Daniel Balz is an American journalist at '' The Washington Post'', where he has been a political correspondent since 1978. Balz has served as National Editor, Political Editor, White House correspondent and as the ''Washington Post''s Texas-based Southwest correspondent. Balz sometimes appears on the news show '' Meet the Press'' and frequently appears on the PBS program '' Washington Week''. In April 2011 the White House Correspondents' Association honored Balz with the prestigious Merriman Smith Award for excellence in presidential coverage under deadline pressure.

Early life and education

Balz was born in Freeport, Illinois. A 1964 graduate of Freeport High School he received bachelor's and master's degrees in communications from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and served in the United States Army from 1968 to 1971.

Career

Balz is co-author, with Ronald Brownstein of the '' Los Angeles Times'', of the 1996 book ''Storming the Gates: Protest Politics and the Republican Revival''. In 1999, Balz received the

American Political Science Association The American Political Science Association (APSA) is a professional association of political science students and scholars in the United States. Founded in 1903 in the Tilton Memorial Library (now Tilton Hall) of Tulane University in New Orleans, ...

award for political coverage. Balz's latest work, co-written with

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

winner

Haynes Johnson Haynes Bonner Johnson (July 9, 1931May 24, 2013) was an American journalist, author, and television analyst. He reported on most of the major news stories of the latter half of the 20th century and was widely regarded as one of the top American po ...

in 2009, is ''The Battle for America 2008: The Story of an Extraordinary Election''. Based on two years of reporting, it includes exclusive interviews with then-candidates Barack Obama and

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...

and many of their top advisers during the campaign and election. After college graduation, prior to entering military service, Balz worked for the

Freeport Journal Standard ''The Journal Standard'' is an American daily newspaper published Mondays through Saturdays in Freeport, Illinois. It is owned by Gannett. The newspaper's coverage area includes Carroll, Jo Daviess, Ogle and Stephenson Stephenson is a med ...

covering the

1968 Democratic National Convention The 1968 Democratic National Convention was held August 26–29 at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Earlier that year incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson had announced he would not seek reelection, thus making ...

and contemporaneous riots. Before coming to ''The Washington Post'', he worked as a reporter and deputy editor for ''

National Journal ''National Journal'' is an advisory services company based in Washington, D.C., offering services in government affairs, advocacy communications, stakeholder mapping, and policy brands research for government and business leaders. It publishes da ...

'' and as a reporter for '' The Philadelphia Inquirer''.

Personal life

He is married to Nancy Johnson Balz and they have one son.

References

External links

*
Washington Post: Dan Balz

PBS WETA: Dan Balz

Harvard: Fellows: Dan Balz

Random House: Dan Balz

American Academy of Arts & Sciences: Dan Balz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balz, Dan 1946 births Living people American male journalists American newspaper reporters and correspondents People from Freeport, Illinois The Philadelphia Inquirer people University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Media alumni The Washington Post people Journalists from Illinois American television journalists Freeport High School (Illinois) alumni United States Army soldiers