Richard Stengel#Early life and education

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Richard Stengel

| nickname = Rick

| office = 8th Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs

| president = Barack Obama

| image = Richard Stengel 2014.jpg

| term_start = February 14, 2014

| term_end = December 8, 2016

| predecessor = Tara Sonenshine

| successor = Steve Goldstein

| office1 = Chairperson and CEO of the National Constitution Center

| term_start1 = March 1, 2004

| term_end1 = June 1, 2006

| predecessor1 = Joe Torsella

| successor1 = Joe Torsella

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|5|2}}

| birth_place = {{nowrap|New York City, U.S.}}

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = Democratic

| spouse = Mary Pfaff

| children = 2

| education = Princeton University (BA)
Christ Church, Oxford

}}

Richard Allen "Rick" Stengel (born May 2, 1955) is an American editor, author, and former government official.{{Cite web|date=2006-05-17|title='Time' Names 16th Managing Editor: Richard Stengel|url=https://adage.com/article/media/time-names-16th-managing-editor-richard-stengel/109256|access-date=2021-09-14|website=Ad Age|language=en}} He was Time magazine's 16th managing editor from 2006 to 2013.{{cite news |title=Richard Stengel Is Chosen to Be Top Editor at Time |author=Katharine Q. Seelye |newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 18, 2006 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/18/business/media/18time.html?_r=1 |access-date=November 3, 2010}} He was also chief executive of the National Constitution Center from 2004 to 2006, and served as President Obama's Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs from 2014 to 2016.{{cite news |title=Paper: Time magazine editor to be new National Constitution Center president |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=Associated Press |date=February 2, 2004}}{{Cite web|last1=Pompeo|first1=Joe|last2=Byers|first2=Dylan|title=Stengel leaving Time for State Dept.|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/richard-stengel-leaving-time-state-department-096732|access-date=2021-09-14|website=POLITICO|date=September 12, 2013 |language=en}}{{cite web|title=Foreign Service Retirements, and State Department Farewells and Departures|url=https://diplopundit.net/2016/12/08/foreign-service-retirements-and-state-department-farewells-and-departures/|date=December 8, 2016|access-date=December 8, 2016}} Stengel has written a number of books, including a collaboration with Nelson Mandela on Mandela's autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom.{{cite news |title=Journalist Paints a South African Reality |author=Anne Marie Welsh |newspaper=San Diego Union-Tribune |date=May 20, 1990}}{{cite news |title=Ghost Writer Hired To Speed Way Of Mandela Story |first=David|last=Beresford |newspaper=The Guardian (London)|date=November 13, 1992}}

His 2019 book, Information Wars: How we Lost the Battle Against Disinformation and What to Do About It, recounts his time in the State Department countering Russian disinformation and ISIS propaganda.{{cite book |last1=Stengel |first1=Richard |title=Information Wars |publisher=Grove Atlentic}} In December 2022, Audible released Stengel's 10-part podcast, Mandela: The Lost Tapes, which uses more than 60 hours of taped interviews Stengel did with Mandela for Long Walk to Freedom.{{Cite news |last=Soloski |first=Alexis |date=2022-11-30 |title=In 'Mandela: The Lost Tapes,' a Veteran Journalist Finds Himself |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/30/arts/richard-stengel-mandela-lost-tapes.html |access-date=2023-05-31 |issn=0362-4331}}

Early life and education

Stengel was born in New York City into a Jewish family, and raised in Westchester County where he attended Scarsdale High School.{{Cite web|title=Are Jews the New WASPs? {{!}} Joe Carter|url=https://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts/2010/05/are-jews-the-new-wasps|access-date=2020-11-18|website=First Things|date=May 11, 2010 |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Jr |first=Robert Mcg Thomas |date=1976-12-21 |title=2 Scarsdale High Graduates Among 32 Rhodes Scholars |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/12/21/archives/2-scarsdale-high-graduates-among-32-rhodes-scholars.html |access-date=2023-05-31 |issn=0362-4331}}

He attended Princeton University and played on the Princeton Tigers basketball team as part of the 1975 National Invitation Tournament.{{cite web |url=http://www.timewarner.com/corp/newsroom/pr/0,20812,1194937,00.html |title=Richard Stengel Named Managing Editor of Time |date=May 17, 2006 |work=Time Warner |access-date=November 3, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060524022158/http://www.timewarner.com/corp/newsroom/pr/0,20812,1194937,00.html |archive-date=May 24, 2006 }} He graduated magna cum laude in 1977. After college, he won a Rhodes Scholarship and studied English and history at Christ Church, Oxford.

Career

=Early career=

Stengel joined Time in 1981 and contributed to the magazine through the early and mid-1980s, including articles on South Africa, which he also covered for Rolling Stone magazine. He became a senior writer and essayist for Time, covering both the 1988 and 1996 presidential campaigns.

While working for Time, Stengel also wrote for The New Yorker, The New Republic, Spy, and the New York Times and appeared on television as a commentator. Using his experiences as a journalist as a basis, in 1999 Stengel became a Ferris Professor at Princeton teaching a course on "Politics and the Press". He was one of the original on-air contributors for MSNBC.{{cite web |url=http://www.richardstengel.com/bio.html |title=Author's Bio |first=Richard |last=Stengel |work=richardstengel.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050213172915/http://richardstengel.com/bio.html |archive-date=February 13, 2005 |access-date=November 24, 2010 |url-status=dead }}

Stengel left Time in 1999, to become a senior advisor and chief speechwriter for Bill Bradley who ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for the 2000 presidential election.

=Time.com=

Stengel returned to Time in 2000 and took on the role of managing editor of Time.com. As announced by Time Inc. in May 2000, Stengel replaced Richard Duncan in the role and took on the responsibilities of overseeing news coverage and editorial content.{{cite news |title=Time Inc. Leafs Through Top Exex |author=K.D. Shirkani |newspaper=Daily Variety |date=May 11, 2000 }} He later held several other roles at Time, including a period as national editor of the magazine.

=National Constitution Center=

Stengel left his role as national editor of Time in February 2004{{cite news |title=Time National Editor Quits for Museum Job |author=Keith J. Kelly |newspaper=The New York Post |date=February 3, 2004}} to become the president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, a museum and education center in Philadelphia on March 1, 2004. He succeeded Joe Torsella (who resigned and unsuccessfully sought a seat in the U.S. House from the 13th district) in the position, with the role of raising the center's profile, adding to its endowment, and increasing the number of visitors.

At the Constitution Center, Stengel was responsible for starting the Peter Jennings Institute, offering constitutional training for journalists;{{cite web |url=http://constitutioncenter.org/jennings/bios/stengel.html |title=Richard Stengel |work=ConstitutionCenter.org |access-date=December 1, 2010 |archive-date=November 23, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101123092137/http://constitutioncenter.org/jennings/bios/Stengel.html |url-status=dead }} a founding partnership with Constitution High School, a School District of Philadelphia public school for students interested in history and government; summer teacher institutes; and brought the Liberty Medal to the organization.{{cite news |title=Liberty Medal nears its independence |author=Joseph A. Slobodzian |newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer |date=May 12, 2006}}

= Managing editor of ''Time'' =

In 2006, Stengel once again returned to Time, this time as managing editor of the magazine. The appointment was announced on May 17, 2006, by the editor in chief of Time Inc., John Huey, and he officially entered the role on June 15, 2006 as the 16th managing editor of the magazine, which was in its 83rd year at the time. In his role as managing editor, he oversaw Time Magazine and Time.com, as well as Time Books, and Time for Kids.{{cite news |title=Time's Managing Editor Stengel to Deliver Bullion Lecture on April 21 |newspaper=Targeted News Service |date=April 9, 2008}}

His first major initiative was to change the magazine's news-stand date to Friday, starting in early 2007.{{cite web |url=http://www.iwantmedia.com/people/people61.html |title=Richard Stengel: 'All the Rules Are Being Remade' |first=Patrick |last=Phillips |date=August 28, 2006 |work=I Want Media.com |access-date=November 3, 2010 |archive-date=December 2, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202074143/http://www.iwantmedia.com/people/people61.html |url-status=dead }} Following this, Stengel implemented an ambitious graphic redesign{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/12/business/media/12time.html |title=With Redesign of Time, Sentences Run Forward |author=Katharine Q. Seelye |date=March 12, 2007 |work=The New York Times |access-date=December 5, 2010}} and changes in the magazine's content, stating that he wanted the magazine to be more selective and to give the reader "knowledge" rather than "undigested information". He increased reporting on war and politics. In his first year as managing editor, he selected "You" – short for user-generated-content – as Time's "Person of the Year", which was the subject of much media coverage and debate.{{cite web |url=http://nymag.com/news/features/28976/ |title=The Time of Their Lives |first=Joe|last=Hagan |date=March 4, 2007 |publisher=New York Magazine |access-date=November 3, 2010}} In 2010, Time chose another social media-oriented "Person of the Year", Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.{{cite news |title=Person of the Year 2010: Mark Zuckerberg |first=Lev|last=Grossman |url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2036683_2037183,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215133743/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2036683_2037183,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 15, 2010 |magazine=Time |date=December 15, 2010 |access-date=December 15, 2010}}

In 2008, Stengel approved the changing of Time{{'}}s emblematic red border for only the second time since its adoption. The border was changed to green for a special issue focused on the environment.{{cite news |title=Why We're Going Green |first=Richard|last=Stengel |magazine=Time |date=April 17, 2008 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1731899,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080418022135/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1731899,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 18, 2008 }} The cover, which included an altered version of Joe Rosenthal's iconic Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima photograph—substituting a tree for the American flag — was criticized by some veterans groups. Explaining the analogy, Stengel stated his belief that there "needs to be an effort along the lines of preparing for World War II to combat global warming and climate change".{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/18/iwo-jima-vets-slam-emtime_n_97381.html |title=Iwo Jima Vets Slam Time Cover, Dismiss Global Warming As "A Joke" |date=April 18, 2008 |work=The Huffington Post |access-date=November 3, 2010}}

Under his leadership, Time has reported on significant world events such as its coverage of the Iraq war, which he describes in an editorial as necessary in order to remind people not to "turn away",{{cite news |title=Why We Do What We Do |first=Richard|last=Stengel |newspaper=Time |date=August 6, 2006 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1223366,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060814033827/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1223366,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 14, 2006 |access-date=December 1, 2010}}

and the 2008 presidential campaign.{{cite news |title=The Final Lap |first=Richard|last=Stengel |newspaper=Time |date=October 31, 2010 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1855327,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121203115/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1855327,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 21, 2008 |access-date=December 1, 2010}}

Following the election, president-elect Barack Obama was selected by Stengel as "Person of the Year" for Obama's 14th appearance on Time{{'}}s cover in 2008.{{cite web |url=http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2008/12/17/4432215-obama-appeared-on-half-of-time-covers |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110109105158/http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2008/12/17/4432215-obama-appeared-on-half-of-time-covers |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 9, 2011 |title=Obama appeared on half of Time covers |first=Domenico|last=Montanaro |date=December 17, 2008 |work=First Read |publisher=MSNBC |access-date=December 1, 2010}} Stengel writes editorials for Time, including a 2010 piece explaining their use on Time's cover of a portrait of an 18-year-old Afghan woman whose nose and ears had been cut off by the Taliban as a punishment for running away from her in-laws.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2007269,00.html#ixzz149KRqkqQ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100731053019/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2007269,00.html#ixzz149KRqkqQ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 31, 2010 |title=The Plight of Afghan Women: A Disturbing Picture |first=Richard|last=Stengel |date=July 29, 2010 |magazine=Time |publisher=Time Inc. |access-date=November 3, 2010}} For a Time cover story in December 2010, he interviewed WikiLeaks spokesperson Julian Assange over Skype, in which Assange called for the resignation of United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.{{cite news |title=TIME's Managing Editor on WikiLeaks |first=Richard|last=Stengel |magazine=Time |date=December 2, 2010 |url=http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2034314,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206025550/http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2034314,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 6, 2010 |access-date=December 7, 2010}}

Stengel was listed as number 41 on Newsweek{{'}}s 2010 "Power 50" list in November 2010.{{cite web |url=http://www.newsweek.com/2010/11/01/power-list-profiles/richard-stengel.html |title=Newsweek's Power 50 |date=November 1, 2010 |work=Newsweek.com |access-date=November 3, 2010 |archive-date=November 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101104014459/http://www.newsweek.com/2010/11/01/power-list-profiles/richard-stengel.html |url-status=dead }} He regularly appears on CNN and MSNBC news programs.{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/19/rick-stengel-shows-up-in-_n_687726.html|title=Rick Stengel Shows Up In a Sling to 'Morning Joe' |first=Danny|last=Shea |date=August 19, 2010 |work=The Huffington Post |access-date=November 4, 2010}}

In 2012, Stengel received a News & Documentary Emmy Award for his work as executive producer on Time.com's Beyond 9/11: Portraits of Resilience{{cite web |url=http://www.emmyonline.org/mediacenter/news_33rd_winners.html |title=National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announces winners at the 33rd Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards |date=October 1, 2012 |work=emmyonline.com |publisher=National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences |access-date=May 16, 2013}}{{cite news |title=TIME Wins Emmy Award for "Beyond 9/11: Portraits of Resilience" |url=https://newsfeed.time.com/2012/10/02/time-wins-emmy-award-for-beyond-911-portraits-of-resilience/ |magazine=Time |date=October 2, 2012 |access-date=May 16, 2013}} and, on behalf of Time Magazine, Stengel accepted the "Magazine of the Year" award at the National Magazine Awards.{{cite news |title=National Magazine Awards 2012: 'Time' Grabs Top Prize; 'New York' Wins Three |first=Michael|last=Calderone |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/04/national-magazine-award-winners-2012_n_1477016.html |work=The Huffington Post |date=May 4, 2012 |access-date=May 16, 2013}}{{cite news |title='Time' is Magazine of the Year |first=Lucia|last=Moses |url=http://www.adweek.com/news/press/time-magazine-year-140026 |work=Adweek |date=May 3, 2012 |access-date=May 16, 2013}} In May of the same year, Stengel interviewed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a cover story of his that referred to Netanyahu as the "King of Israel".{{cite news |title=Time puts PM on its cover, imagines him arguing with God, quotes him calling Iran civilization's 'greatest threat' |url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/time-puts-netanyahu-on-its-cover-imagines-him-arguing-with-god-quotes-him-calling-iran-civilizations-greatest-threat/ |work=The Times of Israel |access-date=May 16, 2013}}{{cite news |title=TIME crowns Netanyahu as the 'king of Israel' |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/time-crowns-netanyahu-as-the-king-of-israel-1.431105 |work=Haaretz |date=May 17, 2012 |access-date=May 20, 2013}} In November 2012, Stengel conducted an interview with Mohamed Morsi after he became Egypt's president.{{cite news |title=Time Magazine Interviews Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi |author1=Richard Stengel |author2=Bobby Ghosh |author3=Karl Vick |url=https://world.time.com/2012/11/28/an-interview-with-egypts-president-mohamed-morsi-were-learning-how-to-be-free/ |magazine=Time |date=November 28, 2012 |access-date=May 16, 2013}} Among other coverage, the interview drew media attention for Morsi's remarks on the 1968 science fiction film Planet of the Apes.{{cite news |last=Fisher |first=Max |date=November 28, 2012 |title=Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi holds forth on 'Planet of the Apes' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/11/28/egyptian-president-mohamed-morsi-holds-forth-on-planet-of-the-apes/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190218201940/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2012/11/28/egyptian-president-mohamed-morsi-holds-forth-on-planet-of-the-apes/ |archive-date=February 18, 2019 |access-date=May 20, 2013 |newspaper=The Washington Post }}{{cite news |last=Bach |first=Natasha |date=November 30, 2012 |title=Egypt's Mohamed Morsi Gave An Incredibly Revealing Interview This Week |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/president-morsis-interview-with-time-2012-11 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130727104557/http://www.businessinsider.com/president-morsis-interview-with-time-2012-11 |archive-date=July 27, 2013 |access-date=May 20, 2013 |work=Business Insider}}

File:160427-S-ZZ999-999 Richard Stengel in Abu Dhabi Sawab Center April 2016.JPG

On September 12, 2013, Stengel announced he would be leaving TIME magazine for a role as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, the role responsible for leading "America's public diplomacy outreach, which includes communications with international audiences, cultural programming, academic grants, educational exchanges, international visitor programs, and U.S. Government efforts to confront ideological support for terrorism," according to the State Department's website.{{cite web| url = http://yemen.usembassy.gov/news-events.html| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110721072112/http://yemen.usembassy.gov/news-events.html| archive-date = 2011-07-21| title = News and Events {{!}} Embassy of the United States Sana'a, Yemen}}

= Government service =

Stengel served as President Obama's Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs from 2014 to 2016. Stengel modernized the State Department's communications efforts, including getting all embassies on social media and using new digital platforms to help America tell its story abroad.{{cite web |last1=McEvers |first1=Kelly |title=State Department Doubles Down On Anti-ISIS Messaging |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=387822947 |website=NPR}} Stengel led the department's counter-disinformation efforts, which included managing State's counter-ISIS messaging center, The Center for Strategic Counter Terrorism Communications, and started the first counter Russian disinformation hub at the department. That ultimately led to an executive order creating the Global Engagement Center, tasked with countering disinformation globally.{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=Greg |title=In a propaganda war against ISIS, the U.S. tried to play by the enemy's rules |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/in-a-propaganda-war-us-tried-to-play-by-the-enemys-rules/2015/05/08/6eb6b732-e52f-11e4-81ea-0649268f729e_story.html}} He also helped create a joint effort between the Peace Corps and the State Department called “English for All,” a whole-of-government effort to teach English around the world. In December 2016, Stengel became the longest serving Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy in American history.

In November 2020, Stengel was named a member of the Joe Biden presidential transition Agency Review Team to support transition efforts related to the U.S. Agency for Global Media.{{cite web |title=Agency Review Teams |url=https://buildbackbetter.com/the-transition/agency-review-teams/ |access-date=10 November 2020 |website=President-Elect Joe Biden |archive-date=August 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220828180800/https://www.whitehouse.gov/ |url-status=dead }}

= Other =

Stengel was a strategic adviser at Snap, Inc. from 2017 to 2021, working primarily on communications.{{cite web |last1=Heath |first1=Alex |title=Snapchat hires senior state department official Rick Stengel to deepen its ties with Washington |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/snapchat-hires-rick-stengel-to-be-senior-advisor-2017-1 |website=Business Insider}}

Stengel is currently an on-air analyst for MSNBC and NBC who comments on political news of the day.{{cite web |last1=Carlton |first1=Royce |title=ANNOUNCING RICHARD STENGEL, MSNBC COMMENTATOR & FORMER UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE |url=https://roycecarlton.com/announcing-richard-stengel-msnbc-commentator-former-under-secretary-of-state/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170529060129/http://roycecarlton.com/announcing-richard-stengel-msnbc-commentator-former-under-secretary-of-state/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=May 29, 2017 |website=RCI|date=May 25, 2017 }} Stengel is also a member of the board of directors of CARE, the global humanitarian and poverty relief organization.{{cite web |title=Board of Directors |url=https://www.care.org/about/people/board |website=CARE.org}}

National Service Movement

In September 2007, Stengel wrote a Time cover story called "The Case For National Service" in which he argued that Americans needed to redouble their efforts to get involved in community service and volunteerism, and that the presidential candidates needed to make the issue a top priority in the 2008 presidential campaign.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1657256_1657317,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070901125921/http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1657256_1657317,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 1, 2007 |title=The Case For National Service |first=Richard|last=Stengel |date=August 30, 2007 |magazine=Time |publisher=Time Inc. |access-date=November 5, 2010}} Through this essay, he became involved with national service groups Be the Change, City Year, Civic Enterprises, and others to form ServiceNation, a coalition of more than 100 organizations dedicated to promoting national service and volunteerism.{{cite web |url=http://www.bethechangeinc.org/pages/the-vision/ |title=Vision |work=Be The Change Inc.org |publisher=ServiceNation |access-date=November 5, 2010 |archive-date=October 30, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101030164352/http://www.bethechangeinc.org/pages/the-vision |url-status=dead }}

ServiceNation announced that it had secured both U.S. presidential candidates to participate in Presidential Forum on National Service at Columbia University on September 11, 2008.{{cite news |title=John McCain, Barack Obama slated for 9/11 public service forum |first=Adam |last=Lisberg |newspaper=NY Daily News |date=August 21, 2008 |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/08/21/2008-08-21_john_mccain_barack_obama_slated_for_911_.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120904214241/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/08/21/2008-08-21_john_mccain_barack_obama_slated_for_911_.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 4, 2012 |access-date=November 5, 2010 }} Stengel served as co-moderator of the forum, along with PBS journalist Judy Woodruff, and both Senators Barack Obama and John McCain answered questions in front of a live audience at Columbia University about their plans for national service.{{cite news |title=The Spirit of Public Service |newspaper=The New York Times |date=September 12, 2008 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/13/opinion/13sat3.html?_r=1&oref=slogin |access-date=November 5, 2010}}{{cite web |url=http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/politics/cable_nets_to_carry_presidential_forum_94146.asp?c=rss |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104070215/http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/politics/cable_nets_to_carry_presidential_forum_94146.asp?c=rss |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 4, 2013 |title=Cable Nets to Carry Presidential Forum |first=Chris |last=Ariens |date=September 10, 2008 |work=MediaBistro |publisher=WebMediaBrands |access-date=November 5, 2010 }}

On September 12, 2008, Stengel was a featured speaker at the ServiceNation Summit in New York, along with Caroline Kennedy, Senator Hillary Clinton, First Lady Laura Bush and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.{{cite news |title=National Service Summit Set For New York City |newspaper=The Non-Profit Times |date=July 21, 2008 |url=http://www.nptimes.com/08July/news-080721-1.html |access-date=November 5, 2010 |archive-date=June 14, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090614054750/http://www.nptimes.com/08July/news-080721-1.html |url-status=dead }} In February 2009, he testified alongside Usher Raymond, former U.S. Senator Harris Wofford and others, in front of the United States House Committee on Education and Labor about the importance of national service,{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/25/times-stengel-calls-for-a_n_169950.html |title=Time's Stengel Calls For Action On National Service Bill |first=Ryan|last=Grim |date=February 25, 2009 |work=The Huffington Post |access-date=November 5, 2010}} leading to the passage of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act (H.R. 1388). Among other provisions, the bill helped to establish a Summer of Service Program, increase the number of AmeriCorps opportunities and establish a nationwide Call to Service Campaign.{{cite press release |title=Highlights of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act |url=http://www.nationalservice.gov/about/newsroom/releases_detail.asp?tbl_pr_id=1283 |publisher=Corporation for National & Community Service |date=March 30, 2009 |access-date=December 7, 2010 |archive-date=May 11, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511100112/http://www.nationalservice.gov/about/newsroom/releases_detail.asp?tbl_pr_id=1283 |url-status=dead }}

Stengel was awarded Citizen of the Year at the Annual National Conference on Citizenship on September 17, 2010.{{cite web |url=http://www.ncoc.net/103k34 |title=Rick Stengel is 2010 Citizen of the Year |date=May 19, 2010 |work=ncoc.net |publisher=National Conference on Citizenship |access-date=July 3, 2013}} He has also been presented with the 2010 Lifetime of Idealism Award, awarded to him by City Year Washington, D.C. for "his commitment to promoting and expanding opportunities for Americans to serve".{{cite web |url=http://www.cityyear.org/washingtondc_ektid2071.aspx |title=Idealism In Action Gala |work=CityYear.org |access-date=December 1, 2010 |archive-date=November 16, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101116022607/http://www.cityyear.org/washingtondc_ektid2071.aspx |url-status=dead }}

Published works

Stengel has authored several books. His first was January Sun: One Day, Three Lives, A South African Town, a non-fiction work about the lives of three men in rural South Africa, published in 1990.

Stengel is best known for is his collaboration with Nelson Mandela on Mandela's autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom. In 1992, he signed a ghostwriting deal with publishers Little, Brown to work on the book, having first been cleared by the African National Congress as a suitable author. The book was published in 1995, and was praised by the Financial Times, which stated: "Their collaboration produced surely one of the great autobiographies of the 20th century".{{cite news |last=Russell |first=Alec |date=July 24, 2010 |title=Mandela's magic |newspaper=Financial Times |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/9813073e-95e8-11df-bbb4-00144feab49a.html#axzz16yAi0H00 |access-date=December 2, 2010}} Stengel later served as co-producer of the 1996 documentary film Mandela, which was nominated for an Academy Award.

In 2000, Stengel published You're Too Kind: A Brief History of Flattery, a popular history of flattery.{{cite news |title=Book Review: "You're Too Kind: A Brief History Of Flattery" |first=Jonathan|last=Yardley |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=June 11, 2000}}

Mandela's Way: Fifteen Lessons on Life, Love and Courage was released in March 2010 and is based on Stengel's personal interactions with Nelson Mandela.{{Cite web |url=http://www.mandelasway.com/ |title=Mandela's Way official website |access-date=December 10, 2014 |archive-date=December 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220055141/http://www.mandelasway.com/ |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://washingtonscene.thehill.com/party-events-pictures/archive/3235-book-party-for-time-editor-richard-stengel |title=Book party for Time Editor Richard Stengel |first=Christina |last=Wilkie |date=March 2010 |work=The Hill |publisher=Capitol Hill Publishing |access-date=November 3, 2010 |archive-date=June 5, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100605195314/http://washingtonscene.thehill.com/party-events-pictures/archive/3235-book-party-for-time-editor-richard-stengel |url-status=dead }} The book drew praise from former U.S. President Bill Clinton, as well as Deepak Chopra and Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

In 2012, Stengel edited and wrote the lead essay for the book The Constitution: The Essential User's Guide, which explored the relevance of the U.S. Constitution in modern-day events.{{cite web |url=http://www.dcmilitary.com/article/20121108/NEWS12/711089973/0/SEARCH |author=Youssef Aboul-Enein |title=The Constitution: The Essential User's Guide |date=November 8, 2012 |work=DCMilitary.com |access-date=May 22, 2013 |archive-date=December 11, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141211011542/http://www.dcmilitary.com/article/20121108/NEWS12/711089973/0/SEARCH |url-status=dead }}

In 2019, Stengel published Information Wars, which has been praised by Madeleine Albright, Walter Isaacson and Jon Meacham. It tells the story of his efforts to combat both Russian disinformation and ISIS messaging from the State Department, and the eventual formation of the Global Engagement Center, tasked with fighting the global epidemic of disinformation.{{cite book |last1=Stengel |first1=Richard |title=Information Wars |publisher=Grove Atlantic}} The book's final chapter details what can be done about disinformation.

In December 2022, Audible released Stengel's 10-part podcast, Mandela: The Lost Tapes, which uses more than 60 hours of taped interviews Stengel did with Mandela for Long Walk to Freedom. The tapes had never before been released in their entirety.{{Cite web |title=Mr Mandela witnesses handover of historical collections – Nelson Mandela Foundation |url=https://www.nelsonmandela.org/news/entry/mr-mandela-witnesses-handover-of-historical-collections |access-date=2023-05-31 |website=www.nelsonmandela.org |language=en-us}} The podcast tells the story of Mandela's life, the making of Long Walk to Freedom, and the unusual friendship between Mandela and Stengel. The podcast was covered by The New York Times, Washington Post, the Today Show, The Guardian, and The Times of London.{{Cite news |date=2022-12-13 |title=Richard Stengel on 'Mandela: The Lost Tapes' |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live/2022/12/12/richard-stengel-mandela-lost-tapes/ |access-date=2023-05-31 |issn=0190-8286}}{{Cite web |title=Never-before-heard Nelson Mandela tapes released in podcast |url=https://www.today.com/video/podcast-shines-light-on-never-before-heard-nelson-mandela-tapes-155684421549 |access-date=2023-05-31 |website=TODAY.com |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=David |date=2022-12-02 |title=Nelson Mandela podcast illuminates rare side of anti-apartheid activist |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/02/nelson-mandela-the-lost-tapes-podcast-richard-stengel |access-date=2023-05-31 |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite news |last=Stengel |first=Richard |date=2023-05-31 |title=Me, a tape recorder and my months working on Nelson Mandela's book |newspaper=The Times |language=en |url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/africa/article/me-a-tape-recorder-and-my-months-working-on-nelson-mandelas-book-6kxkpv6qk |access-date=2023-05-31 |issn=0140-0460}} AudioFile called it “a compelling work that makes history come alive.”{{Cite web |title=MANDELA THE LOST TAPES by Richard Stengel Ed Read by Nelson Mandela Richard Stengel {{!}} Audiobook Review |url=http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/229601/mandela-the-lost-tapes-by-richard-stengel-ed-read-by-nelson-mandela-richard-stengel/ |access-date=2023-05-31 |website=AudioFile Magazine |language=en}}

Personal life

Stengel is married to Mary Pfaff, a native of South Africa. They have two sons, Gabriel and Anton. The couple met while Stengel was in South Africa working on Nelson Mandela's autobiography. Mandela was godfather to their oldest son, Gabriel.{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jose-antonio-vargas/mandelas-way-richard-sten_b_518140.html |title=Richard Stengel On Mandela: Neither 'Terrorist' Nor Mother Teresa |author=Jose Antonio Vargas |date=March 30, 2010 |work=The Huffington Post |access-date=November 3, 2010}}

Honorary degrees

Stengel delivered the commencement address for and received honorary doctorates from Wittenberg University in 2009,{{cite web |url=http://www4.wittenberg.edu/news/2009/05_15.html |title=Wittenberg University Preps For 164th Commencement Exercises |date=May 15, 2009 |work=Wittenberg University |access-date=May 22, 2013 |archive-date=February 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222151936/http://www4.wittenberg.edu/news/2009/05_15.html |url-status=dead }} Wheaton College in 2011{{cite web|url=https://collegehistory.wheatoncollege.edu/twenty-first-century/2010s/richard-stengel-commencement-speaker/|title=Richard Stengel, Commencement Speaker|year=2011|work=Wheaton College|access-date=May 22, 2013}} and Butler University in 2012.{{cite news |title=TIME editor to speak at commencement |first=Kyler|last=Naylor |url=http://issuu.com/collegianeditor/docs/combinedpdf |work=The Butler Collegian |date=March 28, 2012 |access-date=May 20, 2013}}

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20120305182439/http://www.timemediakit.com/us/media/bios/stengel.html Official biography] from Time Inc.
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