Editing David Talbot

{{short description|American investigative journalist and editor}}
{{for multi|the golfer|David Talbot (golfer)|the fictional character|David Talbot (The Vampire Chronicles)|the American politician|D. Smith Talbot}}
{{BLP sources|date=January 2018}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2013}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = David Talbot
| image              = Talbot Clinton (cropped) - David Talbot.jpeg
| alt                = 
| caption            = Talbot in 1998
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1951|09|22}}
| birth_place        = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S.
| death_date         = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
| death_place        = 
| nationality        = 
| other_names        = 
| known_for          = 
| spouse             = {{marriage|Camille Peri |1989}}
| website            = {{URL|thedavidtalbotshow.com/}}
| alma_mater         = [[University of California, Santa Cruz]]
| occupation         = Author, journalist, activist, independent historian
}}
'''David Talbot''' (born September 22, 1951) is an American journalist, author, editor, activist and independent historian. Talbot is known for his books about the "hidden history" of U.S. power and the [[Liberalism in the United States | liberal]] movements to change America, as well as his public advocacy.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://millvalley.pastperfectonline.com/archive/C5D2711E-F06B-41E3-A050-412742298993 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200131112825/https://millvalley.pastperfectonline.com/archive/C5D2711E-F06B-41E3-A050-412742298993 |archive-date=January 31, 2020 |title=Oral History of David Talbot - Oral History}}</ref> He was also the founder and former editor-in-chief<ref name="paidcontent.org">{{cite web |url=http://paidcontent.org/article/419-salon-founder-talbot-steps-in-once-again-as-interim-ceo/ |title=Salon Founder Talbot Steps in Once Again As Interim CEO – paidContent |publisher=Paidcontent.org |date=July 9, 2011 |accessdate=May 23, 2012 |archive-date=February 14, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214160249/http://paidcontent.org/article/419-salon-founder-talbot-steps-in-once-again-as-interim-ceo/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> of the early web magazine ''[[Salon (website)|Salon]]''.

Talbot founded ''Salon'' in 1995. The magazine gained a large following and broke several major national stories.

Since leaving ''Salon'', Talbot has researched and written on the [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy|Kennedy assassination]] and other areas of what he calls "hidden history." Talbot has worked as a senior editor for [[Mother Jones (magazine)|''Mother Jones'' magazine]] and a features editor for ''[[The San Francisco Examiner]]'', and has written for [[Time (magazine)|''Time'' magazine]], ''[[The New Yorker]]'', ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', and other publications.

In addition to his work as an independent historian, Talbot has been deeply engaged in political activism, especially in his hometown, San Francisco, where he has campaigned for many progressive candidates and has been called "a leader in the fight to keep San Francisco affordable."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://brokeassstuart.com/2017/11/28/help-david-talbot-a-leader-in-the-movement-to-keep-san-francisco-affordable-and-humane/|title = Help David Talbot, A Leader in the Movement to Keep San Francisco Affordable and Humane}}</ref> On his blog, Talbot offers frequent opinions on national and local topics.

==Early life and education==
Talbot was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. His father was actor [[Lyle Talbot]]. He attended the [[Harvard-Westlake School|Harvard School for Boys]]  but did not graduate after falling afoul of the school's headmaster and ROTC program during the Vietnam War. He attended the [[University of California at Santa Cruz]].

==Career==
After graduating, he returned to Los Angeles, where he co-wrote with Barbara Zheutlin a history of the [[Left Coast|Hollywood Left]], "Creative Differences", and freelanced for Crawdaddy, [[Rolling Stone]], and other magazines. He later was hired by ''[[Environmental Action]]'' Foundation in Washington, D.C. to write "Power and Light," a book about the politics of energy. After he returned to California, he worked as an editor at Mother Jones magazine before San Francisco Examiner publisher Will Hearst hired him to edit the newspaper's Sunday magazine, Image. It was at the ''Examiner'' where Talbot developed the idea for Salon, convincing several of his newspaper colleagues to join him.

===''Salon''===
''[[Salon.com|Salon]]'' is a web magazine based in San Francisco. Talbot has characterized ''Salon'' as aiming to be a "smart tabloid."<ref>{{Cite news| last = Lasica
| first = J.D.| title = Salon: The best pure-play Web publication?| work = American Journalism Review| date = June 1998| url = http://www.jdlasica.com/1998/06/08/salon-the-best-pure-play-web-publication/}}</ref> In 1996, ''Time'' magazine picked ''Salon'' as the web site of the year.<ref name="ibiblio.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/slanews/conferences/sla2000/fresh.htm |title=Fresh Air: Terry Gross Interview with David Talbot |publisher=Ibiblio.org |date=June 14, 2000 |accessdate=May 23, 2012}}</ref> Originally created to cover books and popular culture, the web site became increasingly politicized during the Clinton impeachment drama in the late 1990s. ''Salon'' broke from the mainstream press by defending the Clinton presidency and investigating the right-wing prosecutorial apparatus headed by Kenneth Starr and Rep. Henry Hyde, whose own infidelity ''Salon'' exposed.<ref name="Hyde expose">{{Cite news|last=Talbot |first=David |title=This hypocrite broke up my family |work=Salon |accessdate=2014-12-09 |date=1998-09-18 |url=http://www.salon.com/news/1998/09/cov_16newsb.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000301144434/http://www.salon.com/news/1998/09/cov_16newsb.html |archive-date=March 1, 2000 }}</ref>

Before stepping down as ''Salon'''s CEO and editor-in-chief in 2005, Talbot stabilized the financially rocky web enterprise.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Founder of Salon Is Passing the Mouse|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/10/books/10salo.html?_r=1|work=The New York Times|accessdate=May 23, 2012|author=David Carr|date=February 10, 2005}}</ref>
Talbot returned briefly as ''Salon'' CEO in 2011 but has since left the company.

===''Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years''===
After leaving Salon, Talbot resumed his career as an author of popular history books. Talbot's book, ''[[The New York Times]]'' bestseller, ''Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years'', offers a potentially controversial view of the Kennedy presidency and assassination, and explores Bobby Kennedy's search for the truth about his brother's murder. Talbot is now{{When?|date=February 2023}} working on a feature documentary based on ''Brothers''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Conspiracy? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/20/books/review/Brinkley-t.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=May 23, 2012 |first=Alan |last=Brinkley |author-link=Alan Brinkley |date=May 20, 2007}}</ref>

===''Devil Dog''===
Talbot's book ''Devil Dog: The Amazing True Story of the Man Who Saved America'' chronicles the life and exploits of antiwar U.S. Marine Major General [[Smedley Butler|Smedley Darlington Butler]]. The book, which was part of an illustrated history series called ''Pulp History'', is a collaboration with [[Zap Comix]] artist [[Spain Rodriguez]]. It focuses on the true story of Major General Smedley Butler, who fought in imperial wars all around the globe as a self-described "gangster for capitalism" before finally returning home where, during the [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]] presidency, he finally got to truly defend democracy. Butler "saved America," in the words of the book, by thwarting an attempted [[Wall Street]] coup against FDR. ''Devil Dog'', which was published by Simon & Schuster in fall 2010, won praise from ''The New York Times'', which called the ''Pulp History'' series "rip-roaring nonfiction tales with enough purple prose, gory illustrations and va-va-va-voom women to lure in even reluctant teenage male readers".<ref>{{cite web|title=Selling History With '50s Pulp Pow and Punch|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/25/books/25pulp.html?_r=2|work=The New York Times|accessdate=May 23, 2012|author=Patricia Cohen|date=November 24, 2010}}</ref>

===''Season of the Witch''===
Talbot's book ''[[Season of the Witch: Enchantment, Terror, and Deliverance in the City of Love]]'', about the wild and bloody birth of "[[San Francisco values]]", was published in spring 2012.<ref>{{cite web|title=David, Stephen, Margaret Talbot – telling tales|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/01/06/DDKL1GJGVF.DTL|publisher=San Francisco Chronicle|accessdate=May 23, 2012|author=Meredith May|date=January 7, 2011}}</ref> ''Season of the Witch'' received starred reviews in ''[[Publishers Weekly]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4391-0821-5|title=Season of the Witch: Enchantment, Terror, and Deliverance in the City of Love|author=<!-- Staff -->|work=[[Publishers Weekly]]|accessdate=January 23, 2018}}</ref> and ''[[Kirkus Reviews]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/david-talbot/season-witch/|title=SEASON OF THE WITCH|author=<!-- Staff -->|work=[[Kirkus Reviews]]|accessdate=January 23, 2018}}</ref> and was described as "enthralling, news-driven history"<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/books/article/Season-of-the-Witch-by-David-Talbot-review-3536031.php|title='Season of the Witch,' by David Talbot: review|last=Lattin|first=Don|work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|date=May 6, 2012|accessdate=January 23, 2018}}</ref> (''San Francisco Chronicle''), "energetic, highly entertaining storytelling"<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/books/2012/05/05/capsule-reviews-season-witch-year-gadfly-and-breasts-natural-and-unnatural-history/0848Lgea2RaIjclcWLg36J/story.html|title='Season of the Witch,' 'The Year of the Gadfly,' 'Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History'|last=Tuttle|first=Katie|work=[[Boston Globe]]|date=May 6, 2012|accessdate=January 23, 2018|archive-date=January 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180124071207/https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/books/2012/05/05/capsule-reviews-season-witch-year-gadfly-and-breasts-natural-and-unnatural-history/0848Lgea2RaIjclcWLg36J/story.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> (''Boston Globe''), and "an enthralling – and harrowing – account of how the 1967 Summer of Love gave way to 20 or so winters of discontent"<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/season-of-the-witch-enchantment-terror-and-deliverance-in-the-city-of-love-by-david-talbot/2012/06/01/gJQAwWgt7U_story.html|title="Season of the Witch Enchantment, Terror, and Deliverance in the City of Love," by David Talbot|last=Drabelle|first=Dennis|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=June 1, 2012|accessdate=January 23, 2018}}</ref> (''Washington Post'').

===''The Devil's Chessboard''===

Talbot's 2015 book ''The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government'' is a biography examining the career of [[Allen Dulles]].<ref name="SFC2015">
{{cite news
 | last= Altschuler
 | first= Glenn C.
 | author-link= Glenn C. Altschuler
 | title= 'The Devil's Chessboard,' by David Talbot
 | newspaper= San Francisco Chronicle
 | date= October 16, 2015
 | url= http://www.sfgate.com/books/article/The-Devil-s-Chessboard-by-David-Talbot-6574578.php
 | access-date= October 28, 2015
}}
</ref>
According to Talbot, [[John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories|Dulles orchestrated the assassination of Kennedy]] at the behest of corporate leaders, who perceived the president to be a threat to national security, lobbied [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] to have himself appointed to the [[Warren Commission]], then arranged to have [[Lee Harvey Oswald]] take sole responsibility for the act.<ref name="San Francisco Chronicle; October 16, 2015">{{cite news |last=Altschuler  |first=Glenn C. |author-link=Glenn C. Altschuler |date=October 16, 2015 |title='The Devil's Chessboard,' by David Talbot |url=http://www.sfgate.com/books/article/The-Devil-s-Chessboard-by-David-Talbot-6574578.php |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=October 28, 2015}}</ref> The book charges that the [[Robert F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories|conspirators in JFK's death also murdered Bobby Kennedy]], as they perceived him to be "a wild card, an uncontrollable threat" who would reveal the plot.<ref name="SFC2015"/>

The book has stirred debate about the [[history of the CIA]]. In a review for the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'', [[Glenn C. Altschuler]] stated, "Talbot's indictment is long, varied and sensational."<ref name="San Francisco Chronicle; October 16, 2015"/> Altschuler wrote: "Animated by conspiracy theories, the speculations and accusations in his book often run far ahead of the evidence, even for those of us inclined to believe the worst about Allen Dulles."<ref name="SFC2015"/>

Elsewhere, the book has been praised, including by ''[[Kirkus Reviews]]'', whose starred review called it "a frightening biography of power, manipulation and outright treason. [...] all engaged American citizens should read this book and have their eyes opened."<ref name="Kirkus">{{cite web | title= The Devil's Chessboard | publisher= Kirkus review | date= 28 July 2015 | url= https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/david-talbot/the-devils-chessboard/ | accessdate= 19 September 2016}}</ref>

=== ''Between Heaven and Hell: The Story of My Stroke'' ===

In November 2017, Talbot suffered an [[Stroke#Ischemic 2|ischemic stroke]]. In January 2020, his book about the stroke and his recovery from it, ''Between Heaven and Hell: The Story of My Stroke'', was published.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bennett|first=Hannah|date=2020-01-04|title=David Talbot survives stroke with humor|url=https://www.sfexaminer.com/entertainment/david-talbot-survives-stroke-with-humor/|access-date=2020-10-14|website=The San Francisco Examiner|language=en-US}}</ref>

In June 2024 Talbot, then 72 years old, suffered a second stroke that was nearly fatal.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Karoff |first1=Timothy |title=San Francisco author and Salon founder suffers near-fatal stroke |url=https://www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/article/san-francisco-author-near-fatal-stroke-19508871.php |work=SFGate.com |date=June 11, 2024}}</ref>

=== ''By the Light of Burning Dreams: The Triumphs and Tragedies of the Second American Revolution'' ===

In his latest book—co-authored with sister [[Margaret Talbot]] and brother-in-law Arthur Allen – Talbot examines transformational periods in the lives of radical leaders of the 1960s and '70s. The book, Talbot says, is "my final historical effort at understanding what my generation achieved, and what we failed to accomplish, in attempting to move the country fully toward its better angels."

The book has been widely praised, including as an inspirational guide for a new generation of activists. [[Jessica Bruder]], author of ''[[Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century]]'', declared, "''By the Light of Burning Dreams'' crackles with the radical energy of the 1960s and 70s. It's a shot in the arm of bold idealism, an indispensable companion for today's revolutionaries that reminds us what can happen if we dare to believe in – and fight for – a better world." And a critic in ''[[Kirkus Reviews]]'' celebrated the authors' "sharp reporting and good storytelling…. (They) devote a chapter to each of seven flashpoints of the 1960s and '70s that created 'the second American Revolution.' But an abundance of fresh material gives this book an intergenerational appeal. An intelligent and sympathetic reappraisal of the political upheavals of the '60s and '70s."

==Personal life==
Talbot is from a media and entertainment family. He is the son of longtime [[character actor]] and founding member of the [[Screen Actors Guild]], [[Lyle Talbot]], and brother of documentary producer and former child actor [[Stephen Talbot]], of physician Cynthia Talbot of Portland, Oregon, and of journalist [[Margaret Talbot]], a staff writer at ''[[The New Yorker]]''. Talbot is married to writer Camille Peri, co-editor of the national bestseller ''Mothers Who Think'', with whom he has two children. His son [[Joe Talbot (filmmaker)|Joe Talbot]] wrote and directed the 2019 film ''[[The Last Black Man in San Francisco]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Schmaltz  |first=Romalyn |date=May 18, 2016 |title=A Conversation With David Talbot, North Beach Journalist, Historian & Rabble-Rouser |url=https://hoodline.com/2016/05/a-conversation-with-david-talbot-north-beach-journalist-historian-rabble-rouser |work=Hoodline |access-date=August 1, 2019}}</ref>

David Talbot's sister, Margaret, has written a biography of their father, Lyle Talbot, and a memoir of their family life, ''The Entertainer: Movies, Magic and My Father's Twentieth Century'' (Riverhead Books, 2012).

In 2024, Talbot suffered a "severe stroke" that had him "fighting for his life," according to his family.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Greschler |first=Gabe |date=June 10, 2024 |title=David Talbot, famous San Francisco writer, suffers severe stroke |url=https://sfstandard.com/2024/06/10/david-talbot-famous-san-francisco-writer-suffers-severe-stroke/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612121105/https://sfstandard.com/2024/06/10/david-talbot-famous-san-francisco-writer-suffers-severe-stroke/ |archive-date=June 12, 2024 |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=The San Francisco Standard |language=en}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.thedavidtalbotshow.com/ TheDavidTalbotShow.com]
* [http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2007/05/02/brothers/index.html Excerpt from "Brothers"], Salon, May 2, 2007
* [https://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200705/20070523_talbot.html Interview with David Talbot] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201023718/http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200705/20070523_talbot.html |date=December 1, 2008 }}, Tavis Smiley Show, May 23, 2007
* [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10374276 Interview with David Talbot], Fresh Air, NPR, May 24, 2007
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/slanews/conferences/sla2000/fresh.htm Terry Gross interview with David Talbot], June 14, 2000
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20091004102220/http://www.talbotplayers.com/ The Talbot Players website]
* Leah Garchik column items on The Talbot Players in San Francisco Chronicle: [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/09/DDL11A6Q5P.DTL November 10, 2009], [https://archive.today/20121006153128/http://sfchroniclemarketplace.com/cgi-bin/article/article?f=/c/a/2008/09/18/DD4R12V00V.DTL September 8, 2008]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120326122025/http://scribe.doublex.com/blog/xxfactor/book-week-devil-dog-david-talbot Slate review of "Devil Dog"], December 10, 2010

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Talbot, David}}
[[Category:20th-century American journalists]]
[[Category:21st-century American journalists]]
[[Category:21st-century American biographers]]
[[Category:21st-century American memoirists]]
[[Category:21st-century American historians]]
[[Category:Historians of the United States]]
[[Category:Historians of the Central Intelligence Agency]]
[[Category:American historians of espionage]]
[[Category:Researchers of the assassination of John F. Kennedy]]
[[Category:John F. Kennedy conspiracy theorists]]
[[Category:American online journalists]]
[[Category:Salon (website) people]]
[[Category:American magazine founders]]
[[Category:American online publication editors]]
[[Category:American chief executives in the mass media industry]]
[[Category:American male journalists]]
[[Category:American male non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:21st-century American male writers]]
[[Category:Historians from California]]
[[Category:Writers from San Francisco]]
[[Category:Activists from San Francisco]]
[[Category:University of California, Santa Cruz alumni]]
[[Category:Harvard-Westlake School alumni]]
[[Category:1951 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]