History of Batya Ungar-Sargon in Timeline

Batya Ungar-Sargon is an American journalist, the deputy opinion editor of Newsweek, and former opinion editor of The Forward. She is the author of "Second Class: How the Elites Betrayed America's Working Men and Women." Her work focuses on the American working class and its perceived betrayal by elite members of society. She is a commentator on current issues.

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Full Timeline

2004: Earned Bachelor of Arts

In 2004, Batya Ungar-Sargon earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Chicago.

2013: Completed Ph.D. at University of California, Berkeley

In 2013, Batya Ungar-Sargon completed her Ph.D. in English at the University of California, Berkeley. Her dissertation was titled Coercive Pleasures: The Force and Form of the Novel 1719–1740.

2017: Became Opinion Editor at The Forward

In 2017, Batya Ungar-Sargon became the opinion editor at The Forward, facing criticism for her political views.

2019: Criticized Ilhan Omar on Twitter

In 2019, Batya Ungar-Sargon criticized Ilhan Omar on Twitter for alleged antisemitic tropes, leading to a public apology from Omar after criticism of her comments.

2019: Discussed American Jewish Identity

In 2019, Batya Ungar-Sargon discussed the importance of developing an American Jewish identity distinct from Israeli politics and aligned with civil and minority rights.

2020: Selected for Civil Society Fellowship

In 2020, Batya Ungar-Sargon was selected for the 2021 Civil Society Fellowship, a program of the Anti-Defamation League and the Aspen Institute.

2021: Selected for Civil Society Fellowship

In 2021, Batya Ungar-Sargon participated in the Civil Society Fellowship, a program of the Anti-Defamation League and the Aspen Institute, after being selected in 2020.

2021: Published 'Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy'

In 2021, Batya Ungar-Sargon published her book, "Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy", arguing that media has shifted focus from class-conscious to race-conscious reporting.

Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy

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2021: Characterized as a left-wing populist

In 2021, Batya Ungar-Sargon was characterized as a left-wing populist by Bari Weiss.

June 2022: Described herself as a Marxist

In June 2022, Batya Ungar-Sargon described herself as a Marxist in an interview with Dennis Prager.

2022: Opposed U.S. support for Ukraine

Since 2022, Batya Ungar-Sargon has written articles opposing U.S. support for Ukraine following the Russian invasion, arguing for prioritizing domestic needs and questioning the strategic importance of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

2023: Adopted left-wing populist label

In 2023, Batya Ungar-Sargon adopted the label of left-wing populist, while acknowledging that some view her as echoing right-wing viewpoints.

March 2024: Criticized left-wing discourse after Hamas attack

In March 2024, Batya Ungar-Sargon criticized elements of the political left following the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, claiming their discourse centers on portraying groups as marginalized to assert influence and silence dissent.

April 2024: Expressed policy support in Newsweek interview

In April 2024, Batya Ungar-Sargon expressed support for various policies including limiting immigration, reducing welfare fraud, and expanding vocational training in an interview with Newsweek.

October 2024: Described Trump as a centrist

In October 2024, Batya Ungar-Sargon described Donald Trump as a centrist, which diverged from the classification of him as right-wing, prompting debate.

November 2024: Encouraged American Jews to vote for Trump

In November 2024, Batya Ungar-Sargon publicly encouraged American Jews to vote for Donald Trump in the 2024 United States presidential election.

April 2025: Argued elites are too lazy

In April 2025, Batya Ungar-Sargon argued on a NewsNation segment that wealth inequality, housing prices and the loss of manufacturing jobs were all a factor of elites being "too lazy to get out from behind their laptops".