Dan Neil
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Dan Neil is an automobile columnist for the Los Angeles Times, noted for his one-of-a-kind reviews of automobiles, which blend technical expertise with offbeat humor and astute cultural observations. Neil won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 2004 for his columns in the Times.
Neil was born in Pennsylvania but moved with his family to New Bern, N.C. when he was 4 years old. He received a B.A. degree in Creative Writing from East Carolina University and an M.A. degree in English Literature from North Carolina State University. He began his professional writing career with the Spectator, a local free weekly, and began working for The News & Observer of Raleigh, North Carolina as a copy editor in 1989. In 1991 he began editing and writing the paper's weekly automotive section. In interviews he has stated that his goals at the time were to "learn to write and see the world", and these goals fit in well with the job of a local automotive reporter, as these writers are often invited to travel on lavish junkets at automakers' expense. Neil was recruited by AutoWeek magazine in 1994 as a senior contributing editor. In 1995 Neil began contributing reviews to the New York Times, which he continued until 2003. During his tenure with the N&O Neil began to develop his quirky style of combining humorous observations and anecdotes with nuts-and-bolts automotive review, often using obscure literary analogies and incorporating tales of his sometimes ribald personal escapades. The most famous incident involved Neil's January 2006 review of the Ford Expedition and a romantic encounter with his girlfriend. These articles generated some controversy and in 1996 Neil was fired from the paper after he refused to submit his columns to the review of the classified advertising department.
Neil next enjoyed a varied career as a free-lance journalist, including five years as contributing editor for Car and Driver. In 1999 Neil was named senior contributing editor for Expedia Travels, a glossy travel magazine. In September 2003 he took on a role of full-time columnist for the Los Angeles Times and quickly gained a following for his unique approach to automotive writing, which routinely incorporated criticism of Detroit automakers and U.S. government policies regarding emissions and safety regulation.
Neil began writing "800 Words," a column about pop culture, in February 2005. The column was syndicated by Tribune Media in 2006.
Neil is a regular contributor to American Public Media's "Marketplace" radio news program, and was a reporter for the PBS program "Wired Science."--76.173.90.201 18:45, 26 January 2007 (UTC)Dan Neil
