Nicholas von Hoffman

Nicholas von Hoffman ( born October 16, 1929 in New York City ) is an American journalist, author and columnist. After working at the Washington Post writes today for the " New York Observer".

Life

Nicholas von Hoffman is the son of the Russian General Carl von Hoffman. From Hoffman was working in the so-called " Union Stockyards " in Chicago. Later he worked as a political activist Saul Alinsky. Then he wrote for the " Chicago Daily News" before, could poach him Ben Bradlee, editor of the Washington Post.

He became better known as a commentator from the U.S. news program 60 Minutes, for which he has appeared in the " Point - Counterpoint ". However, he was in 1974 by Don Hewitt, the editorial director of the program sacked after he described then-President Richard Nixon as "a dead mouse on America 's kitchen floor".

In her memoirs wrote Katharine Graham, the publisher of the Washington Post:

"My life would have been much easier if Nicholas von Hoffman's columns were not published in the newspaper. [ ... ] I was sure that he necessarily belongs to the (Washington) Post. "

Works

Hoffman has written more than a dozen books. The best known are:

• Capitalist Fools: Tales of American Business, from Carnegie to Forbes to the Milken Gang, 1992
• Citizen Cohn, a biography of Roy Cohn, which was filmed by HBO, 1988
• Hoax: Why Americans Are Suckered by White House Lies, 2004

Hoffman wrote the libretto of the opera " Nicholas and Alexandra" the composer Deborah Drattell, which was listed in the Los Angeles Opera in the 2003 /04 under the direction of Plácido Domingo.

Controversy

Shortly after the capture of Kabul, he made the prediction that the U.S. troops would be defeated immediately by the Taliban. In fact, the Taliban retreated and abandoned their stronghold of Kandahar.

In response to Hoffman's prediction was created by the British columnist and blogger Andrew Sullivan a parodic price, which he called " From Hoffman Award". It is awarded by him for "outstanding bad" forecasts.