Jere van Dyk

Jere Van Dyk
Born (1945-12-14) December 14, 1945
United States
EducationUniversity of Oregon
OccupationsJournalist, author
Known forReporting on Afghanistan and Pakistan
Being kidnapped in 2008
Author of Captive and The Trade

Jere Van Dyk (born 14 December 1945) is an American journalist and author known for his reporting from Afghanistan and Pakistan. Over his career, he has worked for The New York Times and CBS News, published books on conflict and kidnapping, and appeared widely as a commentator on international affairs. He was captured and held by the Taliban in 2008, an experience he later chronicled in his memoir Captive. In 2022, he received a Foreign Press Award.[1]

Athletics

In college, Van Dyk competed for the Oregon Ducks track and field team under coach Bill Bowerman. He specialized in middle-distance events and achieved personal bests of 1:47.3 in the 800 metres and 3:40.4 in the 1500 metres.[2]

Journalism career

In the early 1980s, Van Dyk lived with the Afghan Mujahideen while covering the Soviet–Afghan War as a correspondent for The New York Times, producing Pulitzer Prize–nominated articles.[3]

After the September 11 attacks, he returned to Afghanistan and Pakistan as a reporter for CBS News, covering the U.S.-led war and regional conflicts.[4][5]

In 2008, Van Dyk was hiking in the tribal areas of Pakistan—off limits to foreigners—while researching the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region when he was kidnapped by the Taliban and held for 45 days.[6] He later chronicled this ordeal in his memoir Captive: My Time as a Prisoner of the Taliban (2010).[7]

From 2013 to 2015, Van Dyk served as an adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, during which time he researched the Haqqani Network, ISIS, the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. [8] These experiences informed his 2017 book The Trade: My Journey into the Labyrinth of Political Kidnapping, which received a review in The New York Times Book Review.[9]

Public speaking and policy work

Van Dyk has made many media appearances and given public lectures. He has featured in interviews and discussions on platforms listed on his “Media and Public Speaking” page, and appeared in the C-SPAN video library. [10][11]

Works

  • In Afghanistan (1983)
  • Captive: My Time as a Prisoner of the Taliban (2010)
  • The Trade: My Journey into the Labyrinth of Political Kidnapping (2017)

References

  1. ↑ "Foreign Press Awardee 2022". Press Freedom Global Alliance. September 1, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  2. ↑ "July 26: An Interview with Jere Van Dyk, Former U.S. Track Star and Author of "Captive"". Runner's World. July 26, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  3. ↑ Giovanni, Janine di (December 15, 2017). "A Freed Hostage Audits the Murky Business of Captive Negotiations". The New York Times. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Jere Van Dyk". Hachette Book Group. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Jere Van Dyk". Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Jere Van Dyk: Captured by the Taliban". CBS News. June 25, 2010. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  7. ↑ Baker, Jeff (July 10, 2010). "How 'Captive' author Jere Van Dyk discovered himself while at the Taliban's mercy". OregonLive. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Jere Van Dyk". LinkedIn. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  9. ↑ "The Trade: My Journey into the Labyrinth of Political Kidnapping". The New York Times. December 15, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Jere Van Dyk". C-SPAN. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  11. ↑ "The Trade: My Journey Into the Labyrinth of Political Kidnapping (Event)". New America. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
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