Ken Silverstein (business journalist)

Last updated

Ken Silverstein
Born United States
Occupation Journalist
LanguageEnglish
Nationality American
GenreJournalism, business

Ken Silverstein is an American business journalist who focuses on global energy issues, climate and environmental issues, and international economics.He has worked as a magazine writer, columnist, and editor, with contributions to various platforms including Forbes websites, [1] [2] and RealClear. [3] [4] His work has also appeared in several newspapers and magazines, such as The Christian Science Monitor . [5]

Contents

Biography

Silverstein received a BA and an MBA from Tulane University, and an MA in print journalism from American University. His first job in journalism was working in New York City as an intern for PBS's The McNeil/Lehrer Report in 1983, shortly before it expanded to The McNeil/Lehrer NewsHour. [6]

From the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, he covered the financial sector. He then shifted to the energy beat during the Enron Era. He became one of the first online energy columnists, analyses known as IssueAlert and EnergyBiz Insider. The column was picked up and reproduced by multiple news organizations.

He has been cited in the New York Times . [7]

He has provided energy, environmental, and trade coverage from Africa, China, Japan, Thailand, the Middle East, South America, and Europe. Silverstein has appeared on PBS' White House Chronicles with Llewellyn King to discuss his coverage of China. [8]

He has been a panelist at the United States Energy Association's virtual press events, discussing current events. [9] He has also been a guest on National Public Radio to discuss the shale gas boom occurring in the Marsellus Basin. [10] He has also appeared on CSPAN as part of the US Energy Association's virtual press briefings and for his coverage in the 1990s. [11]

In recent years, Silverstein has focused on the intersection of energy policy, geopolitics, and climate change. [12] He is a Senior Contributor to the Forbes website, where he regularly covers global energy issues, including oil, gas, nuclear energy, and the development of renewables. [13] His reporting often bridges business, diplomacy, and environmental impacts, such [14] as in his piece analyzing the Abraham Accords and their implications for regional energy cooperation, green technology, and Middle East stability. [15]

Silverstein has reported from across the Global South, including from Fiji, Colombia, and Belize. [16]

He has also spent time in the United Arab Emirates, Russia and Ukraine. He has contributed to regional and national outlets, including the Hawaii Tribune-Herald, Marin Independent Journal, Orlando Sentinel, Charleston Gazette-Mail, and MSN. [17]

Enron

Silverstein was part of a team that produced editorial projects for Primedia magazines during the early 2000s. That work focused on regulatory issues in California. As a columnist for IssueAlert, Silverstein focused on ethics, corporate culture, crisis mitigation, and Enron. At the time he placed part of the blame for the Enron crisis on the media. Enron and its impact on corporate conduct is a theme which Silverstein revisited on the Forbes website in May 2013 and EnergyBiz July 2013. [18]

Southern California Edison

In 2012 and 2013, Silverstein wrote a series of stories about Southern California Edison's nuclear operations in Southern California. Sources inside the company had told him confidentially that the utility had known of defects with its new steam generators several years before those same issues had caused small radiation leaks in 2012. [19]

Recent work and global reporting

Silverstein’s reporting has explored the geopolitical dimensions of climate action, including how international diplomacy intersects with energy markets. [20] He has closely followed figures such as French President Emmanuel Macron, whom he has described as a rising leader of the Free World, particularly in the context of U.S. isolationism and the redefinition of NATO’s role. [21]

In addition to high-level diplomacy, Silverstein has covered how economic pressures including the COVID-19 pandemic and falling oil prices have influenced energy transitions in places like the UAE. [14]

Awards and recognition

Media Industry News (MIN) listed Silverstein as one of 2012's "Most Intriguing People in Media." [22]

Silverstein was presented the Gold for Original Web Commentary by the American Society of Business Press Editors in 2012. ASBPE Award. [23]

Silverstein's column "Will the Nuclear Sector Rise Again?" for EnergyBiz Insider won a Media Industry News's 2011 Editorial & Design Awards for Best Online Column (b2b division). [24] In 2011 he was named a top economic and financial journalist by the nonprofit Wall Street Economists Institute project. [25]

Silverstein's article "Venezuela’s Power Grab" for EnergyBiz Insider was awarded the bronze for Original Web Commentary at the 2008 American Society of Business Publication Editors National Digital Awards. [26]

In 2016, [[]]Onalytica listed him as the forty-sixth top influencer on Twitter in the topic of renewable energy. [27]

References

  1. ↑ "Ken Silverstein". Forbes . Archived from the original on June 21, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Ken Silverstein | Forbes JAPAN 公式サイト（フォーブス ジャパン）". forbesjapan.com (in Japanese). Retrieved September 12, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Ken Silverstein | Author". RealClearEnergy. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
  4. ↑ https://www.forbeschina.com/business/58782?
  5. ↑ Silverstein, Ken (May 21, 2025). "Ken Silverstein: Tariffs won't revive old industries (Opinion)". Charleston Gazette-Mail.
  6. ↑ Silverstein, Ken (May 26, 2011). "Journalistic Principles Commentary: Tracing the Insider's Roots". EnergyBiz Insider. Archived from the original on April 4, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  7. ↑ Romero, Simon (July 12, 2003). "There Is Life After Enron; New Money Flows Into the Energy Trading Business". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  8. ↑ "PBS' White House Chronicles".
  9. ↑ "United States Energy Association". USEA. November 13, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Natural Gas Production". WOSU Public Media-NPR. June 21, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  11. ↑ "CSPAN". CSPAN.
  12. ↑ "Silverstein: Consumers and corporations must lead on climate change". Fountain Hills Time.
  13. ↑ Council, Propane Education & Research. "1.11 – Ken Silverstein, Forbes Energy Contributor". Propane.
  14. 1 2 "USATODAY.com - Another energy deal in the works". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  15. ↑ Silverstein, Ken. "The Peace Pact With Israel, Bahrain And The UAE Is Good Business — The Carbon Cause Included". Forbes. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Ken Silverstein: Wealthy nations can't ignore global warming (Opinion)". Charleston Gazette-Mail. January 10, 2025. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  17. ↑ Gartenstein-Ross, Daveed (January 12, 2011). "The Lost Years for Alternative Energy?". The Atlantic. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  18. ↑ Silverstein, Ken. "Enron, Ethics And Today's Corporate Values". Forbes. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Is SoCalEd Mired In Crisis Or Controversy?". Forbes. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Ken Silverstein". The Breakthrough Institute. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  21. ↑ Silverstein, Ken. "Should Advanced Coal Projects Be Part Of The Green Climate Fund?". Forbes. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  22. ↑ "MinOnline :: min Most Intriguing 2012 Winner Write Ups". www.minonline.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2013. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  23. ↑ ASBPE Awards
  24. ↑ “Min's 2011 Editorial & Design Awards: Online Column” Archived November 11, 2011, at the Library of Congress Web Archives, MinOnline.com
  25. ↑ “Who’s Who of Wall Street”, Wall Street Economists
  26. ↑ "National Editorial Awards 30th Annual Awards of Excellence", American Society of Business Publication Editors
  27. ↑ Fields, Joe (June 2, 2016). "Renewable Energy: Top 100 Influencers and Brands". Onalytica. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
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