Robert Greeley Kaiser (born 7 April 1943) is an American journalist and author. He retired from ''

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 ...

'' in early 2014 after a career of more than 50 years on the paper. During his career he served as managing editor (1991–98) and associate editor and senior correspondent (1998-2014). He is the author or co-author of eight books. After retiring he wrote a much-discussed article for the ''Post'' explaining his decision to move away from Washington D.C. after living there for most of 70 years.

Career

Kaiser began at ''

'' as a summer intern while still a college student. He has served as a special correspondent in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

(1964–67), a reporter on the city desk in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

(1967–69), foreign correspondent in

Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

(1969–70) and

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

(1971–74). He returned to the national staff in Washington and worked as a reporter for seven years, covering labor, the U.S. Senate, the 1980 presidential campaign and the first

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

administration. In January 1980, Kaiser authored an editorial column endorsing a boycott of the upcoming Moscow Olympics. The column was influential in motivating the administration of President Jimmy Carter to officially pursue an Olympic boycott; National Security Advisor

Zbigniew Brzezinski Zbigniew Kazimierz Brzeziński (, ; March 28, 1928 – May 26, 2017), known as Zbig, was a Polish-American diplomat and political scientist. He served as a counselor to Lyndon B. Johnson from 1966 to 1968 and was Jimmy Carter's National Securi ...

made sure Carter read it. In 1982 Kaiser became

associate editor An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

of ''

'' and editor of "Outlook", a Sunday section of commentary and opinion. He also wrote a column for the section. From 1985 to 1990 he was assistant managing editor for national news, in charge of the paper's coverage of politics and the federal government. From 1990 to 1991 he was deputy managing editor, and from 1991 to 1998 served as the paper's

managing editor A managing editor (ME) is a senior member of a publication's management team. Typically, the managing editor reports directly to the editor-in-chief and oversees all aspects of the publication. United States In the United States, a managing edi ...

. In 2007, he wrote a series of articles there based on interviews of lobbyist Gerald Cassidy on the topic of lobbying in the United States. Later he published a book on lobbying, ''So Damn Much Money'', based in part on Cassidy's career. From late 2008 through 2009, Kaiser followed Rep.

Barney Frank Barnett Frank (born March 31, 1940) is a retired American politician. He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts from 1981 to 2013. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, Frank served as chairman of th ...

(D-MA) and Sen.

Chris Dodd Christopher John Dodd (born May 27, 1944) is an American lobbyist, lawyer, and Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1981 to 2011. Dodd is the List of United Sta ...

(D-CT) as they wrote and passed the

Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act The Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, commonly referred to as Dodd–Frank, is a United States federal law that was enacted on July 21, 2010. The law overhauled financial regulation in the aftermath of the Great Reces ...

. Both men and their staffs allowed Kaiser an inside view of the legislative process. Kaiser's 2013 book, ''Act of Congress: How America's Essential Institution Works, and How It Doesn't'', was based on this unusual access. Kaiser's work has appeared in the ''

New York Review of Books New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

'', ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...

'', ''

Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit organization, nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership or ...

'', and many other publications. He has been a commentator on NPR's

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

, and has appeared often on ''

Meet the Press ''Meet the Press'' is a weekly American television Sunday morning talk show broadcast on NBC. It is the List of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running program on American television, though its format has changed since th ...

'', the '' Today'' show and other television programs. Kaiser also was a digital visionary, at least in the newspaper world. In 1992, he wrote a prescient memo about the digital threats and opportunities newspapers would face in the future. The memo led to the Post's early investment in creating a separate digital subsidiary, which launched the Post's Digital Ink product in 1994, followed soon after b
washingtonpost.com

Family

Kaiser is the son of the late diplomat Philip Mayer Kaiser, who served as United States ambassador to Senegal and

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, his brother is the journalist Charles Kaiser.

Bibliography

Kaiser is the author of numerous books: *''Cold Winter, Cold War'' (1974). *''Russia, The People and the Power'' (1976). *''Great American Dreams'' (with Jon Lowell, 1978). *''Russia from the Inside'' (with Hannah Jopling Kaiser, 1980). *''Why Gorbachev Happened'' (1991) * ''The Geography of Nationalism in Russia and the USSR.'' (1994). *''The News About the News: American Journalism in Peril'' (with Leonard Downie, Jr., 2002). *''So Damn Much Money: The Triumph of Lobbying and the Corrosion of American Government'' (2009). *''Act of Congress: How America's Essential Institution Works, and How It Doesn't'' (2013).

Awards

''The News About The News'' won Harvard University's Goldsmith prize for the best book of 2002 on politics and the news media. His dispatches from Moscow won the

Overseas Press Club The Overseas Press Club of America (OPC) was founded in 1939 in New York City by a group of foreign correspondents. The wire service reporter Carol Weld was a founding member, as was the war correspondent Peggy Hull. The club seeks to maintain ...

award for best foreign correspondence of the year in 1975. In 2003, he won the National Press Club prize for best diplomatic reporting of the year.

References

External links

Author bio at Alfred A. KnopfArticles by Robert G. Kaiser at The Washington PostKnopf Speakers Bureau: Distinguished Authors, Distinctive LecturesWashington: Will the Lobbyists Win?

Michael Tomasky Michael John Tomasky (born October 13, 1960) is an American columnist, progressive commentator, and author. He is the editor of ''The New Republic'' and editor in chief of ''Democracy''. He has been a special correspondent for ''Newsweek'', '' Th ...

's review of ''So Damn Much Money'' from The New York Review of Books *
''Washington: Will the Lobbyists Win?''
book 2009 review by