Special Guest Speaker As editor-in-chief of Popular Mechanics, James B. Meigs is a leading authority on how technological change affects our lives. Since joining the magazine in 2004, he has expanded its coverage of alternative energy, national defense, digital privacy concerns and other issues rooted in science and engineering. Under his tenure, Popular Mechanics has also reaffirmed its position as the definitive men’s how-to magazine. It aims to give readers the skills and confidence to make the most of the technology in their personal lives—from their homes and cars to the latest in digital gear.
In the magazine industry, Meigs is known as a strong advocate for embracing digital technologies that help journalists reach readers in new ways and with re-imagined content. Popular Mechanics was a pioneer on the Web, and PopularMechanics.com has continued to expand its robust flow of original content. In July, the magazine released its first iPad edition, winning five-star reviews in the Apple App Store and widespread recognition as one of the most ambitious and successful iPad apps to date.
Under Meigs’s direction, Popular Mechanics has emerged as an important voice on a number of key national issues: The magazine has undertaken major investigations on the engineering failures behind the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the levee breeches during Hurricane Katrina, and the critical state of the American infrastructure. Meigs has also been an outspoken critic of some aspects of U.S. energy policy; in particular, the focus on corn-based ethanol fuels and the premature reliance on so-called clean coal technology.
In 2005, noting that conspiracy theories regarding the 9/11 attacks were gaining traction, Meigs and his editorial team launched an indepth investigation that decisively debunked those claims in a series of articles. That work was later expanded into the 2006 book, Debunking 9/11 Myths, for which Meigs wrote the afterward. (An expanded edition of that book is underway.) Meigs and his team have been widely interviewed in the media on this topic, and featured in the History Channel documentary The 9/11 Conspiracies: Fact or Fiction. Meigs’s other media appearances have included CNN, Fox News, ABC News, NBC News, and NPR, and his op-ed articles have appeared in The New York Post, Huffington Post and other outlets. Meigs also provided extensive commentary on the history of technology for The History Channel’s hit series, America: The Story of Us.
Meigs began his career covering video and television technology for Videography magazine and as editor of Video Review. He was part of the team that launched Entertainment Weekly and served as editor-in-chief of Premiere magazine. Prior to joining Popular Mechanics, Meigs was the executive editor of the awardwinning National Geographic Adventure. Under his tenure, Popular Mechanics has been nominated for three National Magazine Awards, winning the Personal Service award in 2008 for the environmental series “Know Your Footprint.”
