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Kevin Cullen

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Kevin Cullen
Born (1959-05-01) May 1, 1959 (age 65)
Boston, Massachusetts
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUMass Amherst
OccupationJournalist & author
EmployerThe Boston Globe
Notable workWhitey Bulger ISBN 0393347257

Kevin Cullen (born May 1, 1959) is an American journalist and author. He was a member of The Boston Globe's 2003 investigative team that won a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Boston.[1] Cullen is co-author of The New York Times bestseller Whitey Bulger: America's Most Wanted Gangster and the Manhunt That Brought Him to Justice.[2]

On April 20, 2018, Cullen was placed on leave by The Boston Globe over embellishment claims related to the Boston Marathon bombing.[3] Cullen was suspended without pay for three months on June 15, 2018.[4][5]

Early life and education

Cullen was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He grew up in Malden, Massachusetts, where he attended Malden High School.[6] In 1981, Cullen graduated summa cum laude from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a dual degree in Journalism and Political Science and attended Trinity College in Ireland during his junior year.[7] During his senior year, Cullen worked as a stringer for wire services such as the Associated Press.[7]

Journalism career

After graduating college, Cullen got a job at the Holyoke Transcript-Telegram. From there, he took a job at the Boston Herald, and then moved from there to The Boston Globe where he has remained.

Whitey Bulger

Cullen began reporting on Whitey Bulger soon after joining The Boston Globe in 1985. In 1988, he was part of the Globe's investigative "Spotlight" team that exposed Bulger as an FBI informant. Recently, he co-authored a book along with fellow journalist Shelley Murphy titled Whitey Bulger: America's Most Wanted Gangster and the Manhunt That Brought Him to Justice.[7]

Northern Ireland Troubles

In 1997, he was appointed as the Globe's Dublin bureau chief, covering the Northern Ireland peace process, the only American journalist who did so. After a year in Dublin, Ireland, he moved to London to serve as the paper's chief European correspondent, covering the Yugoslav Wars. He reported from more than 20 countries across Europe.[8]

Catholic sex abuse scandal

In 2001, he returned to Boston and was a part of the Globe's investigative team which won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2003 for exposing the coverup of sexual abuse of minors by Roman Catholic priests. The team also won many other awards for those exposes on the Catholic sex abuse scandal, including the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting, the George Polk Award for National Reporting, and the Selden Ring Award for Investigative Reporting.[8]

Boston Marathon bombing controversy

On April 19, 2018, it was revealed that Cullen fabricated details in his accounting of what he saw at the Boston Marathon bombing in columns he wrote for The Boston Globe, The Irish Times, and the BBC. Despite not being at the scene when the bombs went off, Cullen's portrayal of the Richard family during the marathon included several inconsistencies across his writings.[9] The Globe placed Cullen on administrative leave a day later to determine the extent of his dishonesty.[10][11] On June 15, 2018, the Globe announced that Cullen would be suspended without pay for three months.[4][5]

Books

Cullen is co-author of Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church, and was a contributor to the books, Britain and Ireland: Lives Entwined II, and Our Boston, an anthology by Boston writers published in support of the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings of 2013. He and Shelley Murphy are the authors of The New York Times bestseller, Whitey Bulger: America’s Most Wanted Gangster and the Manhunt That Brought Him to Justice, published in 2013.[8]

References

  1. ^ Feeney, Mark. "Globe wins Pulitzer gold medal for coverage of clergy sex abuse". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  2. ^ "Whitey Bulger Bio Profiles Boston's Most Notorious Gangster". NPR. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  3. ^ "Boston Globe Columnist Kevin Cullen Placed On Leave Over Embellishment Claims". WBZ-TV. 2018-04-20. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
  4. ^ a b "Statement from the Globe". The Boston Globe. June 15, 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Boston Globe suspends columnist accused of embellishing Boston Marathon bombings story". Boston Herald. June 16, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  6. ^ "Kevin Cullen Profile". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  7. ^ a b c Luttrell, Aviva. "Alumni Spotlight: Kevin Cullen". UMass Amherst. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  8. ^ a b c "Kevin Cullen Profile". Harvard College. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  9. ^ "Boston Globe columnist Kevin Cullen fabricates details of Marathon bombing". WEEI. 2018-04-19. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
  10. ^ "Kevin Cullen placed on administrative leave". Boston.com. 2018-04-20. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
  11. ^ Seelye, Katharine Q. (May 24, 2018). "Boston Globe Finds Itself Uncomfortably in the News". The New York Times.
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