Juan Gonzalez (journalist)
Encyclopedia
Juan González is an American progressive broadcast journalist and investigative reporter. He has also been a columnist for the New York Daily News
since 1987. He co-hosts the radio and television program Democracy Now!
with Amy Goodman
.
, Puerto Rico
in 1947, to Pepe- a veteran of the Puerto Rican 65th Infantry
during World War II
- and Florinda. González was raised in East Harlem
and Brooklyn
. After a stint as editor of his high school newspaper, the Lane Reporter, González graduated from Columbia College in the mid-1960s, where he was active in the anti-Vietnam War movement and participated in the protests that shut down the college in spring 1968.
In 1981, he was elected president of the National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights, a political organization that concentrated on registering Latino voters.
, for which he created the Parity Project, an innovative program designed to help news organizations recruit and retain Hispanic reporters and managers. He is also one of the founding members of the Young Lords Party. In 2008, The National Association of Hispanic Journalists inducted González into the organization's Hall of Fame.
In addition, he has had the honor of being named by Hispanic Business Magazine as one of this country's most influential Hispanics, as well as earning a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hispanic Academy of Media Arts and Sciences.
For two years, González was the Belle Zeller Visiting Professor in Public Policy and Administration at Brooklyn College/CUNY
, with an appointment in both the Department of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies, as well as the Political Science Department.
In December 2006, he reported the results of an exclusive interview with the purported "Fourth Man" who was present at the scene of the November 25 NYPD
shooting incident that caused the death of Sean Bell
.
He has written extensively on Ground Zero illnesses and the cover-up of Ground Zero air hazards in columns in the New York Daily News
. He was the first reporter in New York City to write on the health effects arising from the September 11, 2001 attacks
.
Gonzalez was awarded the 2010 Justin in Action Award from the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
, and in 2011 won the George Polk Award a second time for a series of columns in the New York Daily News
exposing the scandal behind Mayor Michael Bloomberg
’s attempt to create a new computerized payroll system called CityTime.
González is also the co-author, with Joseph Torres, of "News for All the People: The Epic Story of Race and the American Media" (2011, ISBN 978-1-84467-687-3), a history of the American media with special focus on media outlets owned and controlled by people of color, and how they were suppressed -- sometimes violently -- by mainstream political, corporate and media leaders.
's voices are used without being credited for the voice over of news reporting on Hurricane Katrina
in the opening montage of New Orleans at the beginning of the 2009 action-drama film Streets of Blood
starring Val Kilmer
, 50 Cent
, Michael Biehn
and Sharon Stone
.
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
since 1987. He co-hosts the radio and television program 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...
with Amy Goodman
Amy Goodman
Amy Goodman is an American progressive broadcast journalist, syndicated columnist, investigative reporter and author. Goodman is the host of Democracy Now!, an independent global news program broadcast daily on radio, television and the internet.-Early life:Goodman was born in Bay Shore, New York...
.
Early life
González was born in PoncePonce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
in 1947, to Pepe- a veteran of the Puerto Rican 65th Infantry
65th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The 65th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed "The Borinqueneers," was an all-volunteer Puerto Rican regiment of the United States Army. Its motto was Honor et Fidelitas, Latin for Honor and Fidelity. It participated in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
- and Florinda. González was raised in East Harlem
Spanish Harlem
East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem and El Barrio, is a section of Harlem in the northeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. East Harlem is one of the largest predominantly Latino communities in New York City. It includes the area formerly known as Italian Harlem, in which...
and Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. After a stint as editor of his high school newspaper, the Lane Reporter, González graduated from Columbia College in the mid-1960s, where he was active in the anti-Vietnam War movement and participated in the protests that shut down the college in spring 1968.
In 1981, he was elected president of the National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights, a political organization that concentrated on registering Latino voters.
Career
In 1998, González won the George Polk Award for his investigative reporting. He is former president of the National Association of Hispanic JournalistsNational Association of Hispanic Journalists
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists is a Washington, D.C.-based organization dedicated to the advancement of Hispanic journalists in the United States and Puerto Rico...
, for which he created the Parity Project, an innovative program designed to help news organizations recruit and retain Hispanic reporters and managers. He is also one of the founding members of the Young Lords Party. In 2008, The National Association of Hispanic Journalists inducted González into the organization's Hall of Fame.
In addition, he has had the honor of being named by Hispanic Business Magazine as one of this country's most influential Hispanics, as well as earning a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hispanic Academy of Media Arts and Sciences.
For two years, González was the Belle Zeller Visiting Professor in Public Policy and Administration at Brooklyn College/CUNY
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York, located in Brooklyn, New York, United States.Established in 1930 by the New York City Board of Higher Education, the College had its beginnings as the Downtown Brooklyn branches of Hunter College and the City College of New...
, with an appointment in both the Department of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies, as well as the Political Science Department.
In December 2006, he reported the results of an exclusive interview with the purported "Fourth Man" who was present at the scene of the November 25 NYPD
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
shooting incident that caused the death of Sean Bell
Sean Bell shooting incident
The Sean Bell shooting incident took place in the New York City borough of Queens, New York, United States on November 25, 2006, when three men were shot a total of fifty times by a team of both plainclothes and undercover NYPD officers, killing one of the men, Sean Bell, on the morning before his...
.
He has written extensively on Ground Zero illnesses and the cover-up of Ground Zero air hazards in columns in the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
. He was the first reporter in New York City to write on the health effects arising from the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
.
Gonzalez was awarded the 2010 Justin in Action Award from the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund is a New York-based national organization founded in 1974 that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans. By combining litigation, advocacy, education, and organizing, AALDEF works with Asian American communities across the...
, and in 2011 won the George Polk Award a second time for a series of columns in the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
exposing the scandal behind Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
’s attempt to create a new computerized payroll system called CityTime.
Books
González has written three books:- Fallout: The Environmental Consequences of the World Trade Center Collapse (2002, ISBN 1-56584-845-4), documents cover-ups by Environmental Protection AgencyUnited States Environmental Protection AgencyThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
and government officials with regard to health hazards at Ground ZeroGround zeroThe term ground zero describes the point on the Earth's surface closest to a detonation...
in New York. - Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America
- Roll Down Your Window: Stories of a Forgotten America
González is also the co-author, with Joseph Torres, of "News for All the People: The Epic Story of Race and the American Media" (2011, ISBN 978-1-84467-687-3), a history of the American media with special focus on media outlets owned and controlled by people of color, and how they were suppressed -- sometimes violently -- by mainstream political, corporate and media leaders.
Film
Gonzalez's and Amy GoodmanAmy Goodman
Amy Goodman is an American progressive broadcast journalist, syndicated columnist, investigative reporter and author. Goodman is the host of Democracy Now!, an independent global news program broadcast daily on radio, television and the internet.-Early life:Goodman was born in Bay Shore, New York...
's voices are used without being credited for the voice over of news reporting on Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
in the opening montage of New Orleans at the beginning of the 2009 action-drama film Streets of Blood
Streets of Blood
Streets of Blood is a 2009 action-drama film starring Val Kilmer, 50 Cent, Michael Biehn and Sharon Stone. It is directed by Charles Winkler with a screenplay written by Eugene Hess based on a story by Hess and Dennis Fanning...
starring Val Kilmer
Val Kilmer
Val Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! , then the cult classic Real Genius , as well as blockbuster action films, including a supporting role in Top Gun and a...
, 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
, Michael Biehn
Michael Biehn
Michael Connell Biehn is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in James Cameron's science fiction action films The Terminator as Kyle Reese, Aliens as Cpl. Dwayne Hicks, and The Abyss as Lt. Coffey. He has also acted in such films as Tombstone, The Rock, and Planet Terror...
and Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct...
.
See also
- Health effects of September 11, 2001 attacks
- Giuliani TimeGiuliani TimeGiuliani Time is a documentary by Kevin Keating about Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York City.The Village Voice called this 2006 documentary "an incisive portrait of power seizure and class combat as it was performed, by the numbers, on the municipal level." The film contains several archival...