Robert J. Samuelson
Encyclopedia
Robert Jacob Samuelson is a contributing editor of Newsweek
and The Washington Post
where he has written about business and economic issues since 1977. His columns appear in both publications. His articles also appear in the Los Angeles Times
, The Boston Globe
, and other influential newspapers. Because he writes on economic issues, he is sometimes confused with Nobel laureate in Economics Paul Samuelson
, to whom he is not related.
He began his career in journalism as a reporter on the business desk of The Washington Post
in 1969. He left the paper to become a freelancer in 1973. His work has appeared in The Sunday Times
, The New Republic
and the Columbia Journalism Review
. He joined the National Journal
in 1976, where he wrote the "Economic Focus" column. He was a contributing editor there from 1981 to 1984, until he left to write for Newsweek.
Samuelson was born in New York City
and raised in nearby White Plains, New York
. He received his bachelor's degree in 1967 from Harvard University
, where he majored in government. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland
, with his wife. They have one daughter and two sons. He has written three books.
Samuelson also does not vote in any elections (be they national, state or local) as he believes that voting interferes with his impartiality as a journalist.
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
and The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
where he has written about business and economic issues since 1977. His columns appear in both publications. His articles also appear in the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
, and other influential newspapers. Because he writes on economic issues, he is sometimes confused with Nobel laureate in Economics Paul Samuelson
Paul Samuelson
Paul Anthony Samuelson was an American economist, and the first American to win the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. The Swedish Royal Academies stated, when awarding the prize, that he "has done more than any other contemporary economist to raise the level of scientific analysis in...
, to whom he is not related.
He began his career in journalism as a reporter on the business desk of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
in 1969. He left the paper to become a freelancer in 1973. His work has appeared in The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times (UK)
The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
, 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...
and the Columbia Journalism Review
Columbia Journalism Review
The Columbia Journalism Review is an American magazine for professional journalists published bimonthly by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961....
. He joined the National Journal
National Journal
National Journal is a nonpartisan American weekly magazine that reports on the current political environment and emerging political and policy trends. National Journal was first published in 1969. Times Mirror owned the magazine from 1986 to 1997, when it was purchased by David G. Bradley...
in 1976, where he wrote the "Economic Focus" column. He was a contributing editor there from 1981 to 1984, until he left to write for Newsweek.
Samuelson was born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and raised in nearby White Plains, New York
White Plains, New York
White Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
. He received his bachelor's degree in 1967 from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he majored in government. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
, with his wife. They have one daughter and two sons. He has written three books.
Samuelson also does not vote in any elections (be they national, state or local) as he believes that voting interferes with his impartiality as a journalist.
Journalism awards
Samuelson has received:- 1993 John Hancock Award for Best Business and Financial Columnist
- National Headliner Award for Feature Column on a Single Subject in both 1992 and 1993; another in 1987 for Best Special Interest Column
- Gerald Loeb AwardGerald Loeb AwardThe Gerald Loeb Award, also referred to as the Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism, is a recognition of excellence in journalism, especially in the fields of business, finance and the economy. The award was established in 1957 by Gerald Loeb, a founding partner of...
s for Commentary in 1993, 1986 and 1983; Loeb finalist in 1988 for his columns on the October 1987 Wall Street crash - An Alicia Patterson Journalism Fellowship in 1982 to research and write about the changes in the U.S. economy since World War II.
- 1981 National Magazine Award
Books by Samuelson
- The Good Life and Its Discontents: The American Dream in the Age of Entitlement, (Random House: 1995) 368 pages, ISBN 0-8129-2592-0
- Untruth: Why the Conventional Wisdom Is (Almost Always) Wrong, (Random House: 2001) 304 pages ISBN 978-0-8129-9164-2 (trade paperback edition)
- The Great Inflation and Its Aftermath: The Past and Future of American Affluence, (Random House: 2008) 336 pages ISBN 978-0-375-50548-5