Andrew Kramer
{{Short description|American journalist}}
{{Infobox person
| birth_place = Oakland, California, U.S.
| education = University of Pennsylvania (BA)
| occupation = Journalist
| employer = {{hlist||The New York Times}}
| spouse = Anna Nemtsova (Russian journalist)
| awards = Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting, 2017
}}
Andrew Kramer (also known as Andrew E. Kramer) is an American journalist who lived in Russia for more than 15 years and worked at the Moscow bureau of NYT.{{Cite web |date=2022-09-02 |title="We Write About the Ukrainians' Willingness to Break Away from Russia": Chief of the Ukrainian NYT Bureau on Work during the War |url=https://birdinflight.com/en/portrait/20220902-byuro-nyt.html |access-date=2023-11-12 |website=Bird in Flight |language=en-US}} Since July 2022 he is Head of The New York Times bureau in Kyiv.{{Cite web |last=foccusser |date=2022-07-25 |title=What will the pro-Russian journalist Andrew Kramer do in Ukraine? |url=https://ukrainetoday.org/2022/07/25/what-will-the-pro-russian-journalist-andrew-kramer-do-in-ukraine/ |access-date=2023-11-12 |website=Ukraine Today .org |language=en-US}}
Early life
Born in Oakland, California, USA. He graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1994 with a bachelor's degree in history.{{Cite web |last=Zain |first=Haneen |title=Alumnus covers breaking news in Ukraine |url=https://news.ucsc.edu/2022/05/andrew-cary.html |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=UC Santa Cruz News |language=en}} He received a master's degree in history from Oxford University.{{Cite web |title=Andrew E. Kramer – The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/by/andrew-e-kramer |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=www.nytimes.com |language=en}}
Career
He worked for the Associated Press in Portland, Oregon, and New York, as a researcher and news assistant for The Washington Post, and as a freelance reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle. In the summer of 1995, he worked for the Ukiah Daily Journal in Ukiah, California.{{Cite web |date=2022-07-22 |title=Andrew Kramer Named Ukraine Bureau Chief |url=https://www.nytco.com/press/andrew-kramer-named-ukraine-bureau-chief/ |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=The New York Times Company |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Tressel |first=Ashley |date=2017-04-20 |title=Ukiah native wins Pulitzer for reporting on Russian cyberwarfare |url=https://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/general-news/20170420/ukiah-native-wins-pulitzer-for-reporting-on-russian-cyberwarfare/ |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=The Ukiah Daily Journal |language=en-US}} In 2005, he joined The New York Times (NYT) as a correspondent for Business Day. Covered Iraq from 2007 to 2011. He lived and worked in Russia for more than 15 years. Worked at the NYT bureau in Moscow.
In 2017, a team of NYT journalists won the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting for a series of articles that included Kramer's article, "How Russia Hired Elite Hackers for Its Cyber War".
On July 22, 2022, it was announced that Kramer became the first NYT bureau chief in Ukraine.
Criticism
Some Ukrainian civil society figures accuse Kramer of pro-Russian views in his articles.{{Cite web |last=Зубченко |first=Ярослав |date=2022-08-01 |title=Civil war and nationalists. Things Andrew Kramer has been writing about Ukraine |url=https://detector.media/community/article/201469/2022-08-01-civil-war-and-nationalists-things-andrew-kramer-has-been-writing-about-ukraine/ |access-date=2023-11-12 |website=detector.media |language=uk}} He was also accused of viewing Ukraine through a colonial lens.{{Cite web |date=2022-07-28 |title=NYT misses chance to do better in Ukraine |url=https://thefix.media/2022/07/28/nyt-misses-chance-to-do-better-in-ukraine/ |access-date=2023-11-12 |website=The Fix |language=en}}
During 2020–2021, Kramer devoted a series of publications to the topic of fighting the coronavirus, and was accused by some Ukrainian media{{According to whom|date=February 2025}} of becoming a participant in the Russian propaganda campaign to popularize the Russian vaccine Sputnik V.{{Cite web |date=2021-01-09 |title=Журналист The New York Times привился российской вакциной «Спутник V» |url=https://www.rbc.ru/rbcfreenews/5ff9f75d9a7947fc9230d708 |access-date=2023-11-12 |website=РБК |language=ru}} Kramer wrote positively about the effectiveness of Russian medicines in the fight against the coronavirus and published a report on his own Sputnik V vaccination.{{Cite news |last=Kramer |first=Andrew E. |date=2021-01-08 |title=Why I Got the Russian Vaccine |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/08/world/europe/russian-vaccine.html |access-date=2023-11-12 |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web |date=2021-01-09 |title=Журналист Nеw York Times привился "Спутником V" |url=https://rg.ru/2021/01/09/zhurnalist-new-york-times-privilsia-sputnikom-v.html |access-date=2023-11-12 |website=Российская газета |language=ru}}
For nearly a decade, Kramer narrated Ukraine from the perspective of Moscow, often using phrases like "civil war" involving "Russian-backed separatists" rather than directly acknowledging a Russian invasion.{{Cn|date=February 2025}} His reporting during events like the 2008-2009 gas dispute predominantly presented Moscow’s arguments.{{According to whom|date=February 2025}} With the onset of the Revolution of Dignity, his focus on Ukraine increased, yet his portrayal frequently reflected a pro-Russian slant.{{According to whom|date=February 2025}} Kramer's accreditation by Russian occupiers and his inclusion in the "Myrotvorets" database further complicated his reputation in Ukraine.{{Cn|date=February 2025}}
Critics argue that his coverage often served Russian propaganda, such as his portrayal of occupied territories and his 2016 article mentioning "reporting both sides of the war, including the pro-Russian rebel side." In 2020, "Detector Media" highlighted Kramer's description of the war as "separatist." Despite these controversies, Kramer's more recent articles since the full-scale war started generally lack blatant manipulations. He now praises Ukraine’s authorities, reports on victories, and explains the country's stance against a ceasefire. However, his long-standing Moscow-centric perspective and past reporting have left a lasting impact on his reputation in Ukraine.{{Cite web |last=Зубченко |first=Ярослав |date=2022-07-27 |title=Громадянська війна та націоналісти. Що писав про Україну Ендрю Крамер |url=https://detector.media/community/article/201375/2022-07-27-gromadyanska-viyna-ta-natsionalisty-shcho-pysav-pro-ukrainu-endryu-kramer/ |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=detector.media |language=uk}}
Accusations of plagiarism
After Kramer received the Pulitzer Prize, Meduza editor-in-chief Ivan Kolpakov accused Kramer of plagiarism, saying that he used material from two reports by Meduza journalist Daniil Turovsky in his article, but did not provide both links.{{Cite web |title=«Медуза» обвинила The New York Times в плагиате |url=https://www.the-village.ru/city/situation/262568-meduza-nyt |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=The Village |language=ru}}{{Cite web |title=TJ |url=https://tjournal.ru/flood/43104-svoimi-slovami |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=tjournal.ru}}{{Cite news |title=Пулитцер за "разоблачение хищничества режима Путина". New York Times и российские СМИ поспорили об авторстве расследования |language=ru |work=BBC News Русская служба |url=https://www.bbc.com/russian/news-52535826 |access-date=2023-11-05}} Kramer ignored Kolpakov's comment. Journalist Oleg Kashin reacted to this by saying that if Kramer had received an award for retelling materials from First World publications, it would have caused a "huge scandal".{{Cite web |date=2017-04-11 |title=Репортёр New York Times получил Пулитцеровскую премию, но «Медуза» обвинила его в плагиате. Что происходит |url=https://medialeaks.ru/1104dalex-reportyor-new-york-times-poluchil-pulittserovskuyu-premiyu-no-meduza-obvinila-ego-v-plagiate-chto-proishodit/ |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=medialeaks.ru |language=ru-RU}}
Personal life
He is married to Russian journalist Anna Nemtsova. She has no relation to the killed Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov