Steven Vincent
Encyclopedia
Steven Charles Vincent was an American
author and journalist. In 2005 he was working as a freelance journalist in Basra
, Iraq
, reporting for The Christian Science Monitor
, National Review
, Mother Jones
, Reason
, Front Page
and American Enterprise, among other publications, when he was abducted and murdered in southern Iraq after investigating corruption by Shia militias.
, now the heart of Silicon Valley, in 1960. He graduated from Homestead High School in 1974, went to the University of California at Santa Barbara, then to Berkeley, from which he graduated summa cum laude with a degree in English and Philosophy. After a summer spent traveling around Europe, he hitchhiked to New York in 1980 to pursue a writing career, supporting himself by taking a series of jobs in the restaurant industry, driving a cab and doing temp work.
Award for his essay on Pop Art
, "Listening to Pop." He also self-published two issues of a poetry magazine, The Plowman. In 1990 he was hired by Art+Auction
magazine, where he quickly became the senior writer, specializing in investigative stories of art theft
, fraud, counterfeiting and malfeasance. After an abortive six-month stint at The Wall Street Journal
, he returned to Art+Auction
as a freelancer until his death.
After watching United Flight 175 crash into the World Trade Center
on September 11, 2001, and the subsequent collapse of the Twin Towers, Vincent scaled back his art critic job to write instead about what he considered more timely and pressing issues. In 2003, after learning that his friend, the artist Steve Mumford
, had gone to Baghdad following the start of the Iraq War, Vincent went as well, first in 2003, then again in 2004, operating freely as a journalist, traveling through the country without so much as a cell phone, interviewing the local populace, observing the reality of life on the ground. In 2004, he would publish In the Red Zone: A Journey Into the Soul of Iraq, as well as a blog about his travels.
Vincent returned to Iraq in April 2005, this time to the south, basing himself in Basra
as the only Western journalist in the region. Initially he pursued stories such as the reconstruction of the marshlands drained by Saddam Hussein
, but in the process of meeting and speaking to locals on all levels, from people in the street to government officials, he uncovered and began investigating reports of Iran's growing logistical and financial support for the local insurgency and the unchecked movement over the border of Iranian agents, drug smuggling to support the area's militias, the killing of Basra's Christian populace, increasing corruption and violence in the local police force and the inexplicable unwillingness of the British forces stationed there to address such dangerous issues.
, in which he noted the increasing infiltration of the Basra police force by Islamic extremists loyal to Muqtada al Sadr.
Vincent is buried in Brooklyn's historic Green-Wood cemetery; his widow, Lisa Ramaci-Vincent, still lives in Manhattan. Two months after Vincent's murder, she established the Steven Vincent Foundation http://www.stevenvincentfoundation.org in his memory; the Foundation donates money to the families of indigenous journalists, translators, drivers and other media workers and aides killed simply because of the job they are doing. In 2007, after 18 months of working with the US Embassy in Baghdad, the State Department, the International Rescue Committee, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and Senator Edward Kennedy's Iraq Refugee Crisis Committee, she was successful in bringing Vincent's translator Nouriya to safety and asylum in New York.
In November 2006, Vincent was posthumously awarded the Kurt Schork Award for International Journalism for his article uncovering police death squads, which the press release called, "...‘the most sensitive story possible.’"
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author and journalist. In 2005 he was working as a freelance journalist in Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, reporting for The Christian Science Monitor
The Christian Science Monitor
The Christian Science Monitor is an international newspaper published daily online, Monday to Friday, and weekly in print. It was started in 1908 by Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist. As of 2009, the print circulation was 67,703.The CSM is a newspaper that covers...
, National Review
National Review
National Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...
, Mother Jones
Mother Jones (magazine)
Mother Jones is an American independent news organization, featuring investigative and breaking news reporting on politics, the environment, human rights, and culture. Mother Jones has been nominated for 23 National Magazine Awards and has won six times, including for General Excellence in 2001,...
, Reason
Reason (magazine)
Reason is a libertarian monthly magazine published by the Reason Foundation. The magazine has a circulation of around 60,000 and was named one of the 50 best magazines in 2003 and 2004 by the Chicago Tribune.- History :...
, Front Page
Front Page
A front page is the first page of a newspaper or other publication lacking a front cover, typically the place where the most important content is placed, hence the metaphorical connotations of the term.Front Page can also refer to:...
and American Enterprise, among other publications, when he was abducted and murdered in southern Iraq after investigating corruption by Shia militias.
Early life
Vincent was born in Washington, DC, but his family would soon move to northern California. The family spent four years in Palo Alto before moving to SunnyvaleSunnyvale
Sunnyvale may refer to:*Sunnyvale, California, a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States, and the most populous place with this name*Sunnyvale, Auckland, a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand*Sunnyvale, Otago, a suburb of Dunedin, New Zealand...
, now the heart of Silicon Valley, in 1960. He graduated from Homestead High School in 1974, went to the University of California at Santa Barbara, then to Berkeley, from which he graduated summa cum laude with a degree in English and Philosophy. After a summer spent traveling around Europe, he hitchhiked to New York in 1980 to pursue a writing career, supporting himself by taking a series of jobs in the restaurant industry, driving a cab and doing temp work.
Writing career
His first professional experience came when he was offered the editorship of a local newspaper, The East Villager. From 1984 to 1991 he wrote, edited, laid out and oversaw the publication of each month's edition; during his tenure he also became deeply involved in local issues, and successfully used the paper as a forum to influence neighborhood politics. In the late 1980s he began his career as a writer of fiction and essays, publishing in various literary magazines and booklets. In 1997, he received a Dactyl FoundationDactyl Foundation
Dactyl Foundation is a 501 not-for-profit arts organization in New York City founded by Neil Grayson and Tori Alexander.-History:Founded in 1996 in the "evening of the postmodern day," Dactyl Foundation supports an aesthetic that is informed by science, history, and philosophy...
Award for his essay on Pop Art
Pop art
Pop art is an art movement that emerged in the mid 1950s in Britain and in the late 1950s in the United States. Pop art challenged tradition by asserting that an artist's use of the mass-produced visual commodities of popular culture is contiguous with the perspective of fine art...
, "Listening to Pop." He also self-published two issues of a poetry magazine, The Plowman. In 1990 he was hired by Art+Auction
Art & Auction
Art+Auction is a monthly art magazine published in New York City by Louise Blouin Media. The magazine is published 12 times per year; it includes special features & art news stories, art & collector profiles, reviews & auction reports, calendar of art events, art market trends & insider market...
magazine, where he quickly became the senior writer, specializing in investigative stories of art theft
Art theft
Art theft is usually for the purpose of resale or for ransom . Stolen art is sometimes used by criminals to secure loans.. One must realize that only a small percentage of stolen art is recovered. Estimates range from 5 to 10%. This means that little is known about the scope and characteristics of...
, fraud, counterfeiting and malfeasance. After an abortive six-month stint at The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, he returned to Art+Auction
Art & Auction
Art+Auction is a monthly art magazine published in New York City by Louise Blouin Media. The magazine is published 12 times per year; it includes special features & art news stories, art & collector profiles, reviews & auction reports, calendar of art events, art market trends & insider market...
as a freelancer until his death.
After watching United Flight 175 crash into the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
on September 11, 2001, and the subsequent collapse of the Twin Towers, Vincent scaled back his art critic job to write instead about what he considered more timely and pressing issues. In 2003, after learning that his friend, the artist Steve Mumford
Steve Mumford
Steve Mumford is a contemporary American painter. His practice has lately included the depiction of scenes from the ongoing American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan...
, had gone to Baghdad following the start of the Iraq War, Vincent went as well, first in 2003, then again in 2004, operating freely as a journalist, traveling through the country without so much as a cell phone, interviewing the local populace, observing the reality of life on the ground. In 2004, he would publish In the Red Zone: A Journey Into the Soul of Iraq, as well as a blog about his travels.
Vincent returned to Iraq in April 2005, this time to the south, basing himself in Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
as the only Western journalist in the region. Initially he pursued stories such as the reconstruction of the marshlands drained by Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
, but in the process of meeting and speaking to locals on all levels, from people in the street to government officials, he uncovered and began investigating reports of Iran's growing logistical and financial support for the local insurgency and the unchecked movement over the border of Iranian agents, drug smuggling to support the area's militias, the killing of Basra's Christian populace, increasing corruption and violence in the local police force and the inexplicable unwillingness of the British forces stationed there to address such dangerous issues.
Death
On August 2, 2005, three months to the day after he had arrived, Vincent and his translator Nouriya Itais Wadi went to a Basra money exchange after spending the day doing interviews; when they came back out, they were kidnapped off the street in broad daylight by men in police uniforms driving a white police truck. They were bound, gagged, taken to an undisclosed location where for five hours they were beaten and interrogated, then taken to the outskirts of town and shot. They were found by British and Iraqi policemen but Vincent was dead, shot in the back at close range. Wadi survived despite having been shot three times, since she was farther from the truck when the men opened fire. It is generally accepted that Vincent was executed because of his criticism of religious extremism in the area, expressed three days before his murder in "Switched Off in Basra", a July 31 op-ed for The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, in which he noted the increasing infiltration of the Basra police force by Islamic extremists loyal to Muqtada al Sadr.
Vincent is buried in Brooklyn's historic Green-Wood cemetery; his widow, Lisa Ramaci-Vincent, still lives in Manhattan. Two months after Vincent's murder, she established the Steven Vincent Foundation http://www.stevenvincentfoundation.org in his memory; the Foundation donates money to the families of indigenous journalists, translators, drivers and other media workers and aides killed simply because of the job they are doing. In 2007, after 18 months of working with the US Embassy in Baghdad, the State Department, the International Rescue Committee, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and Senator Edward Kennedy's Iraq Refugee Crisis Committee, she was successful in bringing Vincent's translator Nouriya to safety and asylum in New York.
In November 2006, Vincent was posthumously awarded the Kurt Schork Award for International Journalism for his article uncovering police death squads, which the press release called, "...‘the most sensitive story possible.’"
External links
- BBC – US journalist shot dead in Iraq
- National Review – Freedom’s Reporter
- New York Times – American Journalist Is Shot to Death in Iraq (subscription required)
- New York Times – Switched Off in Basra
- New York Observer – Steven Vincent, Murdered In Iraq, East Village Legend
- Steven Vincent, RIP
- Epic-USA.org – Who Killed Steven Vincent?
- radioopensource.org – Audio interview with Lisa Ramaci-Vincent, Steven Vincent's wife
- CPJ– Journalists Killed in Iraq
- Murdoc Online - "It's called courage" Comments from Vincent's wife regarding remarks by Juan ColeJuan ColeJohn Ricardo I. "Juan" Cole is an American scholar, public intellectual, and historian of the modern Middle East and South Asia. He is Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History at the University of Michigan. As a commentator on Middle Eastern affairs, he has appeared in print and on...