Scott Simon
Simon in 2010
Born (1952-03-16) March 16, 1952
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
OccupationRadio presenter
Years active1977–present
EmployerNational Public Radio
Notable creditWeekend Edition Saturday
Spouse
Caroline Richard
​
(m. 2000)​
Children2
WebsiteScottSimonBooks.com

Scott Simon (born March 16, 1952)[1][2] is an American journalist and the host of Weekend Edition Saturday on NPR.

Early life

Simon was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of comedian Ernie Simon and actress Patricia Lyons.[3][4][5] He had a sister who died at a young age.[6][7] He grew up in major cities across the United States and Canada, including Chicago; New York City; San Francisco; Los Angeles; Montreal; Cleveland; and Washington, D.C.[4]

Simon's father was Jewish and his mother was Irish Catholic.[8] His father died when Scott was 16,[9] and his mother later married former minor league baseball player Ralph G. Newman, an American Civil War scholar and author who ran the Abraham Lincoln Bookshop in Chicago.[10]

Simon graduated from Nicholas Senn High School in 1970.

Career

Simon has been with NPR for over four decades, beginning in 1977 as Chicago bureau chief.[8] His career also encompasses writing and television. He has hosted the Saturday edition of Weekend Edition since its inception in 1985, excepting a period in 1992 and 1993 when Alex Chadwick hosted the show.

His books include My Cubs: A Love Story (2017); Home and Away: Memoir of a Fan (2000); Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball (2002); Baby, We Were Meant for Each Other: In Praise of Adoption (2010), about his experiences adopting two daughters; and the novels Pretty Birds (2005) and Windy City: A Novel of Politics (2008).[11] In 2023, he published the audiobook, Swingtime for Hitler, about the Nazis' use of jazz as a propaganda tool during World War II.[12]

Simon has hosted television series and specials, including PBS's Need to Know in 2011–13.[13] He guest-hosted BBC World News America, filling in for Matt Frei, and anchored NBC's Weekend Today in 1992–93.

On the November 15, 2014, episode of Weekend Edition Saturday, Simon interviewed Bill Cosby and his wife Camille about a 62-piece art collection they had loaned to the National Museum of African Art. At the end of the interview, Simon offered Cosby an opportunity to comment on the accusations of sexual assault against him. As narrated by Simon, Cosby refused to comment, only shaking his head no when prompted.[14]

Views

After the September 11 attacks, Simon spoke and wrote in support of the "war on terror", publishing an op-ed in the October 11, 2001, Wall Street Journal titled "Even Pacifists Must Support This War."[15] He questioned nonviolence at greater length in the Quaker publication Friends Journal in December 2001,[16] provoking many angry letters, to which he replied in the May 2003 issue.[17] In 2004, Simon criticized the film Fahrenheit 9/11 for perceived inaccuracies and what he characterized as an unfairly harsh depiction of the U.S. forces.[18]

On December 15, 2018, Simon said of the death of Jakelin Caal, "I do not doubt that U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents did all they could to try to save the life of Jakelin Caal Maquin, a 7-year-old girl from Guatemala, who died in the custody of the United States."[19] Journalist Jon Schwarz from The Intercept criticized Simon on Twitter, referencing his comments on Fahrenheit 9/11 to accuse his journalism of allocating excessive benefit of the doubt to the U.S. government.[20]

Awards

Simon has won Peabody and Emmy awards, and received many honorary degrees.[13]

In May 2010, he was conferred Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by Willamette University, where he was that year's commencement speaker.[21]

Simon is a laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois, receiving the state's highest honor, the Order of Lincoln from the Governor of Illinois in 2016 in the field of Business, Industry & Communications.[22]

Personal life

As of 2009, Simon lives in Washington, D.C.[23] He has been married to French documentary filmmaker Caroline Richard since September 2000.[1] They have two daughters, both adopted as babies from China.[24][25][26][27] They consider themselves a Jewish family (Simon's father was Jewish and his mother was Catholic).[8][25]

In 2006 Simon and his wife were contacted by police as part of the Alexander Litvinenko poisoning investigation. The family was staying at a hotel near the restaurant at the center of the poisoning incident, and had bought food there for one of their daughters. The health of the family was not affected.[28]

In July 2013 Simon began tweeting his emotions and conversations with his mother during the last days of her life. "I just realized: she once had to let me go into the big wide world. Now I have to let her go the same way", read one tweet. In March 2015, he published a memoir about her titled Unforgettable: A Son, a Mother, and the Lessons of a Lifetime.[29]

Jack Brickhouse, a Chicago broadcaster (1916–1998), is Simon's godfather, whom he refers to as an uncle.[30]

References

  1. 1 2 Lois Smith Brady (September 10, 2000). "Weddings: Vows; Scott Simon and Caroline Richard". The New York Times. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
  2. ↑ "Annoying Campaign Songs". Weekend Edition Saturday. February 23, 2008. National Public Radio. Audio. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
  3. ↑ Susan Van Dongen (November 14, 2000). "Three Americans: Abraham Lincoln, Aaron Copland and NPR's Scott Simon". The Princeton Packet. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
  4. 1 2 NPR Biography on Scott Simon. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  5. ↑ Simon – Family Pictures. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  6. ↑ Paula Davenport (October 26, 2008). "Simon Says". The Spokesman-Review.
  7. ↑ Terry Gross (August 23, 2010). "Scott Simon's Family: 'In Praise of Adoption'". Fresh Air.
  8. 1 2 3 Christine G.K. LaPado-Breglia (May 5, 2011). "NPR Host Scott Simon to Cover Every Beat for Chico Audience". Chico News.
  9. ↑ Scott Simon (April 1, 2015). "'We Don't Fully Grow Up' Until We Lose Our Parents". Morning Edition.
  10. ↑ Jonathan Alter (May 2000). "Chicago's Cubs". The Washington Monthly. Retrieved July 9, 2007.
  11. ↑ "Books". Scott Simon Books=. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  12. ↑ Gross, Terry (September 20, 2023). "'Swingtime for Hitler' explores the Nazis use of jazz as a propaganda tool".
  13. 1 2 "Biography: Scott Simon". NPR. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  14. ↑ Scott Simon (November 15, 2014). "In NPR Interview, Bill Cosby Declines to Discuss Assault Allegations". Weekend Edition Saturday.
  15. ↑ Janssen, Mike (September 8, 2003). "When reporters sound off, eyebrows rise". Current. Archived from the original on January 24, 2004.
  16. ↑ Scott Simon (December 1, 2001). "Reflections on the Events of September 11". Friends Journal.
  17. ↑ Scott Simon (May 1, 2003). "To Friends Journal Readers: A Response". Friends Journal.
  18. ↑ Simon, Scott (July 27, 2004). "'Gonzo Demagoguery' Writ Large". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Opinion: What The Death Of A 7-Year-Old Migrant Says About This Country". NPR.org. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  20. ↑ Schwarz, Jon (December 16, 2018). "In 2004 Scott Simon attacked Fahrenheit 9/11 for not investigating whether bombs that killed Iraqis during the invasion had come from US planes or were errant Iraqi anti-aircraft shells. As if there would have been anti-aircraft shells without the US war". @schwarz. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  21. ↑ "2010 Honorary Degrees", Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters & CLA Commencement Speaker, Willamette University.
  22. ↑ Office of the Governor, State of Illinois (February 12, 2016). "Governor Rauner Announces Recipients of 2016 Order of Lincoln Award" (PDF). Lincoln Academy of Illinois.
  23. ↑ Schwartzman, Paul (September 7, 2009). "What Washingtonians Make". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  24. ↑ Scott Simon (November 27, 2004). "Cat and Child, So Comfy Together". Weekend Edition. Retrieved July 10, 2007.
  25. 1 2 Jeff Rubin, "NPR Host Scott Simon: Riding on Airwaves", Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, October 18, 2006. Also at InterfaithFamily.com. Both retrieved July 10, 2007.
  26. ↑ "Scott Simon Releases First Novel: Pretty Birds", WKAR, August 30, 2005. Retrieved July 10, 2007.
  27. ↑ Scott Simon (June 30, 2007). "Reflections on Welcoming a New Family Member". Weekend Edition. Retrieved July 10, 2007.
  28. ↑ Robert Siegel (November 30, 2006). "NPR Host's Lunch in London Intersects Spy Case". All Things Considered. Retrieved July 10, 2007.
  29. ↑ Carlos Lozada (March 19, 2015). "Review of "Unforgettable: A Son, a Mother, and the Lessons of a Lifetime" by Scott Simon". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Scott Simon On Life With The Cubs And The Manager Who Cursed Out Chicago".
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