Howard David Fineman (November 17, 1948 – June 11, 2024) was an American journalist and television commentator. In a career that spanned nearly five decades, Fineman covered nine presidential campaigns as a reporter, writer, and analyst. For 30 years, he drove Newsweek magazine's political coverage. At the height of the publication's influence, Fineman was its chief political correspondent, senior editor and deputy Washington bureau chief. His "Living Politics" column was posted weekly on Newsweek.com.[1] Following Newsweek, he was named global editorial director of the AOL Huffington Post Media Group.[2]
Howard Fineman | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Fineman at the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida | |
| Born | Howard David Fineman November 17, 1948 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | June 11, 2024 (aged 75) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Education | Colgate University (A.B.) Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism (M.S.) University of Louisville School of Law (J.D.) |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Spouse |
Amy L. Nathan (m. 1981) |
| Children | 2 (Meredith and Nicholas) |
Fineman was also an NBC News analyst, contributing reports to the network and its cable affiliate MSNBC. He appeared regularly on Hardball with Chris Matthews, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, and The Rachel Maddow Show. The author of scores of Newsweek cover stories,[3] Fineman's work appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Republic and RealClearPolitics, where he was a contributing correspondent during the 2020 election cycle.[4] Between 2017 and 2019, Fineman was a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Annenberg School of Communications, teaching a seminar on “New Media Journalism and Politics in the Trump Era.” [5]
Fineman authored The Thirteen American Arguments: Enduring Debates That Define and Inspire Our Country, which takes the position that we are a nation built on healthy disagreements and arguments. Washingtonian magazine described the book[6] as offering a “unique vantage point from which to see that the debates that shape American politics are timeless and profound."
Early life and education edit
Fineman was born in 1948 and raised in a Jewish family[7] in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh,[8] the son of Jean (née Lederman) and Charles Fineman, both teachers.[9][10] Fineman attended Colfax Elementary and Taylor Allderdice High School, graduating in 1966.[11] The family belonged to the Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation, where Fineman celebrated his bar mitzvah.[12] In 2018, he wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times about how the horrific attack on the temple by an antisemite, killing eleven people, "is part of a larger pattern of mayhem and hatred in America and around the world."[13]
Fineman earned a Bachelor of Arts from Colgate University, where he was Phi Beta Kappa and a member of Beta Theta Pi, a Master of Science in journalism from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Louisville School of Law. His legal education also included a year at the Georgetown University Law Center. He was also a recipient of both the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship and the Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship for study in Europe, Russia and the Middle East.[14] Fineman used the grant to travel to Ukraine and explore his family's Jewish roots. In March 2022, Fineman wrote about the experience after Russia invaded Ukraine.[15]
Career edit
Fineman began his journalism career at The Louisville Courier-Journal, covering the environment, the coal industry and state politics before joining the newspaper's Washington bureau in 1978. He moved to Newsweek in 1980, was named Chief Political Correspondent in 1984, Deputy Washington Bureau Chief in 1993 and Senior Editor in 1995. He became a regular guest on Tony Kornheiser's podcast (The Tony Kornheiser Show) offering political insight to Tony as well as Pittsburgh sports updates. Tony referred to him as "The Intergalactic Editor of The Huffington Post".[16] Fineman remained with The Huffington Post until 2018, after which he joined NBC News as a commentator.[9]
In a discussion of pack journalism during the 1988 presidential campaign, author/journalist Richard Ben Cramer identifies a Fineman profile piece in Newsweek as the tipping point at which unattributed rumors and whispered speculation about the private life of Democratic candidate Gary Hart were made public and effectively legitimated. Fineman, Cramer writes, posed to a 1984 Hart campaign aide a series of leading, uncorroborated assertions about Hart's fidelity, finally prompting the aide to say, "Yuh, well, you know ... he'll always be in jeopardy ... if he can't keep his pants on." The aide later complained that the comment was off the record and, in any event, based solely on speculation, but Fineman bootstrapped the quote into publication with the unattributed lead-in "many political observers expect the rumors to emerge as a campaign issue."[17] The subsequent, unprecedented media focus on the personal life of Hart, who to that point was the clear frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, resulted in Hart's decision to drop his candidacy.
Accomplishments and awards edit
Fineman covered the contentious 2000 presidential campaign, and subsequently covered the presidency of George W. Bush. A Newsweek cover story in November 2001 featured the president's first extensive interview following the September 11 attacks. Fineman's other awards include a "Page One" from the Headliners Club of New York, a "Silver Gavel" from the American Bar Association, and a "Deadline Club" from the Society of Professional Journalists.[citation needed]
Fineman wrote on the rise of the "religious right", the power of talk radio, race and politics, and the Pledge of Allegiance controversy. He interviewed business leaders such as Bill Gates, Steve Case, and Steve Ballmer. He interviewed GOP operative Lee Atwater, in the documentary Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story.[citation needed]
Fineman reported for NBC, and appeared on most major public affairs shows. He was a panelist on PBS's Washington Week in Review from 1983 to 1995, and on CNN's Capital Gang from 1995 to 1998.[citation needed]
Fineman held honorary degrees from Colgate University,[18] the University of Louisville[19] Washington and Jefferson College,[20] and Gettysburg College[21]
Personal life and death edit
In 1981, Fineman married lawyer Amy Nathan. They a son and daughter; their son, Nick Fineman, followed his father into news media and became a television news producer.[9]
On June 11, 2024, Fineman died from pancreatic cancer at his home in Washington. He was 75.[9][22]
References edit
- ^ "Howard Fineman". Newsweek. Archived from the original on April 19, 2010. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
- ^ Fineman, Howard. "Huffington Post". Retrieved May 22, 2012.
- ^ "Howard Fineman". Newsweek.
- ^ Howard Fineman Joins RCP https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2020/01/24/rocky_marriage_federalist_ban_quote_of_the_week_142231.html
- ^ "Penn professors mull President Trump's effect on political communications". August 9, 2018.
- ^ Kim Eisler, “A Writer and Pundit takes an insightful and enjoyable look at the timeless issues that shape American politics,” Washingtonian, April 29, 2008
- ^ Fussin' and fightin'? It's all good, says author/pundit, By Dan Pine, April 18, 2008, j. the Jewish news weekly of Northern California:jweekly.com
- ^ Pitz, Marylynne (September 22, 2009). "Khrushchev charmed the city on visit – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- ^ a b c d Risen, Clay (June 12, 2024). "Howard Fineman, Veteran Political Journalist and TV Pundit, Dies at 75". The New York Times. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "Obituary: Jean Lederman Fineman / Longtime teacher loved reading, discussing politics June 9, 1924 — June 27, 2016" by Lindsay Moore June 28, 2016
- ^ Yearbook Picture, 1966 Taylor Allderdice High School, Pittsburgh, PA.
- ^ Fineman, Howard (October 27, 2018). "Shaking My Faith in America". New York Times. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
- ^ Fineman, Howard (October 27, 2018). "Shaking My Faith in America". New York Times. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
- ^ Howard Fineman bio at NNDB. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
- ^ Fineman, Howard, "I Went to Ukraine to Find My Roots. The KGB Found Me First", Colgate Magazine, Spring 2022
- ^ "Home". tonykornheisershow.com.
- ^ Cramer, Richard Ben (1992). What it takes : the way to the White House (1st ed.). New York: Random House. pp. 375–393. ISBN 0-394-56260-7. OCLC 24794262.
- ^ Howard Fineman '70 is named Colgate's 190th commencement speaker, By Barbara Brooks, April 8, 2011, Colgate University
- ^ Firsts and 'finally' mark commencement, May 13, 2013, UofL Today
- ^ Howard Fineman to deliver keynote at W&J commencement ceremony May 6, 2015, Washington & Jefferson College
- ^ "Archives – Gettysburg College".
- ^ Langer, Emily (June 12, 2024). "Howard Fineman, political correspondent with analytical eye, dies at 75". Washington Post. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- Notes
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