Stephen G. Smith

Stephen Grant Smith (born March 6, 1949) is an American writer and editor. He is currently editor in chief of National Journal and previously has held senior-level editing positions at Newsweek, Time, and U.S. News & World Report.^[1] He is married to the biographer and historian Sally Bedell Smith and lives in Washington, DC.

Personal

Smith grew up in New York City. He graduated from Deerfield Academy in 1967 and received a B.A. in History from the University of Pennsylvania in 1971, where he was a member of St. Anthony Hall.

Career

Smith began his career as a reporter for the Daily Hampshire Gazette and the Albany Times Union. He was an editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Boston Globe, where he won The Ernie Pyle Award^[2] for “storytelling that clearly exemplifies the warmth and craftsmanship of the legendary World War II correspondent.”^[3] In 1978, he moved to New York to become a senior editor at Horizon. He went on to Time magazine, where he began as press writer,^[4] rising to senior editor in 1981^[5] and ultimately Nation section editor the following year. In 1986, Smith was recruited by Newsweek to be its executive editor, a post he held until 1991, when he moved to Washington to become news editor of Knight Ridder .^[6]

In 1994, Smith founded Civilization magazine,^[7] which won a National Magazine Award for General Excellence in 1996.^[8] After two years at National Journal, Smith was named editor of U.S. News & World Report in 1998, where he remained until 2001.^[9] Following a brief stint at the Brookings Institution, Smith returned to journalism in 2004 to become Washington bureau chief for the Houston Chronicle,^[10] followed by an eight-year run as editor of The Washington Examiner. In this position, Smith oversaw The Examiner's transition from daily print tabloid to a weekly magazine focused on national politics and policy.^[11] He stepped down in August 2014.

In 2016, Smith returned to National Journal,^[12] where he currently serves as editor in chief.^[13]

Boards and Memberships

Smith served on the board of the National Press Foundation from 2005 to 2011. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and at various times has been a member of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, American Society of Magazine Editors, National Press Club, and Overseas Press Club. At the University of Pennsylvania, he has been chairman of the Publications Committee,^[14] a member of the Athletics Advisory Board,^[15] and a trustee of the Penn Press.^[16]

References