Politics, Journalism, and the Way Things Were: My Life at the Times, the Hill, and Politico

In this book, Martin Tolchin describes his journey from New York Times copy boy to White House correspondent, and as founder of The Hill and co-founder of Politico. He tells of the talented and eccentric colleagues he encountered en route, and the conflicts and tensions that beset him during his 40-year news career. Along the way, he tracks the evolution of political journalism from mostly all-male, smoke-filled newsrooms to the high-tech world of the 24/7 news cycle. As a local reporter in New York City, Tolchin saw his articles change public policy and re-direct millions of dollars in public funds. Nationally, Tolchin reported on some of the country''s most important political leaders, including Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, and Tip O''Neill, among many others. As a Washington correspondent he was involved in Iran Contra, the Anita Hill hearings on the nomination of Justice Clarence Thomas, and Washington''s response to the New York City financial crisis. Mr. Tolchin writes with extraordinary candor and optimism. His story is one that will inform and inspire students, scholars, and general readers in an era in which fake news has sometimes overtaken legitimate reporting. He believes in the power of a free press to guard and guide free people.

Martin Tolchin spent 40 years at The New York Times, equally divided between New York and Washington. In New York he was City Hall Bureau Chief and a political and investigative reporter. In Washington he reported on Congress and the White House. He then founded two publications, as Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of The Hill, and Senior Publisher & Editor of Politico, and served on the jury of the Pulitzer Prizes for Journalism. Mr. Tolchin then was appointed a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Mr. Tolchin was born Sept. 20, 1928 in Brooklyn, N.Y. His father, a furrier, and mother, a housekeeper, were Russian immigrants. He was educated at the Bronx H.S. of Science, Idaho State College, the University of Utah and New York Law School, where he received an L.L.B. With his wife Susan, a professor of government at George Mason University, he wrote eight books, one of which, To the Victor: Political Patronage from the Clubhouse to the White House, has been cited in five U.S. Supreme Court decisions. They had two children, Charles and Karen. Mr. Tolchin lives in Washington, D.C.