Molly Ball is an American political journalist and writer. She is the senior political correspondent 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 ...

''. She is the author of a 2020 biography of House Speaker

Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia Pelosi ( ; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who was the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 52nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives, serving from 2007 to 2011 an ...

Early life and education

Ball was raised in Colorado and Idaho. She graduated from Cherry Creek High School in the Denver suburb of Greenwood Village in 1997. She attended

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, where she wrote for '' The Yale Herald''. and graduated in 2001.

Career

In 2001, Ball had a summer internship at ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', then in January 2002 moved to Cambodia and spent one year and three months reporting for '' The Cambodia Daily''. Her stint in Cambodia was cut short due to falling ill and having to return to the United States for medical treatment. Subsequently, she has worked as a reporter for the ''

Las Vegas Sun The ''Las Vegas Sun'' is one of the Las Vegas Valley's two daily subscription newspapers. It is owned by the Greenspun family and is affiliated with Greenspun Media Group. The paper published afternoons on weekdays from 1990 to 2005 and is now ...

'', ''

Las Vegas Review-Journal The ''Las Vegas Review-Journal'' is a daily subscription newspaper published in Las Vegas, Nevada, since 1909. It is the largest circulating daily newspaper in Nevada and one of two daily newspapers in the Las Vegas area. The ''Review-Journal' ...

'', ''

Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 2007. It covers politics and policy in the Unit ...

'', ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

'', ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'', and ''

''.

Recognition

In 2019, Ball received the Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency for her coverage of the Trump administration. Other awards she has received include the Lee Walczak Award for Political Analysis, the Sandy Hume Memorial Award for Excellence in Political Journalism, the

Society of Professional Journalists The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University,2009 SPJ Annual Report, lette ...

Sigma Delta Chi Award The Sigma Delta Chi Awards are presented annually by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) (formerly Sigma Delta Chi) for excellence in journalism. The SPJ states the purpose of the award is to promote "the free flow of information vital ...

, and the Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting. Ball received the 2020 Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Reporting of Congress from the National Press Foundation for her reporting on House Speaker

, which judges called "authoritative," "compelling" and "nuanced." She was recognized as Outstanding Journalist in Print in the 2020 Washington Women in Journalism awards.

Criticisms, controversies and legal dispute

In 2015, James Taranto of ''

'' criticized Ball's treatment of a Trump supporter in an article Ball wrote for ''The Atlantic'' titled, "The Ecstasy of Donald Trump", observing that she described the supporter with "a leathery complexion and yellow teeth", which Taranto argued was an instance of media bias and disrespect towards ordinary citizens. In 2021, Ball's ''

'' magazine article, "The Secret History of the Shadow Campaign That Saved the 2020 Election", described efforts by political groups, business leaders, and activists to influence the 2020 election. While Ball characterized this as protecting election integrity, critics questioned her journalistic ethics and objectivity. In December 2019, Ball and ''

'' were sued for defamation and invasion of privacy in the Tokyo District Court, Japan, by the family of Bernard Krisher over a piece by Ball titled "When the Presses Stop" published in January/February 2018 edition of the magazine. The case went to trial and settled in January 2024. As part of the legal settlement the magazine made numerous deletions, corrections and clarifications to the article. This included correcting Ball's claim that Krisher, who was her employer at '' The Cambodia Daily'', did nothing to help her with a health insurance issue, which was proven false by emails showing Krisher had indeed attempted to assist her. Additionally, Ball was required to erase and destroy all copies of the photographs she had taken without the subjects' knowledge and consent during her visit to their private quarters.

Personal life

Ball is of Jewish heritage. She lives in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...

with her husband, David Kihara, an editor at ''

'', and their three children. In 2007, she won $100,000 on the game show ''

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' (WWTBAM) is an international television game show franchise of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (British game show), British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, cu ...

''.

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ball, Molly American political writers Time (magazine) people The Atlantic (magazine) people Politico people Yale University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century American journalists 21st-century American women journalists American women non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers Women political writers Journalists from Colorado Journalists from Idaho Jewish American journalists 21st-century American Jews Cherry Creek High School alumni