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Oral history interview with Jane M. Mayer, 2013.

Creator: Mayer, Jane M., 1955-
Project: Rule of law oral history project
(see all project interviews)
Phys. Desc. :
Location: Columbia Center for Oral History
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Biographical Note

Staff Writer, The New Yorker.

Scope and Contents

Born: 1955, New York, NY. Education: BA, Yale University, 1977. Career: stringer, Time magazine; reporter, The Weathersfield Weekly, Rutland Herald, The Black River Tribune, The Washington Star; political reporter and White House correspondent, The Wall Street Journal; staff writer, The New Yorker. Reminiscences: notable family members, including grandfather Allan Nevins; early education in ethics and history at Ethical Culture Fieldston School; study abroad in England as high school senior; experiences and influences at Yale University; decision to become a journalist; experiences working at The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Star; reporting in Washington, D.C. on 9/11; first stories written following 9/11; writing Landslide; reporting in West Berlin when Berlin Wall fell; writing Strange Justice with Jill Abramson; discussion with Arthur Schlesinger about torture under George W. Bush administration. Discussions: Ronald Reagan administration; Iran-Contra Affair; sexism at The Wall Street Journal; working and writing for The New Yorker; decision to begin writing The Dark Side; discovering the SERE [Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape] program; American Psychological Association and BSCTs [Behavioral Science Consultation Teams] roles in Central Intelligence Agency [CIA] interrogations; research processes and key characters in The Dark Side; Bush administration's War Council; influence of other books on The Dark Side; Bush administration's use of rendition in Sweden; public reaction to The Dark Side; Obama administration's policies on CIA black sites and torture; James Risen and Obama administration's relationship with journalists; importance of facts and ethics in modern Washington and digital age; significance of Senate Intelligence Committee report on torture and interrogation; repercussions of Obama administration's failure to release Uighur prisoners from Guantánamo; trip to Guantánamo.

Subjects

Access Conditions

Copyright by The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, 2013. Permission required to cite, quote, and reproduce. Contact repository for information.

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