David Leonhardt

{{Short description|American journalist and columnist (born 1973)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = David Leonhardt

| image = David Leonhardt 2 (2012).jpg

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1973|1|1}}

| birth_place = New York City, New York, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| awards = Pulitzer Prize for Commentary, 2011

| known_for = Washington bureau chief, The New York Times (2011–2013)

| education = Yale University (BS)

| employer = The New York Times

| occupation = Journalist, columnist

| website =

}}

David Leonhardt (born January 1, 1973) is an American journalist and columnist. Since April 30, 2020, he has written the daily "The Morning" newsletter for The New York Times.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytco.com/press/new-role-for-david-leonhardt/|title=New Role for David Leonhardt|date=30 April 2020}} He also contributes to the paper's Sunday Review section.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/by/david-leonhardt|title=David Leonhardt - the New York Times|website=The New York Times }} His column previously appeared weekly in The New York Times.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/01/opinion/david-leonhardt-newsletter.html|title = Opinion | to the Readers of This Newsletter|newspaper = The New York Times|date = May 2020|last1 = Leonhardt|first1 = David}} He previously wrote the paper's daily e-mail newsletter, which bore his own name.Until the end of 2018 it was named "Opinion Today". It returned to that name on May 1, 2020.{{Cite web|url=https://static.nytimes.com/email-content/TY_sample.html?action=click&module=nl-index-see-the-latest|title=Opinion Today: What happened the day after she was sexually harassed at the Pentagon}} As of October 2018, he also co-hosted "The Argument", a weekly opinion podcast with Ross Douthat and Michelle Goldberg.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/05/opinion/the-argument-podcast-douthat-goldberg-leonhardt.html|title=Opinion {{!}} Introducing 'The Argument'|date=2018-10-10|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-04-08|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}

Leonhardt was previously the head of an internal strategy group, known as the 2020 group, that made recommendations to Times executives in January 2017 about changing the newsroom and the news report in response to the rise of digital media.{{cite web|author=Sydney Ember |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/17/business/new-york-times-newsroom-report-2020.html |title=The New York Times Study Calls for Rapid Change in Newsroom |newspaper=The New York Times |date=2017-01-17 |access-date=2017-07-22}} Prior to that, he was the managing editor of The Upshot, a then-new Times venture focusing on politics, policy, and economics, with an emphasis on data and graphics.New York Times Press Release: "The New York Times Announces New Journalism Ventures and Staff Changes" [http://investors.nytco.com/press/press-releases/press-release-details/2013/The-New-York-Times-Announces-New-Journalism-Ventures-and-Staff-Changes/default.aspx October 20, 2013]. Before The Upshot, he was the paper's Washington bureau chief and an economics columnist. He joined the Times in 1999 and wrote the "Economics Scene" column, and for the Times Sunday Magazine. He is the author of a short e-book published by the Times in February 2013: Here's the Deal: How Washington Can Solve the Deficit and Spur Growth.{{cite web|url=http://www.nytstore.com/ebooks |title=The New York Times Store |website=Nytstore.com |date=2017-03-29 |access-date=2017-07-22}} Before coming to the Times, he wrote for Business Week and The Washington Post.{{cite web|url=http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/l/david_leonhardt|title=David Leonhardt |type=profile page |work=The New York Times |via=nytimes.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228021354/http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/l/david_leonhardt/ |archive-date=February 28, 2014 |access-date=2017-02-02}}

In April 2011 he was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary "for his graceful penetration of America's complicated economic questions, from the federal budget deficit to health care reform".

Early life and education

Leonhardt was born in Manhattan,{{cite news |last1=Adler-Bell |first1=Sam |title=The Pandemic Interpreter |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/02/david-leonhardt-the-pandemic-interpreter.html |access-date=11 March 2022 |publisher=New York |date=February 24, 2022}} the son of Joan (née Alexander) and Robert Leonhardt.[http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?pid=179569355 New York Times: "ROBERT LEONHARDT Obituary"] April 10, 2016 His father was Jewish and his mother was Protestant.{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-insiders-daily-kickoff-january-30-2019/|title = Jewish Insider's Daily Kickoff: January 30, 2019| website=The Times of Israel }} His father was the head of the French-American School of New York. Leonhardt graduated from Horace Mann School in Riverdale, New York, in 1990, and then continued his studies at Yale University, graduating in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science degree in applied mathematics.Yale on-line alumni directory At Yale, Leonhardt served as editor-in-chief of the Yale Daily News.Maria Newman, "At Wary Yale, Seeds of Hope," [https://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/18/us/at-wary-yale-seeds-of-hope.html The New York Times, April 18, 1993].

Career

In 1998, he won a Peter Lisagor Award for Exemplary Journalism in the Business Journalism category from the Chicago Headline Club for a Business Week story he wrote about problems at McDonald's.{{cite web|url=http://www.pulitzer.org/biography/2011-Commentary|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150422045531/http://www.pulitzer.org/biography/2011-Commentary |archive-date=April 22, 2015|title=2011 Pulitzer Prize Winners – Commentary: David Leonhardt |type=biography |publisher=The Pulitzer Prizes. pulitzer.org|access-date=2017-02-01}}{{cite web|url=http://headlineclub.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=158%3Avote-spj-national-honors-candidates&catid=42%3Apeter-lisagor-awards&Itemid=19|title=1998 Peter Lisagor Award recipients list, the Chicago Headline Club |access-date=20 August 2011}} Leonhardt has been writing about economics for the Times since 2000. In 2004, he founded an analytical sports column, "Keeping Score," which ran on Sundays. He was one of the writers who produced the paper's 2005 series on social class in the United States. His economics column, "Economic Scene," appeared on Wednesdays from 2006 until 2011.

In 2003, he was part of a team of Times reporters whose coverage of corporate scandals was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He won the Gerald Loeb Award for magazine writing in 2009 for a New York Times Magazine article, "Obamanomics."{{Cite web |url=http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/media-relations/2009/loeb-winners |title=Loeb Winners |date=June 29, 2009 |website=UCLA Anderson School of Management |access-date=February 1, 2019}} He was a winner of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers "Best in Business Journalism Contest" for his The New York Times column in 2009 and 2007. In 2010, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for his economic columns. In 2011, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.[http://www.pulitzer.org/citation/2011-Commentary 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary], distinguished commentary prize ( citation page ), retrieved August 20, 2011.[http://www.pulitzer.org/awards/2011 2011 Pulitzer Prize], list of winners in all categories.

On July 22, 2011, Leonhardt was appointed chief of the Washington bureau of the Times. He began that editorial role on September 6, 2011.Jeremy W. Peters, "Times Names David Leonhardt Washington Bureau Chief," [http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/22/times-names-david-leonhardt-washington-bureau-chief/ Media Decoder (blog), The New York Times, 22 July 2011]. After this announcement, he published what he referred to as his final Economic Scene column, "Lessons from the Malaise," on July 26, 2011.David Leonhardt, "Economic Scene: Lessons from the Malaise," [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/27/business/economy/lessons-from-the-us-economys-malaise.html The New York Times, 26 July 2011].Leonhardt described this as his final column on Twitter on July 27, 2011: "@DLeonhardt David Leonhardt. My final Econ Scene column, on lessons from the last 11 years: we're not focusing on our true problems.... 27 Jul via Twitter for iPad". However, after he began his editing assignment, Leonhardt continued publishing economic news analyses.e.g., David Leonhardt, "Rising Fears of Recession," [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/08/business/economy/american-economy-on-the-verge-of-a-double-dip-recession.html The New York Times, September 7, 2011].

On November 20, 2013, it was announced that Leonhardt would step down as Washington Bureau Chief to become Managing Editor of a new Times "venture," later given the name "The Upshot," "which will be at the nexus of data and news and will produce clear analytical reporting and writing on opinion polls, economic indicators, politics, policy, education, and sports".Memo from Times Executive Editor Jill Abramson, as cited in Dylan Byers, "N.Y. Times D.C. shakeup: David Leonhardt out, Carolyn Ryan in as bureau chief," Politico, [http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2013/11/new-york-times-dc-shakeup-david-leonhardt-out-carolyn-177962.html November 20, 2013].For more on the initiative, see Marc Tracy, "Times Editor Explains How the NYT Will Replace Nate Silver," The New Republic, [https://newrepublic.com/article/115676/times-editor-explains-how-nyt-will-replace-nate-silver November 20, 2013]. The Upshot was created to fill the void of Nate Silver's departure from The New York Times.{{Cite web|url=https://www.niemanlab.org/2019/04/heres-what-the-new-york-times-the-upshot-looks-like-five-years-in/|title=Here's what The New York Times' The Upshot looks like five years in|website=Nieman Lab|access-date=2019-04-22}}

In early 2016, it was announced that Leonhardt would be the head of an internal strategy group at the Times. In announcing the group, Dean Baquet, Executive Editor of the Times, wrote, "We need to develop a strategic plan for what The New York Times should be, and determine how to apply our timeless values to a new age."{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/new-york-times-overhaul_us_56ae5e36e4b00b033aaf88d5 |title=The New York Times Eyes Ambitious Overhaul In Quest For 'Journalistic Dominance' | HuffPost |website=Huffingtonpost.com |date=2016-02-05 |access-date=2017-07-22}} On January 17, 2017, Baquet released a report from the 2020 group with its recommendations. "The members of the 2020 group have emerged from this process both optimistic and anxious. We are optimistic, deeply so, because The Times is better positioned than any other media organization to deliver the coverage that millions of people are seeking," the report read.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/projects/2020-report/ |title=Journalism That Stands Apart |newspaper=The New York Times |date=17 January 2017 |access-date=2017-07-22}} "But we must not fall prey to wishful thinking and believe that such an outcome is inevitable. It is not. We also face real challenges — journalism challenges and business challenges."

Leonhardt launched the NYTimes morning newsletter, The Morning, in May 2020. His newsletter originally focused on COVID-19 and attempted to find positive news, which some doctors and healthcare professionals argued helped minimize the pandemic and some of the mitigation responses.

= Books and interviews =

In February 2013, The New York Times and Byliner published a 15,000-word book by Leonhardt on the federal budget deficit and the importance of economic growth, titled Here's the Deal: How Washington Can Solve The Deficit and Spur Growth. The book is part of a new series of short e-books from the newspaper and Byliner.{{cite news |title=New York Times Launches E-book Programs |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/55128-new-york-times-launches-e-book-programs.html |access-date=22 May 2022 |work=PublishersWeekly.com |language=en}}{{cite web|url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20121213006180/en/York-Times-Launches-E-Book-Programs |title=The New York Times Launches E-Book Programs |publisher=Business Wire |date=2012-12-13 |access-date=2017-07-22}} Matthew Yglesias, of Slate, wrote in a review of Here's the Deal: "if you're not a member of Congress and just want to understand the budgetary landscape on the merits, this is a great place to start."Yglesias, Matthew (February 8, 2013). "[http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2013/02/08/david_leonhardt_s_here_s_the_deal_how_washington_can_solve_the_deficit_and.html Here's the Deal]". Review of David Leonhardt's Here's the Deal. Slate.com. Retrieved 2017-2-01. Ezra Klein, of The Washington Post, called the book "one of the calmest, clearest looks you'll find at the deficit — both what it is and how to fix it."Klein, Ezra (February 11, 2013). "[https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/02/11/10-great-points-from-david-leonhardts-heres-the-deal 10 great points from David Leonhardt's 'Here's the Deal']". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-02-01.

He was interviewed on The Colbert Report on January 6, 2009, about the gold standard.{{cite web|url=http://www.cc.com/video-clips/k6j6as/the-colbert-report-hiding-gold---david-leonhardt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821183202/http://www.cc.com/video-clips/k6j6as/the-colbert-report-hiding-gold---david-leonhardt |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 21, 2016 |title=Hiding Gold - David Leonhardt - The Colbert Report |website=Cc.com |date=7 January 2009 |access-date=2017-07-22}} He was interviewed again on The Colbert Report on February 14, 2013, to speak about his new e-book.{{cite web|url=http://www.cc.com/video-clips/a7o9iy/the-colbert-report-standard---poor-s-ratings-lawsuit---david-leonhardt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821173523/http://www.cc.com/video-clips/a7o9iy/the-colbert-report-standard---poor-s-ratings-lawsuit---david-leonhardt |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 21, 2016 |title=Standard & Poor's Ratings Lawsuit - David Leonhardt - The Colbert Report |website=Cc.com |date=15 February 2013 |access-date=2017-07-22}}

In 2023, Leonhardt published Ours Was the Shining Future: The Story of the American Dream, which argued that since the mid-1970s, the American economic system had failed and that, unlike in previous generations, many 21st-century Americans could not expect to be economically better off than their parents.{{cite news|title=Book Review: 'Ours Was the Shining Future,' by David Leonhardt|last=Lowenstein|first=Roger|date=24 October 2024|newspaper=New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/24/books/review/ours-was-the-shining-future-david-leonhardt.html}}

Awards

1998: Peter Lisagor Award for Exemplary Journalism, from the Chicago Headline Club.
2009: Gerald Loeb Award for Magazines
2010: Pulitzer Prize finalist, as a columnist.{{Cite web |date=2010-04-12 |title=2010 Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2010/04/12/2010-pulitzer-prize-winners-and-finalists/ |access-date=2023-11-04 |website=The Denver Post |language=en-US}}
2011: Pulitzer Prize winner, for commentary.{{Cite news |last=Peters |first=Jeremy W. |date=2011-04-18 |title=2011 Pulitzer Prize Winners Announced |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/19/business/media/2011-pulitzer-prize-winners-announced.html |access-date=2023-11-04 |issn=0362-4331}}

References

External links

{{NYTtopic|people/l/david_leonhardt}}
[https://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/author/david-leonhardt/ Economix blog]
[http://www.headlineclub.org The Chicago Headline Club], the largest chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists in the United States.
[https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/22/sunday-review/a-ray-of-hope-on-climate-change.html There's Still Hope for the Planet] July 21, 2012 The New York Times by Leonhardt
{{C-SPAN|1015656}}
{{Charlie Rose view|6555}}
{{IMDb name|4000849}}
{{cite web |last=Roberts |first=Russ |title=David Leonhardt on the Media|url=http://www.econtalk.org/archives/_featuring/david_leonhardt/ |work=EconTalk |publisher=Library of Economics and Liberty |author-link=Russ Roberts |date=March 19, 2007}}

Category:Living people

Category:1973 births

Category:American economics writers

Category:American male journalists

Category:Horace Mann School alumni

Category:Yale University alumni

Category:The New York Times columnists

Category:The New York Times journalists

Category:Pulitzer Prize for Commentary winners

Category:Gerald Loeb Award winners for Magazines

Category:20th-century American Jews

Category:21st-century American Jews

Category:Members of Skull and Bones