Mark Halperin

Halperin was born to a Jewish family,{{Cite news|first= E.J.|last= Kessler |authorlink= |title= ABC News Man Shares Notes on How To Win in 2008 |newspaper=The Jewish Daily Forward|date=October 6, 2006 |url= http://forward.com/news/4842/abc-news-man-shares-notes-on-how-to-win-in-2008/ |via=}} the son of Morton Halperin, a foreign policy expert and staff member of the National Security Council during the presidential administration of Richard Nixon where he worked for Henry Kissinger; and Ina Weinstein Halperin Young.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=trU7nY-T-4EC&q=Morton+Halperin&pg=PA314|first=John|last=Loftus|title=The Secret War Against the Jews: How Western Espionage Betrayed The Jewish People|page=314|publisher=St. Martin's|date=1992|isbn=978-0312156480}} He was born in New York City but raised in Bethesda, Maryland.{{cite magazine|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/115515/double-down-scoops-how-john-heilemann-and-mark-halperin-learn-secrets|title=The Pivotal, Behind-the-Scenes Story of How the "Game Change" Guys Get Sources to Talk|magazine=The New Republic }}{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/02/nyregion/public-lives-the-insider-s-insider-getting-it-out-on-the-web.htmll?pagewanted=all|title=Public Lives; The Insider's Insider, Getting It Out on the Web|first=Robin|last=Finn|work=The New York Times|date=October 2, 2002|access-date=July 11, 2011}}

In 1982, before he began his senior year at Walt Whitman High School, he lived with a family in Japan as part of the Youth for Understanding program. He received his B.A. from Harvard University in 1987.{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=126870|title=Mark Halperin|publisher=ABC News|date=July 21, 2006|access-date=July 11, 2011}}File:Halperin-Iowa.jpg

File:Secretary Kerry Chats With MSNBC Analyst Halperin Before Appearing on 'Morning Joe' in New York (25978831190).jpg chats with MSNBC analyst Halperin before appearing on Morning Joe in New York.]]

Halperin joined ABC News in 1988.{{Cite news |last=Caron |first=Christina |date=2017-10-30 |title=NBC News and MSNBC Cut Ties With Mark Halperin |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/30/business/media/mark-halperin-msnbc.html |access-date=2024-07-26 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}

In 1997, he was named the political director for ABC News. In that capacity, Halperin appeared frequently as a correspondent and political analyst for ABC News television and radio programs. He founded and edited The Note, which appeared daily on ABCNews.com.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/10/25/041025fa_fact?currentPage=all|title=Inside Dope: Mark Halperin and the transformation of the Washington establishment|first=David|last=Grann|date=October 25, 2004|access-date=July 1, 2011|magazine=The New Yorker}}

In October 2006, Halperin and John F. Harris, published a book together, The Way to Win: Clinton, Bush, Rove, and How to Take the White House in 2008.{{cite news |last=Kakutani |first=Michiko |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/03/books/03book.html |title=Want to Move to the White House? Here's How |work=The New York Times |date=November 3, 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180114201650/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/03/books/03book.html |archive-date=January 14, 2018 |access-date=September 9, 2019 }}

Since 2006, Halperin has served as a board member of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire. He has been on their public advisory board since it was created in 2008.[http://blogs.anselm.edu/blog/2009/03/04/mark-halperin-2/ The NHIOP Congratulates Board Member Mark Halperin on his New Best-Selling Book] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314225428/http://blogs.anselm.edu/blog/2009/03/04/mark-halperin-2 |date=March 14, 2012 }}, Saint Anselm College. Accessed January 10, 2018.

In March 2007, Halperin became a political analyst for ABC News and was replaced as political director by David Chalian. In May 2007, he was hired as a political analyst and editor at large for Time magazine. In June 2010, he was hired as a senior political analyst at MSNBC. In 2011, Time released an iPad app called "Mark Halperin 2012" that contains material from Halperin's "The Page" as well as video, photos, breaking news, and Halperin's take on the news.{{cite news|url=http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/time-spins-halperins-page-app-131845|title=Time Spins Off Halperin's 'The Page' as App|work=Adweek|first=Lucia|last=Moses|date=May 23, 2011|access-date=July 11, 2011}}

On June 30, 2011, Halperin was suspended from his duties at MSNBC for "slurring" President Barack Obama on the program Morning Joe, after he said of Obama "I thought he was kind of a dick" for his performance at the previous day's press conference.{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/30/mark-halperin-calls-obama-a-dick_n_887604.html|title=Mark Halperin SUSPENDED For Obama 'D*ck' Comment (VIDEO)|website=Huffington Post|first1=Katla|last1=McGlynn|first2=Jack|last2=Mirkinson|date=June 30, 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/58098.html|title=Mark Halperin suspended over Obama remark on Morning Joe|website=Politico|date=June 30, 2011|last=Mak|first=Tim}} His suspension was lifted a month later.{{cite news|title=MSNBC ends Mark Halperin's suspension this week|url=http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/romenesko/141506/msnbc-ends-mark-halperins-suspension-this-week|publisher=Poynter Institute|date=August 2, 2011|first=Julie|last=Moos|access-date=August 3, 2011}}

In December 2011, Halperin was listed as number 1 in Salon{{'}}s 2011 Hack List, his reporting described as "shallow and predictable" as well as "both fixated solely on the horse race and also uniquely bad at analyzing the horse race."{{cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/topic/salon_hack_list_2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120101010016/http://www.salon.com/topic/salon_hack_list_2011/|archive-date=2012-01-01|title=2011 Hack List|work=Salon|access-date=August 30, 2024}}

Alex Shephard, writing in The New Republic, criticized his coverage for being "totally fixated" on the horse race and for shallow analysis, and "that he’s wanted to carry Donald Trump's bags for years."{{cite magazine|url=https://newrepublic.com/minutes/137565/mark-halperin-gets-d|title=Mark Halperin gets a D-.|last=Shephard|first=Alex|date=October 7, 2016|magazine=The New Republic|access-date=October 27, 2016}}

Conversely, Benjamin Wallace-Wells of The New Yorker wrote that Halperin's The Circus is "both an argument for horse-race journalism and a way to see its inner workings, and so to track Heilemann and Halperin in their long traipse across the American interior is to see the media discovering its own vulnerabilities, just as Trump was exploiting them."{{cite magazine|last1=Wallace-Wells|first1=Benjamin|title=Showtime's "The Circus" Offers Dark Lessons in Horse-Race Journalism|url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/benjamin-wallace-wells/showtimes-the-circus-offers-dark-lessons-in-horse-race-journalism|magazine=The New Yorker|date=October 7, 2016|access-date=April 30, 2018}}

The Washington Post's Dana Milbank noted that in June 2016, on his Bloomberg TV show, With All Due Respect, Halperin asserted that "it's not racial" for Trump to attempt to disqualify an Indiana-born federal judge as a "Mexican" because of his ancestry. His reason: "Mexico isn't a race."{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-lap-dogs-of-democracy-who-didnt-bark-at-trump/2016/10/24/26ba3418-9a28-11e6-9980-50913d68eacb_story.html|title=The lap dogs of democracy who didn't bark at Trump|last=Milbank|first=Dana|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=October 24, 2016}} Halperin went on to acknowledge however, "It's certainly racially tinged."{{Cite web |date=2016-06-04 |title=Halperin: Trump Attack On 'Mexican' Judge 'Not Racial,' Mexico 'Not A Race' (VIDEO) |url=https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/mark-halperin-trump-attacks-judge-not-racial-mexico-not-race |access-date=2024-10-28 |website=TPM – Talking Points Memo |language=en-US}}

On November 3, 2016, NBC's Brian Williams said Halperin had "gone out of his way" to give Trump favorable coverage. "When Donald Trump complains he is not getting favorable coverage in the MSM"—making reference to the mainstream media—"he has not been listening to you this cycle", Williams said to Halperin on Williams' show. "It's a question of looking at the data," said Halperin. "If there's a bit more of a national surge, and if it turns out that his ceiling is higher than the Clinton folks think...I think it's possible he (Trump) could find his way to 270" electoral votes.{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Media Matters Staff Video link |date=November 4, 2016 |title=MSNBC's Williams To Mark Halperin: "You've Gone Out Of Your Way To Find The Path" To A Trump Win |url=https://www.mediamatters.org/donald-trump/msnbcs-williams-mark-halperin-youve-gone-out-your-way-find-path-trump-win |access-date=January 19, 2017 |newspaper=Business Insider}} Less than a week later Trump surprised many people by winning over 300 electoral votes.{{Cite news |last=NY Times |first=NY Times |date=Nov 8, 2016 |title=2016 Presidential Election Results |url=https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2016/results/president |work=The New York Times}}

{{See also|Me Too movement|Weinstein effect}}

On October 26, 2017, CNN disclosed that five women had accused Halperin of sexual harassment or sexual assault. One woman told the network she was assaulted after visiting Halperin in the early 2000s. "I went up to have a soda and talk and—he just kissed me and grabbed my boobs", the woman said. "I just froze. I didn't know what to do."

Yet another woman told CNN that Halperin once pressed his penis to her shoulder during the 2004 campaign cycle. "I was obviously completely shocked", she said. "Given I was so young and new, I wasn't sure if that was the sort of thing that was expected of you if you wanted something from a male figure in news."

Another former ABC News woman employee told CNN that she had been on the road with Halperin when he propositioned her. "I excused myself to go to the bathroom and he was standing there when I opened the door, propositioning [me] to go into the other bathroom to do something", she said. "It freaked me out. I came out of the ladies' room and he was just standing there. Like almost blocking the door."

CNN also reported that three other women described Halperin, "without consent, pressing an erection against their bodies while he was clothed." One of the women recalled an incident during which "Halperin had pressed his genitals against her while she was seated in his office."{{cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/10/25/media/mark-halperin-sexual-harassment-allegations/index.html|title=Five women accuse journalist and 'Game Change' co-author Mark Halperin of sexual harassment|date=October 26, 2017|first=Oliver|last=Darcy|work=CNN}}

Halperin subsequently apologized for pursuing "relationships with women that I worked with, including some junior to me", but he also denied allegations that he had ever pressed his genitals against one woman and grabbed another woman's breast. He further announced that he would temporarily leave his daily work to "properly deal with this situation."{{cite news |title=NBC political analyst Mark Halperin apologizes after five women accuse him of sexual harassment, CNN reports|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/10/26/nbc-political-analyst-mark-halperin-apologizes-after-five-women-accuse-him-of-sexual-harassment-cnn-reports/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 26, 2017 |first=Samantha|last=Schmidt |access-date=October 26, 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/26/business/media/halperin-sexual-harassment.html|title=Mark Halperin, a Top Political Journalist, Faces Multiple Claims of Harassment|first1=John|last1=Koblin|first2=Michael M.|last2=Grynbaum|date=October 26, 2017|work=The New York Times}}

Later that day, NBC News released a statement saying that in light of the allegations, Halperin would not return as a senior political analyst "until the questions around his past conduct are fully understood."{{cite news |last=Johnson |first=Alex |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nbc-news-analyst-mark-halperin-accused-sexual-harassment-n814491 |title=NBC News Analyst Mark Halperin Accused of Sexual Harassment |work=NBC News |date=October 26, 2017|access-date=October 26, 2017}} HBO announced it would no longer go forward with a planned miniseries about the presidential election that was based in part on Halperin's then-upcoming book on the 2016 election. The premium cable channel said in a statement, "HBO has no tolerance for sexual harassment within the company or its productions."{{cite news |last=Steinberg |first=Brian |url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/hbo-game-change-mark-halperin-1202600194/ |title=HBO Drops 'Game Change' Miniseries Affiliated With Mark Halperin |work=Variety |date=October 26, 2017|access-date=October 26, 2017}} Penguin Press also canceled the latest installment of the Game Change series Halperin was co-authoring with John Heilemann, which HBO had already canceled plans to adapt.{{cite news |last1=Gold |first1=Hadas |last2=Darcy |first2=Oliver |url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/10/26/media/reactions-hbo-abc-showtime-mark-halperin-sexual-harassment/index.html |title=Penguin Press cancels Mark Halperin's 'Game Change' after harassment allegations |work=CNN |date=October 26, 2017 |access-date=October 27, 2017 }}

A day after their first story, CNN ran a second story revealing that the number of women accusing Halperin of misconduct had grown to "at least a dozen".{{cite news |last=Darcy |first=Oliver |url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/10/27/media/mark-halperin-new-accusations/index.html|title=Four more women accuse Mark Halperin of harassment, bringing total to at least a dozen |work=CNN |date=October 27, 2017|access-date=October 27, 2017 }} In a lengthy statement published in response to the CNN report, Halperin denied several of the new allegations, including ones that he masturbated in front of anyone or physically assaulted anyone. He apologized to the women he "mistreated" while acknowledging that he recognized he had a problem near the end of his tenure at ABC, received weekly counseling sessions, and ended the behavior;{{cite news |last=Kobin |first=John |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/27/business/media/mark-halperin-apology-accusers.html |title=Mark Halperin Apologizes to Women He 'Mistreated' |work=The New York Times |date=October 27, 2017|access-date=October 27, 2017 }} however, a later report from The Daily Beast included an allegation of harassment from 2011.{{cite news|last1=Kirell|first1=Andrew|last2=Suebsaeng|first2=Asawin|title=New Accuser: Serial Harasser Mark Halperin Targeted College Girls, Too|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/new-accuser-serial-harasser-mark-halperin-targeted-college-girls-too|access-date=October 29, 2017|work=The Daily Beast|date=October 27, 2017}}

On October 30, 2017, both NBC and MSNBC terminated Halperin's contract with the networks.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41808552|title=Journalist sacked over alleged harassment|date=October 30, 2017|work=BBC News}} On January 3, 2018, Showtime replaced Halperin on The Circus with then-CBS News anchor Alex Wagner.{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/showtime-the-circus-alex-wagner-mark-halperin-1202652033/|title=Showtime Renews 'The Circus,' Alex Wagner Joins as Co-Host|last=Littleton|first=Cynthia|date=January 3, 2018|work=Variety|access-date=January 7, 2018|language=en-US}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/02/business/media/showtime-the-circus-halperin.html|title=Showtime's 'The Circus' Will Go On Without Mark Halperin|work=The New York Times |date=January 3, 2018 |access-date=October 15, 2018 |last1=Grynbaum |first1=Michael M. }}{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/08/showtime-the-circus-sets-fall-return-date-1202439741/|title=Showtime's 'The Circus' Sets Fall Premiere Date In Time For Midterm Elections|first=Greg|last=Evans|date=August 3, 2018|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=October 15, 2018}}

According to a May 3, 2019, report in The Daily Beast, Halperin worked on repairing his reputation during the first quarter of 2019 with a goal of returning as a pundit on television and radio. According to the article, Halperin enlisted the help of Michael Smerconish, Mika Brzezinski, and Joe Scarborough on an under-the-radar yet calculated professional rehabilitation campaign. Since the beginning of 2019, Halperin resumed posting on Twitter. Around the same time, Halperin appeared on Sirius XM with Smerconish, where he said he has been working with the Fortune Society, a New York City-based nonprofit organization that provides essential support to the formerly incarcerated.{{cite news |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/mark-halperin-enlists-pals-joe-scarborough-mika-brzezinski-and-michael-smerconish-to-rehab-his-career |title=Mark Halperin Enlists Pals Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, and Michael Smerconish to Rehab His Career After Sexual Misconduct Scandal |work=The Daily Beast |date=May 3, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503022721/https://www.thedailybeast.com/mark-halperin-enlists-pals-joe-scarborough-mika-brzezinski-and-michael-smerconish-to-rehab-his-career |archive-date=May 3, 2019 |access-date=May 3, 2019 }}

On August 18, 2019, publisher Regan Arts announced that Halperin had signed a new book deal. The book, entitled How to Beat Trump: America's Top Political Strategists on What It Will Take, was published in early-November 2019. Contributors to the book included David Axelrod, Donna Brazile, and James Carville. Both CNN and NBC declined to promote the book.{{cite news|author=|date=August 19, 2019|title=Mark Halperin|work=NBC News|publisher=Associated Press|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/all/mark-halperin-s-new-book-faces-widespread-criticism-n1043801|url-status=live|access-date=August 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821202258/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/all/mark-halperin-s-new-book-faces-widespread-criticism-n1043801|archive-date=August 21, 2019}}

After news broke about his upcoming book, Halperin faced widespread criticism and outrage, with Gretchen Carlson calling the deal "a slap in the face to all women." Rebecca Katz, a political strategist said on Twitter, "you can beat Trump without supporting the career rehabilitation of Mark Halperin." CNN political commentator Karen Finney called Halperin "a predator" and denounced publisher Regan Arts. Eleanor McManus, who had written of being sexually harassed by Halperin as a 21-year-old, commented: "He leveraged his position as a prominent journalist to prey on women... Giving him a book once again puts him in a position of authority and that is a slap in the face to all the women that he has victimized."{{cite news |last=Italie |first=Hillel |date=August 18, 2019 |title=Planned book by Mark Halperin faces widespread criticism |url=https://apnews.com/article/b1e4d541ce724effa73c86eabe12858c |url-status=live |work=Associated Press |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201122044548/https://apnews.com/article/b1e4d541ce724effa73c86eabe12858c |archive-date=November 22, 2020 |access-date=July 27, 2024}}{{cite news |last=Elfrink |first=Tim |date=August 19, 2019 |title='He doesn't deserve another platform': Mark Halperin's new book deal blasted by sexual harassment accusers |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/08/19/mark-halperin-book-deal-metoo-critics-judith-regan/ |url-status=live |newspaper=The Washington Post |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819120650/https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/08/19/mark-halperin-book-deal-metoo-critics-judith-regan/ |archive-date=August 19, 2019 |access-date=July 27, 2024}}

According to a September 9, 2019 report in The Daily Beast, Halperin allegedly made vague threats toward MSNBC president Phil Griffin during a phone call after Griffin refused to approve a possible collaboration with the Morning Joe team earlier in 2019.{{cite news |last=Tani |first=Maxwell |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/mark-halperin-threatened-msnbc-chief-phil-griffin-for-nixing-his-comeback |title=Mark Halperin 'Threatened' MSNBC Chief Phil Griffin for Nixing His Comeback |work=The Daily Beast |date=September 9, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190909122715/https://www.thedailybeast.com/mark-halperin-threatened-msnbc-chief-phil-griffin-for-nixing-his-comeback |archive-date=September 9, 2019 |access-date=September 9, 2019 }}

In 2019, Halperin launched a daily political blog called "Wide World of News." In 2023, Wide World of News became a paid subscription described as "the inside track on what will happen next and why" in the political arena.

In 2020, Halperin began appearing on Newsmax TV, both as a contributor and as the host of its weekly Sunday show, Mark Halperin's Focus Group.{{cite web |date=January 18, 2021 |title=Mark Halperin, Host of Mark Halperin's Focus Group on Newsmax TV, to Talk Government and Politics on Next Steps Forward with Chris Meek Jan. 19 |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mark-halperin-host-mark-halperin-190800645.html |accessdate=January 21, 2022 |website=Yahoo! Finance}} The series ended after three seasons.

In 2024, Halperin founded and launched a startup interactive video platform called "2Way," where he currently facilitates daily live video conference calls. The program is described as a virtual town hall, where Halperin moderates discussions on political issues with pundits and ordinary people.{{cite news |title=Can Mark Halperin Foster Civil Political Conversations? |url=https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/398628/can-mark-halperin-foster-civil-political-conversat.html |date=2024-08-19 |last=Rosenbaum|first=Steven |work=MediaPost |access-date=2025-02-06}} Guests include former governors, senators, members of Congress, political consultants, and fellow journalists.{{Cite journal |last=Rommelmann |first=Nancy |date=November 25, 2024 |title=Dispatch From Trump World: The Spirit of '24 |url=https://reason.com/2024/11/25/dispatch-from-trump-world-the-spirit-of-24/ |journal=Reason Magazine}}{{Cite news |last=Selzer |first=Ann |date=November 7, 2024 |title=Pollster Ann Selzer: We'll look at data to try to understand Iowa Poll miss |url=https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/2024/11/07/ann-selzer-well-look-at-data-to-try-to-understand-iowa-poll-miss/76100172007/ |work=Des Moines Register}}

Halperin resides in New York City with his wife, Karen Avrich, co-author of Sasha and Emma.{{cite web|title=Sasha and Emma — Paul Avrich, Karen Avrich|url=http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674065987|access-date=July 11, 2016|website=hup.harvard.edu}}

• Mark Halperin and John F. Harris, The Way to Win: Taking the White House in 2008, Random House, October 2006, {{ISBN|1-4000-6447-3}}
• Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime, Harper, January 2010, {{ISBN|0-06-173363-6}}
• Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, Double Down: Game Change 2012, Penguin Press, November 2013 {{ISBN|1594204403}}
• Mark Halperin, How to Beat Trump: America's Top Political Strategists on What It Will Take, Regan Arts, November 2019

{{reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category|Mark Halperin}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20081203133243/http://thepage.time.com/ The Page], Halperin's blog at Time.com
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080509112731/http://thepage.time.com/bio/ Biography]
• {{C-SPAN|36954}}
• {{Charlie Rose view|13}}
• {{IMDb name|356927}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Halperin, Mark}}

Category:1965 births

Category:Living people

Category:Harvard University alumni

Category:Mass media people from Bethesda, Maryland

Category:Jewish American journalists

Category:MSNBC people

Category:American radio reporters and correspondents

Category:American television reporters and correspondents

Category:American political journalists

Category:American magazine editors

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Category:American political writers

Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers

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Category:21st-century American male writers

Category:Walt Whitman High School (Maryland) alumni