Seymour Hersh

Seymour Hersh – Life, Career, and Famous Insights

Explore the life of Seymour Hersh — legendary American investigative journalist. Read about his early years, major exposés (My Lai, Abu Ghraib), style, controversies, and memorable quotes.

Introduction

Seymour Myron Hersh (born April 8, 1937) is one of the most influential investigative journalists in modern American history. Known for doggedly pursuing government secrets and exposing abuses of power, Hersh’s work has repeatedly shaken institutions and public discourse. From exposing the My Lai massacre to uncovering the Abu Ghraib scandal, he has built a legacy as a fearless “muckraker,” though not without critics.

In this article, we trace his life, methods, major works, controversies, philosophy, memorable statements, and enduring impact on journalism.

Early Life and Education

Seymour Hersh was born on April 8, 1937, in Chicago, Illinois.

• His parents, Isador Hersh (originally Hershowitz) and Dorothy Margolis, were Yiddish-speaking Jewish immigrants—his father from Lithuania, his mother from Poland.

• The family ran a dry-cleaning business in Chicago’s South Side; young Seymour and his siblings often helped around the shop.

• For high school, he attended Hyde Park High School, graduating in 1954.

• He studied at the University of Chicago, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in history in 1958.

• Hersh briefly entered law school at the University of Chicago in 1959, but was dismissed (or left) during his first year due to poor grades.

These early years gave Hersh both a grounding in rising from modest circumstances and a skeptical, academic lens through which he would view power.

Entry into Journalism & Early Career

• Hersh began his journalism career in 1959 at the City News Bureau of Chicago, working first as a copyboy and then reporting on police and crime beats.

• He had a brief stint working at a Walgreens store alongside that, before fully committing to journalism.

• In 1961, Hersh joined United Press International (UPI) in Pierre, South Dakota, covering state government and local stories.

• By 1963 he moved to Chicago to work for Associated Press (AP), and then in 1965 to Washington, D.C. to become a Pentagon correspondent.

In Washington, Hersh cultivated sources inside the military and intelligence establishment. He was known to wander out of briefings to seek leads directly, building relationships beyond the bounds of formal press sessions.

By the late 1960s, Hersh had become part of AP’s special investigative unit, which enabled him to pursue deeper government stories.

Breakthrough: My Lai & Early Exposés

The My Lai Massacre

Hersh’s name is most prominently associated with his reporting on the My Lai massacre, a brutal 1968 massacre of Vietnamese civilians by U.S. troops.

• In late 1969, Hersh learned—via a tip and subsequent digging—that a court-martial was underway at Fort Benning, Georgia, involving Lt. William Calley, accused of murdering dozens of Vietnamese civilians.

• Using interviews with soldiers, local villagers, whistleblowers, and documents, he exposed not only the killings but a subsequent cover-up.

• His reporting led the U.S. government to acknowledge the massacre publicly and commission an inquiry.

• For these efforts, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting in 1970.

Later, Hersh published My Lai 4: A Report on the Massacre and Its Aftermath (1970) and Cover-Up: The Army’s Secret Investigation of the Massacre at My Lai (1972).

1970s: Watergate, CIA, Cambodia, and Domestic Spying

Hersh went on to publish a series of high-impact exposés:

• At The New York Times, he reported on Operation Menu — the secret U.S. bombing of Cambodia — revealing that the Nixon administration had hidden the airstrikes from Congress.

• He exposed Operation CHAOS, a CIA domestic surveillance and infiltration program targeting antiwar and dissident groups inside the U.S.

• Hersh also uncovered CIA involvement in clandestine efforts to influence Chilean politics, notably against Salvador Allende.

• During the Watergate era, Hersh contributed reporting on hush money payments, wiretaps, and connections to the Nixon administration scandal.

These early years cemented his reputation as a journalist willing to challenge—and sometimes defy—the levers of power.

Later Investigations & Landmark Reporting

Abu Ghraib & Iraq War

In 2004, Hersh published a multi-part series in The New Yorker exposing torture and prisoner abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, implicating military and intelligence personnel and questioning superior oversight. His work linked policies from the Pentagon and the Bush administration to systemic failures and misconduct.

Hersh compiled much of this in Chain of Command: The Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib (2004).

U.S. Foreign Policy, Intelligence & Controversial Claims

Over subsequent decades, Hersh has continued writing on U.S. military, intelligence, and foreign policy matters:

• He disputed official narratives of the Osama bin Laden raid in Abbottabad, publishing an alternative account in the London Review of Books in 2015.

• In 2023, Hersh wrote that the U.S. and Norway had sabotaged the Nord Stream pipelines, using deep-sea operatives and cover operations — a claim met with significant controversy and debate.

• He has reported on covert U.S. activity in Iran, Syria, and other theaters, often challenging official or mainstream narratives.

While some of his recent claims are widely disputed, they reflect a consistent thread: Hersh tends to operate outside journalistic conventions, prioritizing tips from anonymous sources and pushing narratives others avoid.

Style, Methods & Criticisms

Investigative Style & Strengths

• Hersh is emblematic of the investigative loner: he often operates outside institutional newsroom constraints, giving him freedom to probe deeply.

• His signature is the use of anonymous sources, often multiple layers deep, which allows him to expose hidden operations but makes parts of his work difficult to verify publicly.

• He is relentless: years of research, accumulation of obscure documents, perseverance in contacting insiders, and careful triangulation mark his investigations.

• Hersh often embraces conflict with editorial constraints. He has publicly stated that in speeches or interviews, he may change dates, places, or details to protect sources, though he claims he “can’t fudge” what he writes.

Critiques & Controversies

• Some critics argue that his heavy reliance on unverified or anonymous sources renders parts of his reporting vulnerable to error or exaggeration.

• Past works have drawn controversy for sourcing errors, claims based on questionable documents, or claims that could not be independently corroborated. For example, The Dark Side of Camelot (1997) was partly discredited due to forged documents.

• In more recent years, some of Hersh’s claims—such as those about Syria or Nord Stream—have been dismissed or challenged by governments, media fact-checkers, and experts.

• Others criticize that his combative style and skepticism toward mainstream institutions sometimes lead him to embrace fringe narratives.

Even so, his supporters argue that his willingness to push boundaries and question orthodoxy is vital to the function of journalism in holding power accountable.

Notable Books & Publications

Some of Hersh’s prominent books and long-form works:

• My Lai 4: A Report on the Massacre and Its Aftermath (1970) and Cover-Up (1972) — detailing My Lai and military investigations

• The Price of Power: Kissinger in the Nixon White House (1983) — intensive profile of Henry Kissinger’s diplomacy and power strategies

• The Target Is Destroyed (1986) — analysis of the Korean Air Lines Flight 007 shootdown

• The Samson Option (1991) — exploration of Israel’s nuclear program and U.S. ties

• Chain of Command: The Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib (2004) — covering his Iraq war, intelligence, and military investigations

• Reporter: A Memoir (2018) — Hersh’s reflection on his life and career in investigative journalism

He has also contributed numerous articles—especially in The New Yorker—on geopolitics, defense, intelligence, and war.

Famous Quotes & Insights

Here are some memorable statements and philosophical lines from Seymour Hersh:

“It’s their job to keep it secret and my job to find it out and make it public.”
— A statement often associated with his view of the press’s mission.

“Sometimes I change events, dates, and places in a certain way to protect people. … I can’t fudge what I write. But I can certainly fudge what I say.”
— Hersh on differentiating his spoken remarks from his published work.

“I am a survivor; from the golden age of journalism.”
— From reflections in his memoir Reporter on his place in journalism’s history.

His disdain for press timidity: in interviews, Hersh has criticized the media’s reluctance to challenge political power, saying many reporters are too deferential or risk-averse.

These quotes convey his combative spirit, commitment to secrecy and source protection, and critical lens toward both power and mainstream journalism.

Lessons from Hersh’s Career

1. Persistence matters. Many of Hersh’s biggest stories unfolded not by one quick break but through years of follow-up, accumulation of sources, and dogged determination.

2. Courage to challenge orthodoxy. He repeatedly went against prevailing narratives even when it was unpopular or risky—especially in defense and intelligence reporting.

3. Protect your sources. His emphasis on anonymity, careful handling of leaks, and willingness to manipulate certain details for security reflect a deep respect for source safety.

4. Balance skepticism with rigor. While his skepticism is a strength, critics show that investigations must also be backed by verifiable evidence to maintain credibility.

5. Journalism is a vocation, not a business. Hersh often operates outside institutional constraints, reminding readers that investigative journalism sometimes demands independence from mainstream media incentives.

6. Legacy is in questioning. Even when his claims are disputed, his insistence that power must be interrogated leaves a lasting legacy on the role of the press in democracy.

Legacy & Contemporary Relevance

Seymour Hersh’s impact on journalism is profound:

• His My Lai reporting is often ranked among the most consequential investigative works in American history.

• Through multiple decades, he has exposed wrongdoing across wars, intelligence agencies, defense policies, and covert operations.

• He pushed the boundaries of what journalists could report—pioneering a more adversarial, source-driven, trench-level approach to uncovering secrets.

• Even today, at advanced age, he continues to speak, investigate, and criticize the press itself and government authority.

In 2025, a documentary titled Cover-Up by Laura Poitras premiered at the Venice Film Festival focusing on Hersh’s lifetime of investigations. This film underscores how enduringly relevant—and controversial—his body of work remains.

Hersh’s legacy is not just the stories he broke, but the model he set for a hard-nosed, fearless, skeptical press that views itself as a check on power.

Conclusion

Seymour Hersh’s life is a testament to the role of journalism in democracy—how relentless questioning, courage in the face of secrecy, and dogged pursuit of truth can alter public narratives and hold institutions accountable. Though his methods and claims have sometimes attracted skepticism, the depth, range, and audacity of his investigations, spanning My Lai to Abu Ghraib and beyond, mark him as a towering figure in investigative reporting.

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