Robert G. Kaiser
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Robert G. Kaiser (born 1943) is an American journalist and author. He retired from ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' in early 2014 after a career of more than 50 years on the paper. During his career he served as managing editor (1991–98) and associate editor and senior correspondent (1998-2014). He is the author or co-author of eight books. After retiring he wrote a much-discussed article for the ''Post'' explaining his decision to move away from Washington after living there for most of 70 years.


Career

Kaiser began at ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' as a summer intern while still a college student. He has served as a special correspondent in
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(1964–67), a reporter on the city desk in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
(1967–69), foreign correspondent in Saigon (1969–70) and
Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
(1971–74). He returned to the national staff in Washington and worked as a reporter for seven years, covering labor, the
U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...
, the 1980 presidential campaign and the first Ronald Reagan administration. In January 1980, Kaiser authored an editorial column endorsing a boycott of the upcoming Moscow Olympics. The column was influential in motivating the administration of President Jimmy Carter to officially pursue an Olympic boycott; National Security Advisor
Zbigniew Brzezinski Zbigniew Kazimierz Brzeziński ( , ; March 28, 1928 – May 26, 2017), or Zbig, was a Polish-American diplomat and political scientist. He served as a counselor to President Lyndon B. Johnson from 1966 to 1968 and was President Jimmy Carter' ...
made sure Carter read it. In 1982 Kaiser became
associate editor An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...
of ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' and editor of "Outlook", a Sunday section of commentary and opinion. He also wrote a column for the section. From 1985 to 1990 he was assistant managing editor for national news, in charge of the paper's coverage of politics and the federal government. From 1990 to 1991 he was deputy managing editor, and from 1991 to 1998 served as the paper's
managing editor A managing editor (ME) is a senior member of a publication's management team. Typically, the managing editor reports directly to the editor-in-chief and oversees all aspects of the publication. United States In the United States, a managing edit ...
. In 2007, he wrote a series of articles there based on interviews of lobbyist Gerald Cassidy on the topic of lobbying in the United States. Later he published a book on lobbying, ''So Damn Much Money'', based in part on Cassidy's career. From late 2008 through 2009, Kaiser followed Rep.
Barney Frank Barnett Frank (born March 31, 1940) is a former American politician. He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts from 1981 to 2013. A Democrat, Frank served as chairman of the House Financial Services Committ ...
(D-MA) and Sen.
Chris Dodd Christopher John Dodd (born May 27, 1944) is an American lobbyist, lawyer, and Democratic Party politician who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1981 to 2011. Dodd is the longest-serving senator in Connecticut's history. ...
(D-CT) as they wrote and passed the
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. Both men and their staffs allowed Kaiser an inside view of the legislative process. Kaiser's 2013 book, ''Act of Congress: How America's Essential Institution Works, and How It Doesn't'', was based on this unusual access. Kaiser's work has appeared in the ''
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'', '' Esquire'', '' Foreign Affairs'', and many other publications. He has been a commentator on
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's
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, and has appeared often on ''
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'', the ''
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'' show and other television programs. Kaiser also was a digital visionary, at least in the newspaper world. In 1992, he wrote a prescient memo about the digital threats and opportunities newspapers would face in the future. The memo led to the Post's early investment in creating a separate digital subsidiary, which launched the Post's Digital Ink product in 1994, followed soon after b
washingtonpost.com


Family

Kaiser is the son of the late diplomat Philip Mayer Kaiser, who served as
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and
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.


Bibliography

Kaiser is the author of numerous books: *''Cold Winter, Cold War'' (1974). *''Russia, The People and the Power'' (1976). *''Great American Dreams'' (with Jon Lowell, 1978). *''Russia from the Inside'' (with Hannah Jopling Kaiser, 1980). *''Why Gorbachev Happened'' (1991) * ''The Geography of Nationalism in Russia and the USSR.'' (1994). *''The News About the News: American Journalism in Peril'' (with Leonard Downie, Jr., 2002). *''So Damn Much Money: The Triumph of Lobbying and the Corrosion of American Government'' (2009). *''Act of Congress: How America's Essential Institution Works, and How It Doesn't'' (2013).


Awards

''The News About The News'' won Harvard University's Goldsmith prize for the best book of 2002 on politics and the news media. His dispatches from Moscow won the
Overseas Press Club The Overseas Press Club of America (OPC) was founded in 1939 in New York City by a group of foreign correspondents. The wire service reporter Carol Weld was a founding member, as was the war correspondent Peggy Hull. The club seeks to maintain ...
award for best foreign correspondence of the year in 1975. In 2003, he won the
National Press Club Organizations A press club is an organization for journalists and others professionally engaged in the production and dissemination of news. A press club whose membership is defined by the press of a given country may be known as a National Press ...
prize for best diplomatic reporting of the year.


See also

* Gerald Cassidy *
Lobbying in the United States Lobbying in the United States describes paid activity in which special interest groups hire well-connected professional advocates, often lawyers, to argue for specific legislation in decision-making bodies such as the United States Congress. I ...


References


External links


Author bio at Alfred A. KnopfArticles by Robert G. Kaiser at The Washington PostKnopf Speakers Bureau: Distinguished Authors, Distinctive LecturesWashington: Will the Lobbyists Win?
Michael Tomasky Michael John Tomasky (born October 13, 1960) is an American columnist, progressive commentator, and author. He is the editor of ''The New Republic'' and editor in chief of ''Democracy''. He has been a special correspondent for ''Newsweek'', ''T ...
's review of ''So Damn Much Money'' from The New York Review of Books *
''Washington: Will the Lobbyists Win?''
book 2009 review by
Michael Tomasky Michael John Tomasky (born October 13, 1960) is an American columnist, progressive commentator, and author. He is the editor of ''The New Republic'' and editor in chief of ''Democracy''. He has been a special correspondent for ''Newsweek'', ''T ...

review of ''Act of Congress'' by Jonathan Martin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaiser, Robert G. American male journalists The Washington Post people 1943 births Living people Loomis Chaffee School alumni Yale University alumni Alumni of the London School of Economics