Desson Patrick Thomson is a former

speechwriter A speechwriter is a person who is hired to prepare and write speeches that will be delivered by another person. Speechwriters are employed by many senior-level elected officials and executives in the government and private sectors. They can also b ...

for the Obama administration and former

film critic Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, magazines and other popular mass-media outl ...

for ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

''. He was known as Desson Howe until 2003 when he changed his name after reuniting with his

birth father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fath ...

Biography

Thomson attended American University from 1975 until 1979, graduating in Spring 1980 with a degree in visual communications and

cinema studies Film theory is a set of scholarly approaches within the academic discipline of film or cinema studies that began in the 1920s by questioning the formal essential attributes of motion pictures; and that now provides conceptual frameworks for unde ...

. He started working for ''

'' in 1983 as a

copy aide Copy may refer to: *Copying or the product of copying (including the plural "copies"); the duplication of information or an artifact **Cut, copy and paste, a method of reproducing text or other data in computing **File copying **Photocopying, a pr ...

for the Style section, and by 1984 was writing

freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance ...

articles for the paper. In 1987 he became a film critic for the paper. He wrote one of the few negative reviews of multiple

Academy award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...

nominated movie ''

The Shawshank Redemption ''The Shawshank Redemption'' is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont, based on the 1982 Stephen King novella '' Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption''. It tells the story of banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), ...

.'' In his review of ''

Groundhog Day Groundhog Day ( pdc, Grund'sau dåk, , , ; Nova Scotia: Daks Day) is a popular North American tradition observed in the United States and Canada on February 2. It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog emerges f ...

'', he infamously stated that the film "will never be designated a national film treasure by the Library of Congress." Thirteen years later, the film would be inducted into the Library of Congress. Thomson left the ''Washington Post'' in 2008, and in 2010 became a speechwriter in the administration of President Barack Obama. From February 2010 until November 2010 he was stationed in London working for the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom,

Louis Susman Louis B. Susman (born November 19, 1937) is an American lawyer, retired investment banker, and the former United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Nominated by President Barack Obama, he was confirmed by the Senate on July 10, 2009, and s ...

. In December 2010, he joined the

Policy Planning Office The Policy Planning Staff (sometimes referred to as the Policy Planning Council, the Office of Policy Planning or by its in-house acronym S/P) is the principal strategic arm of the United States Department of State. It was created in 1947 by renowne ...

of the

U.S. Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other natio ...

as a speechwriter for Secretary of State

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States senat ...

. In February 2012, he became a speechwriter and Senior Advisor for Content Development for the

Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs The Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs is currently a top-10 ranking position in the U.S. Department of State that is intended to help ensure that public diplomacy is practiced in combination with public affairs and traditio ...

. Until September 2017 he was a speechwriter and senior advisor for

Charles H. Rivkin Charles Hammerman Rivkin (born April 6, 1962) is an American media executive and former United States diplomat who is chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Motion Picture Association (MPA). Rivkin served as Assistant Secretary of Stat ...

Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs The Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs is an office in the United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, exec ...

References

The Washington Post people American University School of Communication alumni American film critics Living people 1958 births 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American journalists 21st-century American male writers American male journalists American speechwriters People from Surrey English emigrants to the United States {{US-journalist-1950s-stub