In 1996, Maass wrote an article for U.S. News & World Report which advocated liberalizing zoning laws to promote affordable housing for lower-income families. In the article he praised Jack Kemp for proposing this idea which was later rejected by both the George H. W. Bush and the Bill Clinton administrations.[2]
In 2003, Maass covered the Iraq War and was noted for his relationship with Iraqi bloggerSalam Pax.[4] Later that year, Maass wrote a profile on North Korean leader Kim Jung Il for The New York Times Magazine which was praised for presenting information previously unknown in the English-speaking world.[5]
In 2005, Forbes magazine called Maass the "Dunce of the Week" for a New York Times Magazine cover story which predicted higher oil prices due to increased demand and decreased supply. Forbes also suggested that he had a left-wing political bias in the way he wrote the story.[6] Maass's story indirectly led to the Simmons–Tierney bet.[7] However, despite the mockery from Forbes, Maass' prediction seemed to be fairly accurate as crude oil was at $92.37 per barrel in July 2005 when Maass wrote his magazine story, and by June 2008 it reached a peak of $190.68 per barrel.[8]
Maass resided at the American Academy in Berlin as a fall 2009 Berlin Prize Fellow, where he worked on his book War of Icons: From Baghdad to Berlin, a Military Writer Looks at How Pictures Frame Wars. His newest book is Crude World: The Violent Twilight of Oil.[10]
^"Mirror Awards 2012". Mirror Awards. S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications Syracuse University. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
