Acting

Neil Sheehan

Cornelius Mahoney Sheehan, born on October 27, 1936, in Holyoke, Massachusetts, was a distinguished American journalist whose career left an indelible mark on war reporting and investigative journalism. He grew up on a dairy farm, the son of Irish immigrants, and went on to earn his bachelor's degree in history from Harvard University, graduating cum laude in 1958. Sheehan served in the U.S. Army from 1959 to 1962, during which he began his journalism career in the Tokyo bureau of United Press International (UPI).

Sheehan's notable contributions to journalism came during his time in Vietnam. Serving as UPI's Saigon bureau chief, he played a crucial role in exposing the truth during the Buddhist crisis of 1963, challenging the misleading narratives of the Ngô Đình Diệm regime. In 1964, he joined The New York Times, where he continued to cover the Vietnam War and gained a reputation for his fearless reporting.

In 1971, Sheehan made headlines by acquiring the Pentagon Papers from whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg. His reporting led to a landmark Supreme Court case, New York Times Co. v. United States, which affirmed the freedom of the press against government censorship.

Sheehan's literary prowess was recognized with a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award for his 1988 work, *A Bright Shining Lie*, which chronicled the life of Lieutenant Colonel John Paul Vann and the complexities of U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Neil Sheehan passed away on January 7, 2021, leaving behind a legacy of integrity and courage in journalism.

Read more