Alan Friedman
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Alan Friedman (; born April 30, 1956) is an American
journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
,
author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...
, documentary writer and producer, TV anchor and former media and public relations executive. He was a journalist at The Financial Times, International Herald Tribune, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. He hosted several TV programmes on Italian TV Channels Rai, La7 and Skytg24. In Italy he was also a columnist of the ''Corriere Della Sera'' and he is currently a columnist for ''La Stampa''. For his work at the Financial Times of London he was a four-time winner of the British Press Award, the UK equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize. During his career, Friedman interviewed dozens of heads of state and heads of governments. Presidents, Prime Ministers, and central bankers. Among his most famous interviews were Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. His most famous scoops were the Iraqgate scandal, which in 1992 exposed the involvement of the White House, the CIA and an Italian bank in sending weapons to Saddam Hussein, and the Montigate revelation, which in 2014 revealed that Mario Monti and Giorgio Napolitano were discussing the possibility of setting up a Monti-led government in Italy six months before the fall of Berlusconi’s administration. Friedman has written and produced three documentaries: “My Way: The Rise and Fall of Silvio Berlusconi”, “Milano: The Inside Story of Italian Fashion”, and “Giovanni da Verrazzano: From the Renaissance to New York City."


Early life and education

Friedman was born in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
from a
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
family, he was educated at
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
(NYU) (B.A. Politics and History), the
London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...
(International Relations), and the
Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies The School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) is a graduate school of Johns Hopkins University based in Washington, D.C. The school also maintains campuses in Bologna, Italy and Nanjing, China. The school is devoted to the study of int ...
(M.A. International Economics and Law).


Career

Friedman worked in the administration of U.S. president
Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
in the role of Presidential Management Intern. He began his professional career working for the staff of
Bella Abzug Bella Abzug (; née Savitzky; July 24, 1920 – March 31, 1998), nicknamed "Battling Bella", was an American lawyer, politician, social activist, and a leader in the women's movement. In 1971, Abzug joined other leading feminists such as Gloria ...
(D-NY) and of
Donald M. Fraser Donald MacKay Fraser (February 20, 1924 – June 2, 2019) was an American politician from Minnesota who served as U.S. Representative from Minnesota's 5th congressional district from 1963 to 1979 and as mayor of Minneapolis from 1980 to 1994. Ea ...
(D-MN). From 1979 to 1993, he worked for the ''
Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...
'' of London as a columnist on bonds, a banking correspondent, and a foreign correspondent in Italy and the United States. His professional relationship with the ''
International Herald Tribune The ''International Herald Tribune'' (''IHT'') was a daily English-language newspaper published in Paris, France, for international English-speaking readers. It published under the name ''International Herald Tribune'' starting in 1967, but its ...
'' and
RAI (), commercially styled as since 2000 and known until 1954 as (RAI), is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many terrestrial and subscription television channels a ...
made way in 1999 to a joint venture for the co-production of the weekly programmes '' World Business''.Authors
About Alan Friedman
Radiotelevisione Italiana .
Friedman was recognized as the journalist who led the report on the Iraqgate scandal in 1991 that connected the
CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
with the supply of non-U.S. origin weapons to
Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...
. His television career began in the early 1980s with regular appearances on
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
''
Newsnight ''Newsnight'' is the BBC's news and current affairs programme, providing in-depth investigation and analysis of the stories behind the day's headlines. It is broadcast weeknights at 10:30 on BBC Two and the BBC News channel; it is also avail ...
''. In 1991, he participated, with Ted Koppel of the ABC ''
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'' programme, in the production of a series of broadcasts by ABC/''Financial Times'' on the scandal of the weapons sale to Iraq. He hosted the ''Alan Friedman Show'', a peak talk show on the
Sky TG24 Sky TG24 an Italian all-news tv channel, owned by Sky Italia. Launched on 31 August 2003, it provides non-stop rolling news, weather forecasts and sports stories with half-hourly updates. Overview Some of Sky TG24's programming is available on ...
news channel in Italy. It was dedicated to national and international economics and politics. From 1994 to 2003, he was global economics correspondent of the IHT.Senior Management Team
fbcmedia.com
From 2003 to 2005, Friedman was global economy columnist for ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' in Europe. He was executive editor of ''World Business'', a weekly global business programme produced by
FBC Media FBC Media Limited (initials for FactBased Communications) is a media and public relations company based in London currently under administration. It specializes in television content creation, production and distribution and global communication cam ...
and broadcast on
CNBC CNBC is an American List of business news channels, business news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group, a unit of Comcast's NBCUniversal. The network broadcasts live business news and analysis programming during the morning, Day ...
. Friedman founded and was chairman of FBC. The programme was cancelled in August 2011 after it was revealed that FBC acted as a public relations firm for the government of Malaysia and carried puff pieces in the shows it produced. FBC Media
went into administration As a legal concept, administration is a procedure under the insolvency laws of a number of common law jurisdictions, similar to bankruptcy in the United States. It functions as a rescue mechanism for insolvent entities and allows them to carry on ...
on October 24, 2011. In February 2014, Friedman's new book ''Ammazziamo il Gattopardo'' (''Let's Murder the Leopard'') was serialized with an excerpt in the ''Financial Times''. He received the America Award of the Italy-USA Foundation in 2014. On September 6, 2014, he was awarded the Premio Cesare Pavese, an Italian literary award, for the book. On December 2, 2014, he received the Premio Pannunzio 2014, an Italian journalism award. The motivation, read on behalf of the jury, said: "He represents a fine example of journalism in the Anglo-Saxon tradition, a journalism where facts are separated from opinions, with independent judgement in describing Italian politics, and this is very much to his credit. Friedman succeeds in putting the present into historical perspective, with objectivity and impartiality." In June 2015, it was announced in the Italian media that Friedman would write the first authorized biography of the former Prime Minister of Italy and media tycoon
Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; 29 September 193612 June 2023) was an Italian Media proprietor, media tycoon and politician who served as the prime minister of Italy in three governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a mem ...
. In a video message in the Italian newspaper ''
La Repubblica (; English: "the Republic") is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper with an average circulation of 151,309 copies in May 2023. It was founded in 1976 in Rome by Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso (now known as GEDI Gruppo Editoriale) and l ...
'', Berlusconi explained that for many years journalists had asked him to write his biography but had always declined. He finally decided to work with Friedman because he trusted him. Berlusconi also added: "As
Steve Jobs Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American businessman, inventor, and investor best known for co-founding the technology company Apple Inc. Jobs was also the founder of NeXT and chairman and majority shareholder o ...
said to his biographer: I will tell you my story. You will write what you like." His biography of Berlusconi was published in 19 languages and in 32 countries in the United States, Europe, and Asia. The first publication was in October 2015 in the United States by
Hachette Books Hachette Books, formerly Hyperion Books, is a general-interest book imprint of the Perseus Books Group, which is a division of Hachette (publisher), Hachette Book Group and ultimately a part of Lagardère Group. Established in 1990, Hachette pu ...
(''Berlusconi: The Epic Story of the Billionaire Who Took Over Italy''), in the United Kingdom by
Biteback Publishing Biteback Publishing is a British publisher based in Hull, and concentrating mainly on political titles. It was incorporated, as a private limited company with share capital, in 2009. It was jointly owned by its managing director Iain Dale and ...
(''My Way: Berlusconi in His Own Words''), and in Italy by Rizzoli (''My Way: Berlusconi si racconta a Friedman''), in France by Michel Lafon Publishing (''Berlusconi se raconte a Friedman''), in the Netherlands by
Spectrum A spectrum (: spectra or spectrums) is a set of related ideas, objects, or properties whose features overlap such that they blend to form a continuum. The word ''spectrum'' was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of co ...
(''Berlusconi''), and subsequently in Finland, Portugal, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Spain, China, Russia, Azerbaijan, Sweden, Turkey, and other countries. In the documentary ''My Way: The Rise and Fall of Silvio Berlusconi'', Friedman leads as narrator through the research phase for his book. It first appeared on Netflix and shows interview footage with Berlusconi at his estate in Arcore. Friedman lets Berlusconi chronologically tell his life story but confronts him with allegations and leads interviews with investigators and companions. In February 2017, Friedman published a book called ''This Is Not America'' (
Biteback Publishing Biteback Publishing is a British publisher based in Hull, and concentrating mainly on political titles. It was incorporated, as a private limited company with share capital, in 2009. It was jointly owned by its managing director Iain Dale and ...
in United Kingdom and Newton Compton in Italy) that was critical of
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
and examined the divisions in American society. The book was a bestseller in Italy for several months in 2017. In January 2018, he published a new book on the Italian economy (Newton Compton Editori), entitled ''Dieci cose da sapere sull’economia italiana prima che sia troppo tardi'', or ''Ten Things To Know About The Italian Economy Before It Is Too Late'', in English, which was a top ten best-seller in Italy for 17 weeks. In March 2018, Friedman gave his first TedxTalk at
Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...
to an audience of 1,800 people. In his talk, he criticized Trump for damaging the social fabric of the United States, sowing hatred and division, and leading a populist wave of demagogy that threatened America's traditions of strength through cultural diversity. Friedman also warned that Trump was attacking several pillars of American democracy with his repeated attacks on law enforcement, the Justice Department, the rule of law, the free press, and the rights of women, gays, and minorities. A columnist for the Italian newspaper ''
La Stampa (English: "The Press") is an Italian daily newspaper published in Turin with an average circulation of 87,143 copies in May 2023. Distributed in Italy and other European nations, it is one of the oldest newspapers in Italy. Until the late 1970 ...
'', Friedman frequently makes appearances as an economic and political commentator in the broadcast media. In April 2022, he published a new book with La nave di Teseo, a leading Italian publisher. The book, entitled ''Il prezzo del futuro'', is an analysis of the future of the Italian economy. In April 2022, Friedman published an exclusive interview with United States Treasury Secretary
Janet Yellen Janet Louise Yellen (born August 13, 1946) is an American economist who served as the 78th United States secretary of the treasury from 2021 to 2025. She also served as chair of the Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2018. She was the first woman to h ...
in which she questioned the wisdom of the
Maastricht Treaty The Treaty on European Union, commonly known as the Maastricht Treaty, is the foundation treaty of the European Union (EU). Concluded in 1992 between the then-twelve Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Communities, ...
deficit and debt rules. In 2023, Friedman co-wrote (with Giuseppe Pedersoli) and produced the documentary “MILANO: The Inside Story of Italian Fashion” featuring protagonists of the Italian Fashion history such as Giorgio Armani, Dolce and Gabbana, Tom Ford, Domenico De Sole, Santo Versace, Pierpaolo Piccioli and may others. The film also featured interviews with top Hollywood stars such as Lauren Hutton, Sharon Stone, Frances McDormand, Helen Mirren, and Samuel L. Jackson. The film “MILANO: The inside story of Italian Fashion” is directed by the Emmy Award winner John Maggio. MILANO was described by The New York Times as “Half nostalgia trip and half corrective to the narratives disseminated by docudramas like Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci” and Ryan Murphy’s “Assassination of Gianni Versace.”


Controversy

From 2011 to 2013, with liaison to
Viktor Yanukovych Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych (born 9 July 1950) is a Ukrainian politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014. He also served as the prime minister of Ukraine several times between 2002 and 2007 and was a member of t ...
's chief of staff
Serhiy Lyovochkin Serhiy Volodymyrovych Lyovochkin (; born 17 July 1972) is a Ukrainian politician, formerly a member of the Parliament of Ukraine. Over 20 years, he has held various leading posts in civil service as well as top corporate positions. Early life I ...
, Friedman, one-time
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producer Eckart Sager, Rick Gates,
Paul Manafort Paul John Manafort Jr. (; born April 1, 1949) is an American former lobbyist, political consultant, and attorney. A long-time Republican Party campaign consultant, he chaired the Trump presidential campaign from June to August 2016. Manafo ...
, and Manafort's senior aide
Konstantin Kilimnik Konstantin Viktorovich Kilimnik (; ; born 27 April 1970) is a Russian–Ukrainian political consultant. In the United States, he became a person of interest in multiple investigations regarding Russian interference in the 2016 United States ele ...
devised a strategy to discredit
Yulia Tymoshenko Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko ( Hrihyan born 27 November 1960) is a Ukrainian politician, who served as Prime Minister of Ukraine in 2005, and again from 2007 until 2010; the first and only woman in Ukraine to hold that position. She has been ...
and
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
. This effort supported the pro-Russia administration of then
president of Ukraine The president of Ukraine (, ) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, conducts negotiations and concludes international treaties. ...
,
Viktor Yanukovych Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych (born 9 July 1950) is a Ukrainian politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014. He also served as the prime minister of Ukraine several times between 2002 and 2007 and was a member of t ...
. In a June 2018 article, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' named Friedman as a former associate of Manafort who had contacted Special Counsel
Robert Mueller Robert Swan Mueller III (; born August 7, 1944) is an American lawyer who served as the sixth director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 2001 to 2013. A graduate of Princeton University and New York University, Mueller served a ...
to inform the counsel of Manafort's attempt at witness tampering. The article described how Friedman had helped to arrange and gave advice on writing op-eds that favored Yanukovych at the behest of Manafort and that Friedman "helped lead a project to which prosecutors say Mr. Manafort funneled more than $2 million." In September 2018, Manafort pleaded guilty to
witness tampering Witness tampering is the act of attempting to improperly influence, alter or prevent the testimony of witnesses within criminal or civil proceedings. Witness tampering and reprisals against witnesses in organized crime cases have been a difficulty ...
for his efforts to coach Friedman and Sager on what to say about their work for him and Yanukovych. In Manafort's statement of the offense, Friedman is identified as "Person D1". In January 2021, during the commentary of
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
's greeting speech when he left the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
by Italian
RAI 1 Rai 1 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's Flagship (broadcasting), flagship television channel and is known for broadcasting ...
, Friedman insulted the first lady
Melania Trump Melania Knauss Trump (born Melanija Knavs, April26, 1970) is a Slovenian and American former model who is married to U.S. President Donald Trump. Since 2025, Melania Trump has served as the first lady of the United States, a role she previous ...
by naming her an escort. Friedman was punished because the television's chiefs decided to ban him.


Personal life

Friedman is married to Gabriella Carignani and has no children. He currently lives between
Forte dei Marmi Forte dei Marmi () is an Italian sea town and ''comune'' located in the province of Lucca, in northern Tuscany, overlooking the Ligurian Sea. Tourism is the principal activity of Forte dei Marmi's citizens. The population of the town, amounting to ...
and
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. He's an atheist.


Books

* ''Tutto in famiglia'' (in Italian). Milan: Longanesi. 1988. . * ''Ce la farà il capitalismo italiano?'' (in Italian). Milan: Longanesi. 1989. . * ''Agnelli and the Network of Italian Power'' (in English). Edinburg, New York, Milan, Barcelona: Harrap, New American Library, Longanesi, Planeta. 1998. . * ''La madre di tutti gli affari'' (in Italian). In collaboration with Emanuela Minnai. Milan: Longanesi. 1993. . * ''Spider's Web: The Secret History of How the White House Illegally Armed Iraq'' (in English). New York, Milan, 1993. UK edition: ''Spider's Web: Bush, Saddam, Thatcher and the Decade of Deceit''. London: Faber & Faber. 1993. . * ''Il bivio. L'Italia a metà strada tra crisi e transizione'' (in Italian). Milan: Longanesi. 1996. . * ''Ammazziamo il gattopardo'' (in Italian). Milan: Rizzoli. 2014. . * ''Berlusconi: The Epic Story of the Billionaire Who Took Over Italy'' (in English). New York: Hachette Books. 2015. . * ''This Is Not America'' (in English). Biteback Publishing. 2017. . * ''Dieci cose da sapere sull'economia italiana, prima che sia troppo tardi'' (in Italian). Rome: Newton Compton. 2018. . * ''Questa non è l'Italia. Storie segrete e verità shock dietro il nuovo volto del nostro Paese'' (in Italian). Rome: Newton Compton. 2019. . * ''Il prezzo del futuro. Perché l'Italia rischia di sprecare l'occasione del secolo'' (in Italian). Translated by Sandro Ristori. I fari. No. 116. Milan: La nave di Teseo. 2022. .


See also

*
Timeline of investigations into Trump and Russia (January–June 2018) The timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia is split into the following pages: November 8, 2016–January 2017 * Timeline of post-election transition following Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections 2017 * Time ...
*
Timeline of investigations into Trump and Russia (July–December 2018) The timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia is split into the following pages: November 8, 2016–January 2017 * Timeline of post-election transition following Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections 2017 * Time ...


References


External links


CNN article on Gianni Agnelli's death, January 24, 2003

''Democracy Now!'' interview, November 14, 2002
{{DEFAULTSORT:Friedman, Alan 1956 births Journalists from New York City Alumni of the London School of Economics American male journalists Living people New York University alumni Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies alumni Jewish American atheists Mass media people from New York City