Jamil Smith (journalist)

Jamil Smith (born September 23, 1975) is an American print and television journalist. 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, and is now a senior writer for Rolling Stone magazine.

This article is about the journalist. For the actor, see Jamil Walker Smith.

Jamil Smith
Smith in January 2020
Born (1975-09-23) September 23, 1975
Cleveland, Ohio
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Pennsylvania
Occupation
  • Journalist
  • Television producer
Years active2002–present
EmployerRolling Stone
Notable credit(s)
AwardsSports Emmy Awards (2006, 2009 and 2010)
Websitetwitter.com/JamilSmith

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,[1][2] in Cleveland, Ohio,[3] Smith attended Hawken School through eighth grade, then graduated from Shaker Heights High School in 1993.[2] While at Shaker Heights High School, he wrote for the student newspaper, The Shakerite, for four years,[4] as well as participating in the wrestling and track teams[2] 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.[3]

Smith did his undergraduate work at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating with a bachelor's degree in English in 1997.[5] While in college, Smith wrote for the campus student newspaper, The Daily Pennsylvanian, and participated in Students Together Against Acquaintance Rape.[6] He also studied abroad at Kings College London.[6]

Career

After four years as an assistant at the William Morris Agency,[7] Smith began his career in television and film production in 2002 as a production assistant with CNN.[6] He next went to HBO Sports, then NFL Films,[6] 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.[8][9][10] In 2010, he 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] police brutality,[15][16] feminism and gender roles,[17] and national politics.[18]

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.[19] 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."[20] While at The New Republic, Smith also launched and hosted the magazine's first podcast, Intersection.[21]

In 2016, Smith became a senior national correspondent for MTV News,[22] 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.[23][24] Among other on-air appearances for MTV, Smith served as a co-host, with Charlamagne Tha God, Marc Lamont Hill and Franchesca Ramsey,[25] 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.[26] At MTV, Smith also hosted The Racket, a YouTube series on politics, especially the US Presidential campaign.[27] He also appeared on the MTV News podcast The Stakes, including hosting an episode commemorating the 25th anniversary of the 1992 Los Angeles riots.[28]

After layoffs at MTV News in June 2017,[28] 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;[29] this made Black Panther the first Marvel Cinematic Universe film to be featured on Time's cover.[30] 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."[31][32]

Smith joined Rolling Stone as senior writer in March 2018.[33] In addition to his regular columns, Smith has profiled, among others, U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Kamala Harris[34]and interviewed Rep. John Lewis,[35] Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti,[36] and Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.[37]

Smith contributed an essay entitled "She Can't Breathe" to the anti-rape anthology Believe Me: How Trusting Women Can Change the World,[38] published in January 2020 by Seal Press.[39]

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[8][9] and the 2010 Outstanding Edited Sports Series/Anthology Sports Emmy for Hard Knocks: Training Camp With The Cincinnati Bengals.[10]

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,[40] 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."[14]

For his Time cover story on Black Panther, Smith received the Arts Reporting award in May of 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!”[41]

Personal life

In 2017, Smith moved from Brooklyn, New York,[42] to Los Angeles, California.[4]

See also

References
  1. Smith, Jamil (September 23, 2017). "My first @nytopinion op-ed, published on my birthday". Twitter. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  2. "March 2018 Newsletter: Journalist Jamil Smith ('93) Returns to SHHS to Discuss His Career and his Time Magazine Cover Story on Black Panther". Shaker Heights Schools. March 2018. Archived from the original on March 18, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  3. Grzegorek, Vince (April 29, 2015). "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". Cleveland Scene. Archived from the original on March 18, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  4. Sheperd, Lauren; Krouse, Anna (February 23, 2018). "From The Shakerite to Time Magazine". The Shakerite. Archived from the original on March 18, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  5. "Gazette: Alumni Notes". www.upenn.edu. University of Pennsylvania. July–August 2003. Archived from the original on June 1, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  6. Claytor, Ifeolu (October 5, 2017). "Ten Things You Need to Know about Jamil Smith". www.acluohio.org. ACLU of Ohio. Archived from the original on March 18, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  7. Smith, Jamil (January 31, 2015). "On writing professionally". Storify. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  8. "May | 2006 | The Emmy Awards". emmyonline.com. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. May 1, 2006. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  9. "WINNERS OF 30th ANNUAL SPORTS EMMY® AWARDS ANNOUNCED BY NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES, DICK EBERSOL HONORED WITH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD". emmyonline.com. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. April 27, 2009. Archived from the original on August 17, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  10. "WINNERS OF 31st ANNUAL SPORTS EMMY® AWARDS ANNOUNCED BY NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES, JOHN MADDEN HONORED WITH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD". emmyonline.com. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. April 26, 2010. Archived from the original on March 17, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  11. Koblin, John (February 28, 2016). "After Tense Weeks, Melissa Harris-Perry's MSNBC Show Is Canceled". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  12. Mullin, Benjamin (January 7, 2015). "The New Republic begins replenishing its staff". Poynter. Archived from the original on August 8, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  13. Vernon, Pete (March 13, 2018). "The media today: Facing a critical moment, Vice plans for change at the top". Columbia Journalism Review. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  14. "The Root 100 – 78 Jamil Smith". The Root. September 9, 2015. Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  15. "WATCH: The New Republic's Jamil Smith Speaks on Loretta Lynch's Task in Baltimore". Fusion. April 30, 2015. Archived from the original on June 25, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  16. Tolan, Casey (May 27, 2016). "Louisiana Just Passed a 'Blue Lives Matter' Bill That Makes Attacks Against Police Hate Crimes". Fusion. Archived from the original on July 29, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  17. Solis, Marie (June 1, 2016). "In Just 3 Minutes, Jamil Smith Nails How Toxic Masculinity Fuels Rape Culture". Mic. Archived from the original on January 29, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  18. Waldman, Paul (March 9, 2018). "Opinion | Happy Hour Roundup". Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 14, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  19. "The New Republic Makes First Hires Following Staff Walkout". Archived from the original on March 17, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  20. Connor, Jackson (February 6, 2015). "New Republic Editor Jamil Smith Asks For Time Before Critics Declare Magazine Dead". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on September 10, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  21. "Jamil Smith on the "Intersection" of Race, Gender and Politics". NBC News. Archived from the original on March 17, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  22. Steinberg, Brian (February 11, 2016). "Viacom Reboots MTV News in First Step Toward Reviving Network". Variety. Archived from the original on June 14, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  23. Greenberg, Julia (February 11, 2016). "MTV Wants You to Want Your MTV News All Over Again". Wired. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  24. Gensler, Andy (June 28, 2017). "MTV Restructuring News Department, Shifting to Emphasis on Video (Updated)". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  25. Boedeker, Hal (July 8, 2016). "'What Now?' MTV, BET offer town hall". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  26. Konerman, Jennifer (July 8, 2016). "'What Now?': MTV Town Hall Addresses Police Violence". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  27. Spangler, Todd (April 18, 2016). "MTV Bows Digital Series Covering 'Ridiculous' President Election Hosted by Jamil Smith". Variety. Archived from the original on July 23, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  28. "Florence and Normandie: 25 Years After the L.A. Riots". MTV News. Archived from the original on March 17, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  29. Purdom, Gwendolyn (February 9, 2018). ""Black Panther" made it on the cover of "Time" magazine, and here's why that's so important". HelloGiggles. Archived from the original on March 18, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  30. Allah, Sha Be (February 12, 2018). "'Black Panther' Star Chadwick Boseman Graces Time Magazine Cover, First Time Ever For Marvel Movie". The Source. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  31. Mtshali, Khanya Khondlo (February 15, 2018). "Black Panther is great. But let's not treat it as an act of resistance". The Guardian. Archived from the original on March 17, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  32. Smith, Jamil (February 19, 2018). "The Revolutionary Power of Black Panther". Time. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  33. Pompeo, Joe (March 5, 2018). "Can Rolling Stone Become Cool Again?". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on February 14, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  34. Smith, Jamil (July 23, 2019). "Kamala Harris' Moment". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 30, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  35. Smith, Jamil (May 3, 2019). "John Lewis Looks Ahead". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  36. Smith, Jamil (September 15, 2018). "Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on How Cities Can Fight Climate Change". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 1, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  37. Smith, Jamil (March 26, 2019). "Stacey Abrams: 'I Don't Know Whether This Is the Moment for Me'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 7, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  38. "Believe Me: How Trusting Women Can Change the World". Seal Press. January 28, 2020. Archived from the original on March 29, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  39. "Believe Me: How Trusting Women Can Change the World". Publishers Weekly. November 18, 2019. Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  40. Stodgill, Alexis Garrett (November 21, 2013). "MSNBC star hosts and contributors honored at The Root 100 2013 Awards Gala in NYC". The Grio. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  41. "2019 Deadline Club Award Winners with Judges Comments". deadlineclub.org. The Deadline Club. May 21, 2019. Archived from the original on May 17, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  42. Goodrich, Barry (August 5, 2016). "'That Man Made Me a Cleveland Sports Fan'". Cleveland Magazine. Archived from the original on March 18, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
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