Nina Totenberg: Award-Winning Legal Correspondent
COUNTRY OF BIRTH
United States
INDUSTRY
Journalism
TOP ACHIEVEMENTS
Hard Hitting Investigative Journalist
In 1975, Nina Totenberg moved from a career in print media to work at the National Public Radio (NPR), where she has stayed ever since. She is a highly respected investigative journalist, who has a reputation for breaking landmark legal news stories. In 1991, she broke the story of University of Oklahoma Law Professor Anita Hill’s sexual harassment case against Judge Clarence Thomas. The report forced the Senate Judiciary Committee to review Thomas’s appointment to the Supreme Court.
In 1977, she compiled a ground breaking report surrounding perceived corrupt behavior of the highest order within the Supreme Court. She uncovered that the Supreme Court appeal of the three men convicted for the Watergate scandal had almost been derailed by Chief Justice Warren Burger and two other Judges. Burger and the two other judges were appointed by former President Richard Nixon, who had resigned three years earlier following the Watergate scandal, and all had voted against reviewing the convictions. It was such groundbreaking pieces of work that would see Totenberg referred to as the “crème de la crème” of NPR, and she often left many wondering about her ability to source such hard hitting information from within a close knit legal fraternity.
Nina Totenberg , By Penn State: Flickr
“You can’t do good investigative work without making some people mad. I just keep my head down and do my job. Whether liberals or conservatives like or dislike it is of no importance to me whatsoever.”
Leading Legal Voice in Print Media
Before her NPR career, the young journalist worked as the Washington Editor for the New Times Magazine, and she also served as the legal affairs correspondent for the National Observer. She has published articles in The New York Times, The Harvard Law Review, New York Magazine, The Christian Science Monitor, and many more throughout her career.
Industry Recognition
Nina Totenberg has received countless awards acknowledging her excellence in journalism and investigative reporting. She has been honored seven times by the American Bar Association for her ongoing excellence in legal reporting. In 1998, the National Press Foundation named her ‘Broadcaster of the Year’, the first time a radio journalist had received the award. She has also collected the Long Island University George Polk Award for excellence in journalism and the Sigma Delta Chi Award from the Society of Professional Journalists for investigative reporting.
ADDITIONAL FACTS
*Born in New York City and raised in Scarsdale, along with her two younger sisters.
*Her father Roman, a Polish immigrant, was a world renowned violinist.
*Studied Journalism at Boston University, but dropped out before completing her degree. (She has since received numerous honorary degrees).
