Editing Joe Conason

{{short description|Journalist, author and political commentator (born 1954)}}
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'''Joe Conason''' (born January 25, 1954)<ref>[https://www.google.com/#q=%22Joe+Conason%22 Profile], google.com; accessed August 17, 2016.</ref> is an American journalist, author and [[Modern liberalism in the United States|liberal]] political commentator. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of '''''The National Memo''''', a daily political newsletter and website that features breaking news and commentary.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nationalmemo.com/author/joeconason|title=Joe Conason, Author at The National Memo|website=The National Memo|access-date=2016-08-17}}</ref> 

Conason was formerly the executive editor of the ''[[New York Observer]]'', where he wrote a popular political column for almost 20 years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://observer.com/author/joe-conason/page/2|title=Joe Conason|website=Observer|language=en-US|access-date=2016-08-17}}</ref> He was also a columnist for [[Salon (website)|Salon.com]] from 1998 to 2010.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/writer/joe_conason/|title=Stories written by Joe Conason|access-date=2016-08-17}}</ref> His articles have appeared in dozens of publications around the world including ''[[The New York Times]]'', ''[[The Washington Post]]'', ''[[The New Yorker]]'', ''[[The New Republic]]'', ''[[The Nation]]'', ''[[The Guardian]]'', ''[[The Village Voice]]'' and ''[[Harper's Bazaar|Harpers]]''.<ref name=":0"/> A winner of the New York Press Club's Byline Award, Conason has covered every American presidential election since 1980.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.creators.com/author/joe-conason|title=About Joe Conason|website=creators.com|access-date=2016-08-17}}</ref>

Conason's books include ''[[The Hunting of the President]]'' (2000) and ''Big Lies: The Right-Wing Propaganda Machine and How It Distorts the Truth'' (2003). His ''Man of the World'' (2016) focuses on the post-presidency of [[Bill Clinton]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Joe-Conason/63454842|title=Joe Conason|website=Simon & Schuster|access-date=2016-08-17}}</ref> ''The Longest Con: How Grifters, Swindlers, and Frauds Hijacked American Conservatism'' (2024), chiefly criticizing [[Donald Trump]], exposes [[fraud|fraudsters]] and [[charlatan|charlatans]] within the ranks of [[Conservatism in the United States|American conservatism]] and the [[Religious right in the United States|religious right]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Beauchamp |first=Zack |date=2024-04-06 |title=The right-wing scammers who paved the way for Trump |url=https://www.vox.com/policy/24122252/trump-sneakers-bible-truth-social-grift-scam-conservatives-history |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=Vox |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Pengelly |first=Martin |date=2024-07-06 |title=‘Stealing with both hands’: veteran reporter Joe Conason details the right wing’s graft |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/article/2024/jul/06/joe-conason-the-longest-con-book |access-date=2024-10-25 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |title=The Con at the Core of the Republican Party |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/184442/con-core-republican-party-trump-conason-book-review |access-date=2024-10-25 |work=The New Republic |issn=0028-6583}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2024-10-14 |title=Buy these must-read books on politics and history |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/select/shopping/buy-must-read-books-politics-history-rcna168892 |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last=Yorker |first=The New |date=2024-03-22 |title=The Political Books That Help Us Make Sense of 2024 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/political-scene/the-political-books-that-help-us-make-sense-of-2024 |access-date=2024-10-25 |work=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=How conservatives grew to 'milk their constituents for every penny' |url=https://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/how-conservatives-grew-to-milk-their-constituents-for-every-penny-214385221802 |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=MSNBC.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Early life==
Conason was born in [[New York City]] and grew up in [[White Plains, New York]]. The family's surname was originally "Cohen".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WJkWAQAAIAAJ|title=Historia Judaica|date=1942-01-01|language=en |last1=Kisch |first1=Guido }}</ref> He was named after his paternal grandfather, [[Joseph Jacob Cohen]], an organizer and journalist of the [[Anarchism in the United States|American anarchist movement]] during the 1920s and 1930s.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Anarchist Voices: An Oral History of Anarchism in America|last=Avrich|first=Paul|publisher=AK Press|year=2005|isbn=1904859275|pages=308–309}}</ref> Conason's parents, Eleanor (née Levinson; August 20, 1917 – January 5, 2002) and Emanuel Voltaire Conason (1912–2008), co-owned Ellie Conason, a contemporary design and crafts store in White Plains.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/13/nyregion/couple-s-long-career-culminates-in-festival.html "Couple's Long Career Culminates in Festival"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', December 13, 1992.</ref>

Conason earned a degree in history from [[Brandeis University]] in 1975.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.creators.com/author/joe-conason|title=About Joe Conason|website=creators.com|access-date=2016-08-18}}</ref> 

==Career==
After college, Conason was appointed co-editor of the ''East Boston Community News'' and then he joined the staff of ''[[The Real Paper]]'', an alternative weekly based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He covered environmental, racial, and political issues for both publications.<ref name="creators.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.creators.com/author/joe-conason|title=About Joe Conason |website=www.creators.com|access-date=2016-08-23}}</ref>

From 1978 to 1990, Conason worked as a columnist, staff writer, and national correspondent for the counter-cultural ''[[The Village Voice]]'' in New York City where he made a name for himself as an experienced and skilled reporter as well as a sharp commentator. His investigative reporting in 1985 exposed the hidden Manhattan real estate holdings of [[President of the Philippines|President]] of the [[Philippines]] [[Ferdinand Marcos]] (and his wife, [[Imelda Marcos|Imelda]]), thereby helping to topple their dictatorial government.

During 1986–87, Conason traveled repeatedly to the Philippines to write about politics there. In 1989, he arrived in [[Beijing]] the night after the [[Tiananmen Square protests of 1989|Tiananmen Square]] massacre and reported on the tragic aftermath for ''The Village Voice''.<ref name="creators.com"/> After leaving ''The Village Voice'' in the early 1990s, Conason served as editor-at-large for the [[Condé Nast]]'s ''[[Details (magazine)|Details]]'' magazine, which focused on lifestyle, political, and social issues.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenation.com/authors/joe-conason|title=Joe Conason profile|date=2010-04-02|website=The Nation|access-date=2016-08-17}}</ref>

For almost two decades (from 1992 to 2010), Conason served as a columnist, political editor, executive editor, and national correspondent for the ''[[New York Observer]]'', a weekly publication whose founder, Arthur Carter, had previously been associated with ''[[The Nation]].''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.truthdig.com/staff/joe_conason#bio|title=Joe Conason, Columnist|website=truthdig.com|access-date=2016-08-17}}</ref>

During the [[presidency of Bill Clinton]], Conason's investigative reporting on [[Whitewater controversy|Whitewater]] brought him national media attention, and he was a frequent cable television guest during [[Impeachment of Bill Clinton|Bill Clinton's impeachment]] trial from 1998 to 1999. During this time, he wrote about the "[[Arkansas Project]]", a secret, multi-million-dollar plan funded by [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]] Pittsburgh billionaire [[Richard Mellon Scaife]] to find (or invent) negative material about the Clintons. 

In 2004, Conason was one of the first journalists to delve into the background and finances of the group known as the "[[Swift Vets and POWs for Truth|Swift Boat Veterans for Truth]]", which had targeted Democratic presidential nominee and Vietnam veteran [[John Kerry]].<ref name=":0"/> Since 2006, he has served as editor of The Investigative Fund, a nonprofit journalism center.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theinvestigativefund.org/about/1001/our_editors|title=Our Editors|website=www.theinvestigativefund.org|access-date=2016-08-17}}</ref>

In July 2011, Conason founded a daily political newsletter called ''The National Memo'' to try "to bring to readers a very sharp take on the day's news, a fair amount of original news, and aggregation."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.adweek.com/news/press/joe-conason-coming-inbox-near-you-134318|title=Joe Conason, Coming to an Inbox Near You|date=23 August 2011 |access-date=2016-08-18}}</ref> According to ''The National Memo'', it aims to combine "the spirit of investigative journalism with new technology and ideas."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nationalmemo.com/about|title=About - The National Memo - Smart. Sharp. Funny. Fearless.|language=en-US|access-date=2016-08-18}}</ref> They cover various political related stories including campaigns, elections, the White House and presidency, Congress, and beyond.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nationalmemo.com/|title=The National Memo|website=The National Memo|access-date=2016-08-18}}</ref>

==Writing==
In 1992, Conason wrote an article for ''[[Spy Magazine]]'' that claimed then [[President of the United States]] [[George H. W. Bush]] had cheated on his wife, [[Barbara Bush|Barbara]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=goAxRblMWT4C|title=Spy|pages=31–38|website=Books.google.com|access-date=January 17, 2016}}</ref> Conason explained in a later ''Salon'' article, "I examined the rumors and allegations — and knocked down most of them. Yes, I quoted many anonymous sources on the subject. But I also quoted Washington journalists [[Jack Germond]], [[Fred Barnes (journalist)|Fred Barnes]] and the great [[Walter Pincus]] — along with the president's son [[George W. Bush|George W.]] — denying any substance to such allegations ... If I have any qualms about the Bush story, they're the same ones that I felt at the time. The headline — 'He cheats on his wife' — oversold what we were publishing, as I told [''Spy'' editors Kurt] Andersen and [Susan] Morrison. They disagreed. And the ''Spy'' style tended to preface allegations with the word "alleged" less diligently than other publications."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/2004/02/17/spy_4|title=Joe Conason|author=Salon Staff|website=Salon|date=18 February 2004 |access-date=2016-08-18}}</ref>

In February 2000, Conason published an investigative profile of George W. Bush in ''[[Harper's Magazine|Harper's]]'' Magazine that examined his business career in Texas and how his former business partners potentially profited from state investments after Bush became [[Governor of Texas|governor]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://harpers.org/archive/2000/02/i-the-george-w-bush-success-story/|title=I. The George W. Bush success story|last=Conason|first=Joe|date=2000-02-01|newspaper=Harper's Magazine|issn=0017-789X|access-date=2016-08-23}}</ref> This story was revived in 2002, early in [[Presidency of George W. Bush|Bush's presidency]], when his ties to [[HKN, Inc.|Harken Energy]] came under scrutiny.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://observer.com/2002/07/bushs-tangled-past-is-relevant-today/|title=Bush's Tangled Past Is Relevant Today|website=[[The New York Observer]] |date=2002-07-29|language=en-US|access-date=2016-08-23}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/2002/07/12/the-harken-energy-distraction/e9f65b3d-5aab-4990-bc8d-d272929a1bfe/|title=The Harken Energy Distraction|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=2016-08-23}}</ref>

Along with Arkansas journalist [[Gene Lyons]], Conason is the co-author of ''[[The Hunting of the President]]: The 10 Year Campaign to Destroy Bill and [[Hillary Clinton]]'' ([[St. Martin's Press]], 2001) with Arkansas journalist, [[Gene Lyons]]. The book focuses on what he describes as a "[[vast right-wing conspiracy]]" to bring down Bill Clinton—a term initially used by Hillary Clinton in defending her husband against accusations during his ultimately successful [[Bill Clinton 1992 presidential campaign|1992 presidential bid]]—by identifying the main participants, revealing their tactics, tracing the millions of dollars spent on their efforts, and examining how (and why) mainstream news organizations helped those determined to bring down the Clintons.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780312273194|title=The Hunting of the President: The Ten-Year Campaign to Destroy Bill and Hillary Clinton|last1=Lyons|first1=Gene|last2=Conason|first2=Joe|date=2001-02-03|publisher=St. Martin's Griffin|isbn=9780312273194|edition=1st|location=New York|language=en|url-access=registration}}</ref> The book, a ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' bestseller, was later turned into a documentary in 2004, which Conason co-produced.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1517463/|title=Joe Conason|website=IMDb|access-date=2016-08-18}}</ref>

Conason's next endeavor, ''Big Lies: The Right-Wing Propaganda Machine and How It Distorts the Truth'', addresses what he labels [[Right-wing politics|right-wing]] bias and purporting to debunk ten lies he claims are perpetrated by [[Conservatism|conservative]] [[propaganda]]. This was Conason's second ''New York Times''-bestselling book.<ref name="biglies">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/bigliesrightwing00cona|title=Big Lies: The Right-Wing Propaganda Machine and How It Distorts the Truth|last=Conason|first=Joe|date=2003-09-01|publisher=Thomas Dunne Books|isbn=9780312315603|edition=1st|language=en}}</ref>

Conason profiled Bill Clinton for ''[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]'' in December 2005, after traveling to Africa with the former president and covering the inaugural conference of the [[Clinton Foundation|Clinton Global Initiative]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.esquire.com/issue/20051201|title=Esquire |date=December 2005|website=archive.esquire.com|access-date=2016-08-23}}</ref> The cover story, titled "The Third Term: The Dawning of a Different Sort of Post-Presidency", was later included in Best American Political Writing of 2006, published by [[Perseus Books Group|Thunder's Mouth Press]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.buffalolib.org/vufind/Record/1669790/TOC|title=Table of Contents: The best American political writing 2006 /|website=www.buffalolib.org|access-date=2016-08-23}}</ref>

''The Raw Deal: How the Bush Republicans Plan to Destroy Social Security and the Legacy of the New Deal'', about what Conason claims was the Bush administration's efforts to "end [[Social Security (United States)|Social Security]] as we know it", appeared in 2005 with a preface by [[Al Franken]],<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/rawdealhowbushre00cona|title=The Raw Deal: How the Bush Republicans Plan to Destroy Social Security and the Legacy of the New Deal|last1=Conason|first1=Joe|last2=Franken|first2=Al|last3=Roosevelt|first3=James Jr.|date=2005-10-01|publisher=Polipoint Press|isbn=9780976062127|location=Sausalito, CA|language=en}}</ref> another liberal writer who later served as a [[United States Senate|U.S. Senator]] from Minnesota.

Following ''The Raw Deal'' and ''Big Lies'', Conason wrote ''[[It Can Happen Here (2007 book)|It Can Happen Here: Authoritarian Peril in the Age of Bush]]'' (St. Martin's Press, January 2008).<ref name="biglies"/> The title comes from [[Sinclair Lewis]]' 1935 novel ''[[It Can't Happen Here]]'', which portrays an American dictatorship.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/2007/02/19/conason_14/|title=It could happen here|last=Conason|first=Joe|website=Salon|date=19 February 2007 |access-date=2016-08-23}}</ref> In this book, Conason discusses what he views as a move towards [[authoritarianism]] during the administration of [[George W. Bush]].

During the [[2016 United States presidential election]] campaign, Conason and Gene Lyons published a free e-book called ''The Hunting of Hillary'', which was primarily based on their previous book, ''The Hunting of the President''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://hillarybook.nationalmemo.com/|title="The Hunting of Hillary" by Joe Conason & Gene Lyons|website=hillarybook.nationalmemo.com|access-date=2016-08-23}}</ref> The e-book reviews more than twenty years of alleged Clinton scandals including [[Whitewater controversy|Whitewater]] with a particular focus on [[Hillary Clinton]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/8/2/1406881/-The-Hunting-of-Hillary-A-conversation-with-Joe-Conason|title=The Hunting of Hillary: A conversation with Joe Conason|access-date=2016-08-23}}</ref>

In September 2016, [[Simon & Schuster]] published ''Man of the World: The Further Endeavors of Bill Clinton'', Conason's account of the 42nd president's post-presidency. Conason interviewed Bill, Hillary, and [[Chelsea Clinton]] and many of Clinton's friends, aides, rivals and supporters to offer a comprehensive analysis of Clinton's post-presidency.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Man-of-the-World/Joe-Conason/9781439154106|title=Man of the World|date=2016-09-13|isbn=9781439154106|last1=Conason|first1=Joe|publisher=Simon and Schuster }}</ref>

=== ''The Longest Con: How Grifters, Swindler and Frauds Hijacked American Conservatism (2024)'' ===
In 2024, Conason published ''The Longest Con: How Grifters, Swindlers, and Frauds Hijacked American Conservatism'', which chiefly criticizes [[Donald Trump]], exposes [[fraud|fraudsters]] and [[charlatan|charlatans]] within the ranks of [[Conservatism in the United States|American conservatism]] and the [[Religious right in the United States|religious right]] dating back to [[Joseph McCarthy]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":6" /> [[NBC]] and ''[[The New Yorker]]'' recommended it as important reading for understanding politics in 2024.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" />

==Public appearances==
Conason is a frequent guest on radio and television including [[MSNBC]] and [[CNN]].<ref name="nationalmemo.com"/>

==Personal life==
In October 2002, Conason married Elizabeth Horan Wagley, then the development director of the U.S. branch of [[Médecins du Monde]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/13/style/weddings-celebrations-elizabeth-wagley-joe-conason.html|title=Elizabeth Wagley, Joe Conason|date=13 October 2002|work=The New York Times}}</ref> They have two children, Edward and Eleanor, and currently reside in New York City.<ref name="nationalmemo.com">{{Cite web|url=http://www.nationalmemo.com/author/joeconason/|title=Joe Conason, Author at The National Memo|website=The National Memo|language=en-US|access-date=2016-08-23}}</ref>

==Books==
*''[https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250621160/thelongestcon The Longest Con: How Grifters, Swindlers, and Frauds Hijacked American Conservatism]'', [[St. Martin's Press]], 2024; {{ISBN|978-1250621160}}
*''[http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Man-of-the-World/Joe-Conason/9781439154106 Man of the World: The Further Endeavors of Bill Clinton]'', Simon & Schuster, 2016; {{ISBN|9781439154106}}
*Sarah Posner, Joe Conason, ''[https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Profits-Republican-Crusade-Values/dp/0979482216 God's Profits: Faith, Fraud, and the Republican Crusade for Values Voters]'', [[Polipoint Press|PolipointPress]], 2008; {{ISBN|9780979482212}}
*''[[It Can Happen Here (2007 book)|It Can Happen Here: Authoritarian Peril in the Age of Bush]]'', St. Martin's Press, 2007 {{ISBN|978-0-312-37930-8}}
*''[https://www.amazon.com/Raw-Deal-Republicans-Destroy-Security/dp/0976062127/ref=pd_sim_sbs_14_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=9QPA5ZR84C9M1CPTXDCW The Raw Deal: How the Bush Republicans Plan to Destroy Social Security and the Legacy of the New Deal]'', PoliPointPress, 2005; {{ISBN|9780976062127}}
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t1E-cQABQqYC|title=Big Lies: The Right-Wing Propaganda Machine and How It Distorts the Truth|date=June 15, 2003|publisher=St. Martin's Press|isbn=978-0-312-31561-0}}
*{{cite book|author1=Gene Lyons|author2=Joe Conason|title=The Hunting of the President: The Ten-Year Campaign to Destroy Bill and Hillary Clinton|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tIEqNExC7_4C|date=February 3, 2001|publisher=St. Martin's Press|isbn=978-1-4668-2873-5}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.nationalmemo.com The National Memo], Conason's newsletter
*{{IMDb name|1517463|Joe Conason}}
*{{C-SPAN|39671}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Conason, Joe}}
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:American columnists]]
[[Category:American political journalists]]
[[Category:American political writers]]
[[Category:American male journalists]]
[[Category:American male non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:Brandeis University alumni]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Writers from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Writers from White Plains, New York]]
[[Category:Jewish American journalists]]
[[Category:Jewish American non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:The Village Voice people]]