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile and the shooting of police officers in Dallas that all took place in the first week of July 2016.[29] At MTV, Smith also hosted The Racket, a YouTube series on politics, especially the US Presidential campaign.[30] He also appeared on the MTV News podcast The Stakes, including hosting an episode commemorating the 25th anniversary of the 1992 Los Angeles riots.[31]

After layoffs at MTV News in June 2017, Smith became a freelance reporter and opinion writer, writing (among other works) "The Revolutionary Power of Black Panther," the cover story for Time magazine’s February 19, 2018 issue;[32] this made Black Panther the first Marvel Cinematic Universe film to be featured on Time's cover.[33] In his analysis, Smith argued the film was culturally significant as proof that African-American narratives can be commercial successes with all audiences, as well as that "making movies about black lives is part of showing that they matter."[34] [35]

Smith joined Rolling Stone as senior writer in March 2018.[36] In addition to his regular columns, Smith profiled, among others, U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Kamala Harris[37] and interviewed Rep. John Lewis,[38] Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti,[39] and Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.[40] He called for Joe Biden to drop out of the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries in September 2019, for lacking "even the vocabulary to engage in an antiracist conversation".[41]

Smith contributed an essay entitled "She Can't Breathe" to the anti-rape anthology Believe Me: How Trusting Women Can Change the World,[42] published in January 2020 by Seal Press.[43]

In September 2022, Smith joined the Los Angeles Times as an essayist.[44]

Honors

While a segment producer at NFL Films, Smith was part of teams that won the 2006 and 2009 Outstanding Studio Show – Weekly Sports Emmy for Inside the NFL[45] and the 2010 Outstanding Edited Sports Series/Anthology Sports Emmy for Hard Knocks: Training Camp With The Cincinnati Bengals.

Smith has repeatedly been named to The Root 100 list of leading black influencers, including in 2011 for his work on The Rachel Maddow Show, in 2013 for his work on Melissa Harris-Perry,[46] and in 2015 for his work at The New Republic, where, The Root wrote, he "hits on cultural touch points from campus rape to the Rev. Al Sharpton, banging out a nice mix of opinion, headlines and original reporting."

For his Time cover story on Black Panther, Smith received the Arts Reporting award in May 2019 from the Deadline Club, the New York City chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. According to the judges' comments, “Jamil Smith’s TIME cover story ‘A Hero Rises’ managed to approach an extremely well-covered topic from a fresh angle and in an intimate voice. Smith employed unique use of the first-person voice (and even the second-person “you”) to bring in his own perspective while also addressing the reader. And he placed “Black Panther” in both current and historical political perspective. Wakanda forever!”[47]

Personal life

In 2017, Smith moved from Brooklyn, New York,[48] to Los Angeles, California.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Jamil Smith joins the Emancipator as editor-in-chief . . November 13, 2023 .
  2. Web site: My first @nytopinion op-ed, published on my birthday.. Smith. Jamil. September 23, 2017. Twitter. en. March 17, 2018. October 18, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171018161533/https://twitter.com/JamilSmith/status/911720756949782528. live.
  3. Web site: March 2018 Newsletter: Journalist Jamil Smith ('93) Returns to SHHS to Discuss His Career and his Time Magazine Cover Story on Black Panther. March 2018. Shaker Heights Schools. en. March 17, 2018. March 18, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180318055146/http://www.shaker.org/protected/ArticleView.aspx?iid=6GUIAI0&dasi=2YB. live.
  4. Web site: Cleveland Native and Senior Editor at The New Republic Jamil Smith Talks About His New Job, the New New Republic, and How the Media Should be Covering Race. Grzegorek. Vince. April 29, 2015. Cleveland Scene. en. March 17, 2018. March 18, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180318120300/https://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/cleveland-native-and-senior-editor-at-the-new-republic-jamil-smith-talks-about-race-his-new-job-the-new-new-republic-and-how-the-media-shou/Content?oid=4568641. live.
  5. News: From The Shakerite to Time Magazine. Sheperd. Lauren. February 23, 2018. The Shakerite. March 17, 2018. Krouse. Anna. en-US. March 18, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180318120431/https://shakerite.com/campus-and-city/jamil-smith/23/2018/. live.
  6. Web site: Gazette: Alumni Notes. July–August 2003. www.upenn.edu. University of Pennsylvania. March 17, 2018. June 1, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170601213556/http://www.upenn.edu/gazette/0703/0703notes.html. live.
  7. Web site: Ten Things You Need to Know about Jamil Smith. Claytor. Ifeolu. October 5, 2017. www.acluohio.org. ACLU of Ohio. en-US. March 17, 2018. March 18, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180318055127/http://www.acluohio.org/archives/blog-posts/ten-things-you-need-to-know-about-jamil-smith. live.
  8. Web site: On writing professionally. Smith. Jamil. January 31, 2015. Storify. March 19, 2018. March 19, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180319213751/https://storify.com/JamilSmith/on-writing-professionally. live.
  9. Web site: WINNERS OF 30th ANNUAL SPORTS EMMY® AWARDS ANNOUNCED BY NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES, DICK EBERSOL HONORED WITH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD. April 27, 2009. emmyonline.com. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. en-US. March 18, 2018. August 17, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180817161419/http://emmyonline.com/sports_30th_winners. live.
  10. Web site: WINNERS OF 31st ANNUAL SPORTS EMMY® AWARDS ANNOUNCED BY NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES, JOHN MADDEN HONORED WITH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD. April 26, 2010. emmyonline.com. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. en-US. March 18, 2018. March 17, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180317050352/http://emmyonline.com/sports_31st_winners. live.
  11. News: After Tense Weeks, Melissa Harris-Perry's MSNBC Show Is Canceled. Koblin. John. February 28, 2016. The New York Times. July 14, 2016. September 10, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160910065733/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/29/business/media/melissa-harris-perry-is-out-at-msnbc-cable-network-confirms.html. live.
  12. News: The New Republic begins replenishing its staff. Mullin. Benjamin. January 7, 2015. Poynter. July 14, 2016. August 8, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160808194036/http://www.poynter.org/2015/the-new-republic-begins-replenishing-its-staff/311037/. live.
  13. News: The media today: Facing a critical moment, Vice plans for change at the top. Vernon. Pete. March 13, 2018. Columbia Journalism Review. March 18, 2018. en. March 19, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180319151206/https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/vice-dubuc-ceo.php. live.
  14. News: The Root 100 – 78 Jamil Smith. September 9, 2015. The Root. July 30, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160919164038/http://www.theroot.com/facewall/the-root-100-2015/#jamil_smith. September 19, 2016. dead.
  15. Web site: Smith. Jamil. 2022-02-08. The hate crimes trial of Ahmaud Arbery's murderers will put racism in the spotlight. 2022-02-09. Vox. en.
  16. News: WATCH: The New Republic's Jamil Smith Speaks on Loretta Lynch's Task in Baltimore. April 30, 2015. Fusion. July 14, 2016. June 25, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160625142806/http://fusion.net/video/128220/watch-the-new-republics-jamil-smith-speaks-on-loretta-lynchs-task-in-baltimore/. live.
  17. News: Louisiana Just Passed a 'Blue Lives Matter' Bill That Makes Attacks Against Police Hate Crimes. Tolan. Casey. May 27, 2016. Fusion. July 14, 2016. July 29, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160729013100/http://fusion.net/story/307458/louisiana-blue-lives-matter-bill-police/. live.
  18. Smith. Jamil. 2021-04-09. George Floyd's Body Is on Trial for Its Own Murder. 2022-02-09. Rolling Stone. en-US.
  19. News: In Just 3 Minutes, Jamil Smith Nails How Toxic Masculinity Fuels Rape Culture. Solis. Marie. June 1, 2016. Mic. March 17, 2018. en. January 29, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170129223225/https://mic.com/articles/144943/in-just-3-minutes-jamil-smith-nails-how-toxic-masculinity-fuels-rape-culture. live.
  20. News: Opinion Happy Hour Roundup. Waldman. Paul. March 9, 2018. Washington Post. March 18, 2018. March 14, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180314100931/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2018/03/09/happy-hour-roundup-1313/. live.
  21. Smith. Jamil. 2021-01-07. White Entitlement, On Parade. 2022-02-09. Rolling Stone. en-US.
  22. News: The New Republic Makes First Hires Following Staff Walkout. March 17, 2018. en-US. March 17, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180317165736/http://www.adweek.com/digital/new-republic-makes-first-hires-following-staff-walkout-162217/. live.
  23. News: New Republic Editor Jamil Smith Asks For Time Before Critics Declare Magazine Dead. Connor. Jackson. February 6, 2015. Huffington Post. March 17, 2018. en-US. September 10, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170910100022/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/06/new-republic-jamil-smith-huffpost-live_n_6632458.html. live.
  24. News: Jamil Smith on the "Intersection" of Race, Gender and Politics. NBC News. March 17, 2018. en. March 17, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180317170654/https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/jamil-smith-on-the-intersection-of-race-gender-and-politics-509680707887. live.
  25. News: Viacom Reboots MTV News in First Step Toward Reviving Network. Steinberg. Brian. February 11, 2016. Variety. July 14, 2016. June 14, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160614025939/http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/mtv-news-viacom-1201703599/. live.
  26. MTV Wants You to Want Your MTV News All Over Again. Greenberg. Julia. February 11, 2016. Wired. March 18, 2018. en-US. March 19, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180319084707/https://www.wired.com/2016/02/mtv-wants-you-to-want-your-mtv-news-all-over-again/. live.
  27. MTV Restructuring News Department, Shifting to Emphasis on Video (Updated). Gensler. Andy. June 28, 2017. Billboard. March 17, 2018. March 27, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180327155659/https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7849323/mtv-news-restructuring-shift-video. live.
  28. News: 'What Now?' MTV, BET offer town hall. Boedeker. Hal. July 8, 2016. Orlando Sentinel. March 18, 2018. en-US. March 19, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180319151042/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/tv/tv-guy/os-what-now-mtv-bet-offer-town-hall-20160708-story.html. live.
  29. News: 'What Now?': MTV Town Hall Addresses Police Violence. Konerman. Jennifer. July 8, 2016. The Hollywood Reporter. March 18, 2018. en. March 19, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180319084809/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/what-mtv-town-hall-addresses-909577. live.
  30. News: MTV Bows Digital Series Covering 'Ridiculous' President Election Hosted by Jamil Smith. Spangler. Todd. April 18, 2016. Variety. July 14, 2016. July 23, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160723090501/http://variety.com/2016/digital/news/mtv-the-racket-digital-series-president-election-jamil-smith-1201755493/. live.
  31. News: Florence and Normandie: 25 Years After the L.A. Riots. MTV News. March 17, 2018. en. March 17, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180317165216/http://www.mtv.com/news/3023680/florence-and-normandie-25-years-after-the-l-a-riots/. dead.
  32. News: "Black Panther" made it on the cover of "Time" magazine, and here's why that's so important. Purdom. Gwendolyn. February 9, 2018. HelloGiggles. March 17, 2018. en. March 18, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180318054749/https://hellogiggles.com/news/black-panther-time-cover/. live.
  33. News: 'Black Panther' Star Chadwick Boseman Graces Time Magazine Cover, First Time Ever For Marvel Movie. Allah. Sha Be. February 12, 2018. The Source. March 18, 2018. en-US. March 19, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180319151135/http://thesource.com/2018/02/12/black-panther-star-chadwick-boseman-graces-time-magazine-cover-first-time-ever-marvel-movie/. live.
  34. Web site: Black Panther is great. But let's not treat it as an act of resistance. Mtshali. Khanya Khondlo. February 15, 2018. The Guardian. en. March 17, 2018. March 17, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180317003739/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/15/black-panther-resistance. live.
  35. The Revolutionary Power of Black Panther. Smith. Jamil. February 19, 2018. Time. March 17, 2018. February 8, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180208232951/http://time.com/black-panther/. live.
  36. Can Rolling Stone Become Cool Again?. Pompeo. Joe. March 5, 2018. Vanity Fair. March 17, 2018. en. February 14, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190214223609/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/03/rolling-stone-ryan-lizza-jann-gus-wenner-jay-penske-is-the-media-tycoon-du-jour. live.
  37. Kamala Harris' Moment. Smith. Jamil. July 23, 2019. Rolling Stone. April 13, 2020. en. April 30, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200430042829/https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/kamala-harris-2020-election-interview-861340/. live.
  38. John Lewis Looks Ahead. Smith. Jamil. May 3, 2019. Rolling Stone. April 13, 2020. en. July 7, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200707124741/https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/john-lewis-congressman-civil-rights-donald-trump-825629/. live.
  39. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on How Cities Can Fight Climate Change. Smith. Jamil. September 15, 2018. Rolling Stone. April 13, 2020. en. March 1, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200301192945/https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/eric-garcetti-climate-summit-724265/. live.
  40. Stacey Abrams: 'I Don't Know Whether This Is the Moment for Me'. Smith. Jamil. March 26, 2019. Rolling Stone. April 13, 2020. en. April 7, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200407154727/https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/stacey-abrams-2020-813613/. live.
  41. Why It's Time for Joe to Go . . September 13, 2019 . October 4, 2022 .
  42. News: Believe Me: How Trusting Women Can Change the World. January 28, 2020. Seal Press. April 13, 2020. en. March 29, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200329152259/https://www.sealpress.com/titles/jessica-valenti/believe-me/9781549150548/. live.
  43. News: Believe Me: How Trusting Women Can Change the World. November 18, 2019. Publishers Weekly. April 13, 2020. en. February 1, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210201003827/https://www.publishersweekly.com/. live.
  44. News: Journalist and cultural critic Jamil Smith joins The Times as an essayist . . 2022-09-22 . 2022-10-04.
  45. Web site: May 2006 The Emmy Awards. May 1, 2006. emmyonline.com. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. en-US. March 18, 2018. March 19, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180319084734/http://emmyonline.com/2006/05. live.
  46. News: MSNBC star hosts and contributors honored at The Root 100 2013 Awards Gala in NYC. Stodgill. Alexis Garrett. November 21, 2013. The Grio. March 18, 2018. en-US. March 19, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180319004203/https://thegrio.com/2013/11/21/msnbc-star-hosts-and-contributors-honored-at-the-root-100-2013-awards-gala-in-nyc/. live.
  47. Web site: 2019 Deadline Club Award Winners with Judges Comments. May 21, 2019. deadlineclub.org. The Deadline Club. en-US. April 13, 2020. May 17, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200517022641/http://deadlineclub.org/2019-deadline-club-award-winners-with-judges-comments/. live.
  48. News: 'That Man Made Me a Cleveland Sports Fan'. Goodrich. Barry. August 5, 2016. Cleveland Magazine. March 17, 2018. en. March 18, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180318054751/https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/sports/articles/that-man-made-me-a-cleveland-sports-fan. live.

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