Matthew Power
{{short description|American journalist (1974–2014)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Matthew Power
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1974|10|22}}
| birth_place = Middlebury, Vermont, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2014|03|10|1974|10|22}}
| death_place = Ajai Wildlife Reserve, Uganda
| occupation = Journalist
}}
Matthew "Matt" Power (October 22, 1974 – March 10, 2014) was an American journalist.
Early life and education
Power was born October 22, 1974, in Middlebury, Vermont and grew up in nearby Cornwall. His mother was Jane Steele. His father was John Power. He had two sisters, Julie Ruppert and Elizabeth Robison.{{cite news|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/12/business/media/matthew-power-celebrated-journalist-dies-at-39.html?_r=0|date=March 11, 2014|title=Matthew Power, Wide-Roving Journalist, Dies at 39|author=Noam Cohen }}
Power studied at Middlebury College and at Columbia University. He left Columbia before graduating to intern at Harper's Magazine.
Career
Power worked both as a print and broadcast journalist. His work appeared in such periodicals as GQ,{{cite news|url=https://www.gq.com/blogs/the-feed/2014/03/matthew-power-uganda-obituary.html|title=In Memoriam: Journalist Matthew Power's Compassionate Storytelling|first=Mike|last=Benoist| work=GQ| date=March 11, 2014}} Harper's Magazine,{{cite news|work=Harpers Magazine|url=http://harpers.org/author/matthewpower/|title=Matthew Power}} Men's Journal, National Geographic,{{cite news |last=Maniscalco |first=Giacomo |title=Prospect Heights journalist recounts triumphs and terrors of five-week-long motorcycle trek| url=http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/29/45/29_45mattpower.html |accessdate=March 12, 2014|newspaper=The Brooklyn Paper|date=November 18, 2006}} and The New York Times.{{cite news|title=Matthew Power (1974-2014)|url=http://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/collection/matthew-power-1974-2014-20140311|accessdate=March 12, 2014|newspaper=Men's Journal}} His articles were also collected in annual anthologies such as Best American Travel Writing and Best American Spiritual Writing, and he was a three-time finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists in international reporting. Additionally, WNYC noted Power "was considered one of the most vibrant, young voices in public radio".{{cite news|work=WNYC|date=July 17, 2014|title=Specials: Re:Sound: The Matt Power Show}}
Personal life
At the time he died, Power lived in Brooklyn, New York and was married to Jessica Benko.{{cite news|last=Siegel|first=Harry|title=Matthew Power, storyteller|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/matthew-power-storyteller-article-1.1718356|accessdate=March 12, 2014|newspaper=New York Daily News|date=March 11, 2014}}
Death
Power died in Uganda on March 10, 2014,{{Cite news | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-04-11/no-way-is-matt-power-gone | title=No Way is Matt Power Gone | newspaper=Bloomberg.com | date=11 April 2014 }} at age 39, while working on an assignment for Men's Journal. He had been accompanying British explorer Levison Wood, who was trekking along the Nile in a year-long attempt to become the first person to walk the length of that river, when Power unexpectedly suffered from severe heatstroke while walking in the bush and died within hours before help could arrive.
Matthew Power Literary Reporting Award
In honor of Power, New York University established the Matthew Power Literary Reporting Award in 2015. Since then, the annual award has supported the work of non-fiction writers.{{cite web|url=https://journalism.nyu.edu/about-us/awards-and-fellowships/matthew-power-literary-reporting-award/|title=Matthew Power Literary Reporting Award|work=New York University|accessdate=June 8, 2019}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://matthewpower.net Official website]
- {{cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/journalist-matthew-power-dies-uganda-death-heatstroke_n_4942734|title=Matthew Power Dead: Journalist Dies While On Assignment In Uganda|work=HuffPost|first=Hunter|last=Stuart|date=March 11, 2014|accessdate=June 8, 2019}}
- {{cite web|url=http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/243006/matthew-power-dies-in-uganda-outside-reports/|title=Matthew Power dies in Uganda|work=Poynter|first=Andrew|last=Beaujon|date=March 11, 2014|accessdate=June 8, 2019|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009182417/http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/243006/matthew-power-dies-in-uganda-outside-reports/|archivedate=October 9, 2014}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Power, Matthew}}
Category:American male journalists
Category:People from Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Category:People from Middlebury, Vermont