Dana Priest

Dana Priest is an acclaimed American investigative journalist and author renowned for her in-depth reporting on national security and intelligence matters. A longtime staff writer for The Washington Post, she has won two Pulitzer Prizes for her groundbreaking work exposing secret government programs. Her career is distinguished by a commitment to uncovering the inner workings of the CIA, the Pentagon, and post-9/11 counterterrorism operations.

Early life and education

She grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and developed an early interest in current affairs. She pursued her higher education at University of California, Santa Cruz, where she earned a bachelor's degree in politics. Her academic focus on political systems and international relations provided a strong foundation for her future career in journalism. Following her undergraduate studies, she furthered her expertise through a fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

Career

She began her professional journalism career at the St. Petersburg Times before joining the national staff of The Washington Post in the late 1980s. She served as the newspaper's Pentagon correspondent for over a decade, gaining deep access to the workings of the U.S. military and intelligence community. A major breakthrough came with her reporting on the CIFA and other post-9/11 intelligence activities, which contributed to her first Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting in 2006. Her investigative work continued with a series on poor conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, which shared the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. She has also held roles as a national security correspondent and contributed to projects for Frontline, examining topics like the war in Afghanistan and the use of drones.

Awards and recognition

Her investigative rigor has been recognized with numerous prestigious awards beyond her two Pulitzer Prizes. She is a recipient of the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting, the George Polk Award, and the Sigma Delta Chi Award. Her work on veterans' care earned her a Peabody Award. She has also been a finalist for the Michael Kelly Award and has received an honorary doctorate from Ithaca College for her contributions to public service journalism. In 2018, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a testament to her impact on the field.

Publications

She is the author of seminal books that expand on her investigative reporting. Her first book, The Mission: Waging War and Keeping Peace with America's Military, critically examines the expanding role of the U.S. military in foreign policy. Her second, Top Secret America: The Rise of the New American Security State, co-authored with William M. Arkin, meticulously maps the vast, secretive world of government and corporate security agencies that burgeoned after the September 11 attacks. Both works have been influential in public and academic debates about national security, cited in publications like The New York Times and discussed on programs such as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Personal life

She maintains a private personal life while residing in the Washington, D.C. area. She is married to William M. Arkin, a fellow national security expert and journalist with whom she has collaborated professionally. She has served as a visiting professor at several institutions, including Princeton University, sharing her expertise with the next generation of reporters. Her commitment to journalistic ethics and mentorship is noted among her peers in organizations like the IRE.

Category:American investigative journalists Category:Pulitzer Prize winners Category:The Washington Post people