Stephen Henderson | |
|---|---|
 Henderson in 2015 | |
| Born | 1970 (age 55–56)[1] Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Occupation | journalist |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Children | 2 |
Stephen Henderson (born November 23, 1970) is an American journalist. Henderson won the 2014Pulitzer Prize for commentary and the 2014National Association of Black Journalists Journalist of the Year Award while writing for theDetroit Free Press.
Henderson is the host of Detroit Today, a weekday talk show that features conversations about inequality of all kinds, democratic and civic participation and great ideas from contemporary books.[2] It airs 9–10 am weekdays on WDET-FM, Detroit's NPR station.
He is also the host of Detroit Public Television's American Black Journal,[3] a weekly talk show featuring African American perspectives on topics around arts, culture, and community issues important to the city of Detroit, the state of Michigan and the nation.
Following allegations of his inappropriate sexual behavior, Henderson was terminated by theDetroit Free Press in December 2017.[4] After Henderson threatened to sue, Gannett, the paper's owner, agreed to a settlement.[5]
A native ofDetroit, Michigan, Henderson graduated from theUniversity of Detroit Jesuit High School in 1988 and theUniversity of Michigan, where he worked forThe Michigan Daily,[6] in 1992.[7]
Henderson has worked for theBaltimore Sun, theChicago Tribune, theLexington Herald-Leader, andKnight Ridder as a reporter, editorial writer and editor.[8] He was the Editorial Page Editor and a columnist for theDetroit Free Press from 2009 to 2017.[8]
Henderson has hosted the daily talk show "Detroit Today" onWDET since 2015, and he hosts the weekly talk show "American Black Journal" onDetroit Public Television and co-hosts the news show "MiWeek" on Detroit Public Television.[7][9] In 2014 he won both the Pulitzer Prize for commentary and the National Association of Black Journalists Journalist of the Year Award for his writing on Detroit's financial crisis.[7][10] He is also a two-time winner of the Scripps Howard Award for Commentary.
In 2016, Henderson wrote that Michiganders should take legislators who took money to shield Michigan's charter schools from oversight, "sew them into burlap sacks with rabid animals, and toss them into the Straits of Mackinac".[11] After a backlash from conservatives, he tweeted that his remark was "hyperbole". "Everyone knows I don't have access to that much burlap," he said.[12]
On December 6, 2017, Rev. W. J. Rideout III, pastor of Our God's People Church in Detroit, held a press conference to accuse the Detroit news media of covering up sexual harassment cases, including accusations of Henderson sexually harassing female coworkers.[13] Rideout, who hosted a talk show on Detroit's 910 AM, was then suspended by radio station management because he did not identify the alleged victims.[14] In response to Rideout's press conference, theFree Press conducted an internal investigation into the allegations.[15] After the internal review, Henderson was fired from theDetroit Free Press for "inappropriate behavior" towards female employees that had occurred over several years.[8][16] In response to his firing, Henderson said on his own radio show that he apologized to the women involved and said it was "bad judgement" on his part, but he also said that he disagreed with the decision by theFree Press and would be "exploring legal action."[15] Henderson's attorney has said there was no lawsuit and that a settlement was reached in July 2018 between her client Henderson and his former employers at theDetroit Free Press.[17]
In November 18, 2024, Henderson announced his departure from Detroit public radio, ending his show “Created Equal" due to station “disinvestment."[18]
Henderson lives in Detroit with his two children.[19]