Herbert, Bob

Bob Herbert, in full Robert Herbert, (born March 7, 1945, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.), American journalist and commentator who was a liberal op-ed columnist for The New York Times (1993–2011).

Herbert grew up in Montclair, New Jersey. He began his career in journalism in 1970 as a reporter for The Star-Ledger in Newark, New Jersey; three years later he became the publication’s night city editor. From 1976 to 1985 Herbert worked as a reporter and an editor for the New York Daily News, where he joined the editorial board and became one of its columnists. He received a B.A. in journalism from Empire State College in 1988.

Herbert was a founding panelist of the weekly discussion show Sunday Edition that aired on the New York affiliate of the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) and served as the host of the weekly current-affairs show Hotline on New York public television. From 1991 to 1993 he worked for the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) television network as a national correspondent for The Today Show, a morning news program, and the NBC Nightly News. He joined The New York Times as an op-ed columnist in 1993 and wrote about politics, urban affairs, and social trends. In 2011 Herbert left the newspaper and became a fellow at Demos, a progressive think tank. He also began writing for The American Prospect magazine.

Herbert taught at Brooklyn College and at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He wrote Promises Betrayed: Waking Up from the American Dream (2005), which examines ways in which American society has failed to treat all citizens equally and fairly, and Losing Our Way: An Intimate Portrait of a Troubled America (2014), an exploration of the problems facing the United States, with stories of those who are struggling.