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Early years

Herbert was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised primarily in Montclair, New Jersey, where his parents owned a number of upholstery shops. He was drafted during the buildup to the Vietnam War, but was ultimately sent to Korea. Always having had an interest in politics and writing, Herbert decided shortly after the war to go into journalism.

Herbert received a Bachelor of Science, Journalism from the State University of New York (Empire State College) in 1988.

Career

Herbert's journalistic career began with The Star-Ledger in New Jersey in 1970. Herbert went on to work as a reporter and editor at the New York Daily News from 1976 until 1985, when he became a political columnist and editor, and began attracting attention for his editorial work. This led to a position on WCBS-TV in New York, as a founding panelist of Sunday Edition in 1990, as well as becoming host of Hotline, a weekly issues program on New York public television. He later served as a national correspondent on NBC from 1991 to 1993, with regular appearances on The Today Show and NBC Nightly News.

Herbert's journalistic awards include the Meyer Berger Award for coverage of New York City and the American Society of Newspaper Editors award for distinguished newspaper writing.

Herbert chaired the Pulitzer Prize jury for spot news reporting in 1993. He is author of Promises Betrayed: Waking Up From The American Dream, published by Henry Holt & Company in 2005.