Alexander Heffner - Works Cited

BIO / WRITING / RADIO / TV

Contact writeheffner (at) gmail (dot) com, Tweet @ heffnera


ALEXANDER HEFFNER, a graduate of Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. and a senior studying history at Harvard, is a freelance journalist, political broadcaster and native New Yorker. He founded and edited SCOOP08 and SCOOP44, the first-ever online national student newspapers covering the 2008 presidential election and the Obama administration, respectively. For two years, he directed a nonprofit civic education and journalism initiative, designing and teaching an enrichment course in two under-served New York City classrooms. He is currently editor of SCOOP2012, a chronicle of young people's 2012 campaign journey, and a contributing analyst for SiriusXM Radio's POTUS channel. His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Boston Globe, Philadelphia Inquirer, Newsday, RealClearPolitics and Columbia Journalism Review, among other newspapers and magazines. He has been interviewed about American politics, education and other stories in the news by BBC, CNN, C-SPAN, FOX News, MSNBC, The New York Times and Reuters. He was political director and correspondent for WHRB 95.3 FM, Harvard's radio station, and host and managing editor of The Political Arena with Alexander Heffner, a Sunday afternoon public affairs broadcast.


Live reporting & analysis on BBC America, CBS, CNN (inaugurally and later), C-SPAN and Martha Stewart / Coverage of SCOOP08's birth in The New York Times, National Review and BBC; chronicles of its campaign impact in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, McClatchy Newspapers and PBS / Talks at Harvard and Bryn Mawr / Co-authored eighth edition of A Documentary History of the United States (New American Library, 2009)

Super Bowl is not a strategic job creator, Salon
Obama on campus: All words, no action, New York Times
Why Kansas became conservative, Philadelphia Inquirer
The rise of America's gun, San Francisco Chronicle
'Cannibal Capitalism' shines light on Occupy, USA Today
Obama, Romney offer contrasting visions of elite education, New York Daily News
Warren is energizing young voters, Newsday
Chronicling the life of a feminist pioneer, Las Vegas Review-Journal
When romance drives terrorism, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
TR's last stand in the GOP, Washington Monthly/NH Union Leader
The enigma of 50 states, Buffalo News
Imagine if Obama assembled this team, Tampa Bay Times
Who will win in 2012? The smile can tell, RealClearPolitics
Big myth on campus, Boston Globe
Why not voter's ed?, Christian Science Monitor
Obama not sticking to campaign vision, CNN Opinion
Obama like FDR? Not at all, it turns out.
Freedom of Information Act needs a push
Mapping out a new route on Metro station names
The federal government is still too slow to hire
Scourge of human trafficking needs greater attention
Uganda could be close to an African Spring

The U.S. snatches hope away from visa applicants

The donor ethic
The Newshour news debate
Run Ronny run
D.C. reporters again fail to ask penetrating questions

Expanding the conversation?
TV news gone soft?!
The Thompson flirtation
Parsing a poll...in very different ways
MTP doubles down on Clinton book

Interview with Sec. LaHood: Infrastructure revolution 'afoot'
Interview with Sec. Donovan: HUD Secretary demands 'right kind of ownership' for millennials
Interview with Sen. Kaufman: ex-Biden counselor urges youth to 'engineer our future'
Interview with Chris Lu: Obama's ex-chief of staff mans cabinet from the West Wing
Iranian youth speak: Government disenfranchised us
Twenty-five percent of college grads say degree not worth the cost
Dean of White House camera crew enlivens briefings
Younger Americans embrace Obama-style diplomacy
Obama's academic background could influence court picks
(links offline; please contact for PDFs.)


The Political Arena, the erstwhile public affairs and politics broadcast, aired on WHRB and WPAA.

Coverage of Election Night 2008; Past Editions: 1, 2, 3, 4

"Heffner's questions were superb — professional and to the point."
- Jim Lehrer, Executive Editor & Anchor, PBS's
The NewsHour

"The topic of conversation was my new book on the Middle East. The level of the discussion matched the most in-depth interviews I had conducted on the topic with leading media programs."
- Vali Nasr, Professor of International Politics, Tufts University


"Heffner is a rising star. Heffner is without a doubt one of the most thorough and thoughtful political hosts in the country — at any age. He is exceptionally well-prepared, talented and extremely resourceful. Heffner’s personal style brings the best elements of Edward R. Murrow, Jim Lehrer and Chris Matthews together to create his own unique brand of political journalism for the next generation."
- Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director, Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)

"Heffner is as well informed as any so-called professional talk show host and it was a pleasure chatting him up and trying like heck NOT to get stumped by him."
- Chuck Todd, Chief White House Correspondent & Political Director, NBC News

Watch Young American Voters and the Coming Presidential Election on PBS. See more from The Open Mind.






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