Albert Samaha
{{Short description|American journalist}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Albert Samaha
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Vallejo, California, U.S.
| occupation = Journalist
| language = English
| nationality =
| citizenship =
| education =
| alma_mater = University of San Diego (BA)
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism (MS)
| period =
| genre =
| subject = Culture, inequality, criminal justice, memoir, sports
| notable_works = Never Ran, Never Will
| awards =
| module =
| website = {{URL|https://www.albertsamaha.com/}}
| portaldisp =
}}
Albert Samaha is an American journalist. He was previously inequality editor at Buzzfeed News and currently works as an investigative reporter in sports at the Washington Post. He is the author of two books, Never Ran, Never Will (2018) and Concepcion (2021).
Early life and education
Samaha was born in Vallejo, California.{{Cite web |last=Visaya |first=Momar G. |date=2020-07-16 |title=The untold story of Spanky Rigor seen through the lens of his nephew, Fil-Am author Albert Samaha |url=https://asianjournal.com/magazines/life-eastyle-magazine/the-untold-story-of-spanky-rigor-seen-through-the-lens-of-his-nephew-fil-am-author-albert-samaha/ |access-date=2024-09-21 |website=Asian Journal News |language=en-US}} His mother was born and raised in a wealthy family in the Philippines.{{Cite web |last=Blumberg-Kason |first=Susan |date=2021-11-03 |title="Concepcion: An Immigrant Family's Fortunes" by Albert Samaha |url=https://asianreviewofbooks.com/content/concepcion-an-immigrant-familys-fortunes-by-albert-samaha/ |access-date=2024-09-21 |language=en-US}} Samaha's father is Lebanese, and met his mother in Saudi Arabia when she was a flight attendant. Much of his maternal family immigrated to the United States around the same time as his mother, leaving their comfortable lifestyle behind. This included his uncle, Spanky Rigor, who was a member of the famous Manila sound group VST & Company before moving to America to work as a baggage handler.{{Cite web |last=Gonzalez |first=Michael |date=2022-01-19 |title=Fortune's Call: Albert Samaha's Family Saga |url=https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/fortunes-call-albert-samahas-family-saga |access-date=2024-09-21 |website=Positively Filipino {{!}} Online Magazine for Filipinos in the Diaspora |language=en-US}} Samaha's father lived in Paris; his parents divorced when he was a child.{{cite web |title=Concepcion |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/albert-samaha/concepcion/ |access-date=20 September 2024 |website=Kirkus}}
Samaha lived in Manila for kindergarten and then spent the rest of his childhood in northern California.{{Cite web |date=2021-04-07 |title=Longform Podacst #435: Albert Samaha · Longform |url=https://longform.org/posts/longform-podacst-435-albert-samaha |access-date=2024-09-21 |website=Longform |language=en}} His family moved frequently, living in cities including San Francisco, San Mateo, and Sacramento. Samaha was an athlete in his youth and played basketball, baseball, and football. He received his bachelor’s degree in communication studies from the University of San Diego, where he was a defensive back on the football team.{{Cite web |last=Lovato |first=Roberto |date=2021-10-12 |title=A Memoir of Filipino American Family Life in the Wake of Colonialism |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/12/books/review/concepcion-albert-samaha.html |access-date=2024-09-20 |website=New York Times}} He left the football team after two years and switched his focus to journalism. Samaha attended Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism for his master’s degree.{{Cite news |date=2023-07-13 |title=Albert Samaha joins The Post as a sports investigative reporter |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/pr/2023/07/13/albert-samaha-joins-post-sports-investigative-reporter/ |access-date=2024-09-21 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}
Career
Samaha worked at alt weeklies in his early career, including Riverfront Times, San Francisco Weekly, and the Village Voice, where he covered criminal justice and learned the fundamentals of investigative reporting. In 2015 he was hired by Adam Serwer to work at Buzzfeed News just after it launched its criminal justice beat. During his tenure he reported on inequality, culture, and policing.{{Cite web |last=Wanbaugh |first=Taylor |date=2016-12-01 |title=BuzzFeed News' Albert Samaha and a modern-day lynching in Mississippi |url=https://nieman.harvard.edu/stories/buzzfeed-news-albert-samaha-and-a-modern-day-lynching/ |access-date=2024-09-20 |website=Nieman Foundation |language=en-US}}
Samaha's debut book Never Ran, Never Will focused on the Mo Better Jaguars, a youth football team in Brownsville, Brooklyn.{{Cite web |date=2019-02-03 |title=Poor Students More Likely To Play Football, Despite Brain Injury Concerns |url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/691081227?ft=nprml&f=129257573 |access-date=2024-09-20 |website=NPR}} He spent two years of time with the players and coaches to prepare the manuscript. The book received a starred review from Booklist,{{Cite web |last=Lukowsky |first=Wes |title=Never Ran, Never Will: Boyhood and Football in a Changing American Inner City |url=https://www.booklistonline.com/Never-Ran-Never-Will-Boyhood-and-Football-in-a-Changing-American-Inner-City-Albert-Samaha/pid=9628110 |access-date=2024-09-20 |website=Booklist}} and Samaha won the 2019 New York Society Library Hornblower Award.{{Cite web |title=New York Society Library Announces Winners of NYC Book Awards {{!}} Fine Books & Collections |url=https://www.finebooksmagazine.com/fine-books-news/new-york-society-library-announces-winners-nyc-book-awards |access-date=2024-09-21 |website=www.finebooksmagazine.com |language=en}}
Samaha published an essay for Buzzfeed News on the election of Rodrigo Duterte that informed the direction of his second book, a memoir called Concepcion: Conquest, Colonialism, and an Immigrant Family's Fate. The book centers his family's immigration from the Philippines to the United States. Kirkus Reviews described Concepcion as "an edifying, well-written narrative that provides an intimate perspective on the legacy of colonialism." The book is called "Concepcion" after his maternal family's name. Samaha was named a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in Autobiography.{{Cite web |last=Schaub |first=Michael |date=2022-02-11 |title=Concepcion by Albert Samaha: 2021 Autobiography Finalist |url=https://www.bookcritics.org/2022/02/11/concepcion-by-albert-samaha-2021-autobiography-finalist/ |access-date=2024-09-21 |website=National Book Critics Circle |language=en-US}}
In April 2023 he lost his job when Buzzfeed laid off 15% of the company staff and shut down Buzzfeed News.{{cite web |last1=Castillo |first1=Amaris |title=As BuzzFeed cuts its newsroom, journalists react with shock, sadness |url=https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2023/buzzfeed-news-shut-down-staff-react/ |website=Poynter |date=20 April 2023 |access-date=20 September 2024}} Samaha joined the Washington Post as an investigative reporter for the sports section in July 2023.{{cite web |last=Murray |first=Jason |date=2023-07-13 |title=Albert Samaha joins The Washington Post as a sports investigative reporter |url=https://www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/albert-samaha-joins-the-washington-post-as-a-sports-investigative-reporter,244741 |access-date=20 September 2024 |website=Editor & Publisher}}
Accolades
- 2018 – Winner, AudioFile Earphones Award (for Never Ran, Never Will audiobook)
- 2019 – Winner, Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grant{{Cite web |title=Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grant |url=https://www.whiting.org/writers/creative-nonfiction-grant |access-date=2024-09-21 |website=www.whiting.org}}
- 2019 – Finalist, PEN/ESPN Literary Sports Writing Award (for Never Ran, Never Will){{Cite web |last= |date=2019-01-15 |title=Announcing the 2019 PEN America Literary Awards Finalists |url=https://pen.org/2019finalists/ |access-date=2024-09-21 |website=PEN America |language=en-US}}
- 2019 – Winner, New York Society Library Hornblower Award (for Never Ran, Never Will)
- 2021 – Finalist, National Book Critics Circle Award for Memoir and Autobiography (for Concepcion)
- 2023 – Finalist, Livingston Award for Excellence in Local Reporting{{Cite web |date=2023-04-28 |title=Livingston Awards finalists announced |url=https://news.umich.edu/livingston-awards-finalists-announced/ |access-date=2024-09-20 |website=University of Michigan News |language=en-US}}
Books
- {{Cite book |last=Samaha |first=Albert |title=Never Ran, Never Will: Boyhood and Football in a Changing American Inner City |date=2018-09-04 |publisher=PublicAffairs |isbn=9781610398688 |language=English}}
- {{Cite book |last=Samaha |first=Albert |title=Concepcion: Conquest, Colonialism, and an Immigrant Family's Fate |date=2021-10-12 |publisher=Riverhead Books |isbn=9780593086087 |language=English}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.albertsamaha.com/ Official website]
- [https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/albert-samaha/ Albert Samaha] at The Washington Post
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Samaha, Albert}}
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:21st-century American journalists
Category:American journalists of Asian descent
Category:Journalists from California
Category:University of California, San Diego alumni
Category:Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alumni
Category:American writers of Filipino descent
Category:Writers from Vallejo, California
Category:American male journalists
Category:American writers of Lebanese descent