Albert Samaha | |
|---|---|
| Born | Vallejo, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Language | English |
| Alma mater | University of San Diego (BA) Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism (MS) |
| Subject | Culture, inequality, criminal justice, memoir, sports |
| Notable works | Never Ran, Never Will |
| Website | |
| www | |
Albert Samaha is an American journalist. He was previously inequality editor at Buzzfeed News and currently works as an investigative reporter in sports at the Washington Post . He is the author of two books, Never Ran, Never Will (2018) and Concepcion (2021).
Samaha was born in Vallejo, California. [1] His mother was born and raised in a wealthy family in the Philippines. [2] Samaha's father is Lebanese, and met his mother in Saudi Arabia when she was a flight attendant. [2] Much of his maternal family immigrated to the United States around the same time as his mother, leaving their comfortable lifestyle behind. This included his uncle, Spanky Rigor, who was a member of the famous Manila sound group VST & Company before moving to America to work as a baggage handler. [3] Samaha's father lived in Paris; his parents divorced when he was a child. [4]
Samaha lived in Manila for kindergarten and then spent the rest of his childhood in northern California. [5] His family moved frequently, living in cities including San Francisco, San Mateo, and Sacramento. [5] Samaha was an athlete in his youth and played basketball, baseball, and football. [6] He received his bachelor’s degree in communication studies from the University of San Diego, where he was a defensive back on the football team. [7] He left the football team after two years and switched his focus to journalism. [1] Samaha attended Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism for his master’s degree. [8]
Samaha worked at alt weeklies in his early career, including Riverfront Times , San Francisco Weekly , and the Village Voice , where he covered criminal justice and learned the fundamentals of investigative reporting. [5] [1] In 2015 he was hired by Adam Serwer to work at Buzzfeed News just after it launched its criminal justice beat. [5] During his tenure he reported on inequality, culture, and policing. [9] [10]
Samaha's debut book Never Ran, Never Will focused on the Mo Better Jaguars, a youth football team in Brownsville, Brooklyn. [6] He spent two years of time with the players and coaches to prepare the manuscript. [6] The book received a starred review from Booklist , [11] and Samaha won the 2019 New York Society Library Hornblower Award. [12]
Samaha published an essay for Buzzfeed News on the election of Rodrigo Duterte that informed the direction of his second book, a memoir called Concepcion: Conquest, Colonialism, and an Immigrant Family's Fate. [10] The book centers his family's immigration from the Philippines to the United States. Kirkus Reviews described Concepcion as "an edifying, well-written narrative that provides an intimate perspective on the legacy of colonialism." [4] The book is called "Concepcion" after his maternal family's name. [1] Samaha was named a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in Autobiography. [13]
In April 2023 he lost his job when Buzzfeed laid off 15% of the company staff and shut down Buzzfeed News. [10] Samaha joined the Washington Post as an investigative reporter for the sports section in July 2023. [14]