Tim Mak is an American journalist and editor of the Kyiv-based publication ''The Counteroffensive.'' Previously an investigative correspondent for

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

, he covers national security, politics, and the role of emerging technologies. He is the author of '' Misfire: Inside the Downfall of the NRA'' (

E. P. Dutton E. P. Dutton was an American book publishing company. It was founded as a book retailer in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1852 by Edward Payson Dutton. Since 1986, it has been an imprint of Penguin Group. Creator Edward Payson Dutton (January 1, ...

, 2021) about the organization's inner workings.

Career

He graduated as valedictorian from

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

. Mak broke the news about convicted Russian agent Maria Butina. After President Donald Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen threatened Mak in an attempt to prevent the publication of a story about Trump, the journalist published the recorded audio of Cohen's threats. In 2022, Mak obtained recorded audio of then- Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman

Richard Burr Richard Mauze Burr (born November 30, 1955) is an American businessman and politician who served as a United States senator from North Carolina from 2005 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Burr was previously a member of the United Stat ...

making a private speech about how devastating the coming

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

pandemic would be, in contrast to his optimistic public messaging. After it was revealed that he sold millions of dollars in stocks around the period he gave this speech, he was investigated for possible

insider trading Insider trading is the trading of a public company's stock or other securities (such as bonds or stock options) based on material, nonpublic information about the company. In various countries, some kinds of trading based on insider informati ...

. He has also written extensively on the

National Rifle Association of America The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...

(NRA). In 2021, he published secret tapes showing how the organization's executives reacted in strategy sessions following the

Columbine High School massacre A school shooting and attempted bombing occurred on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, United States. The perpetrators, twelfth-grade students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, murdered 13 students and one teach ...

. He covered the 2022

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

from within the country, having arrived the night the invasion began. His investigations in Ukraine include tracking down the

53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade The 53rd Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade is a surface-to-air missile brigade of the Russian Ground Forces. Part of the 20th Guards Army, the brigade is based at Kursk. Formed from an anti-aircraft regiment in 1967 in Armenia, the brigade wa ...

, the unit which shot down MH-17; and investigating a war crime in the town of Nova Basan. In May 2023, he launched ''The Counteroffensive'', a newsletter that uses

narrative journalism Narrative journalism, also referred to as literary journalism and long-form journalism, is defined as creative nonfiction that contains accurate, well-researched information. It is related to immersion journalism, where a writer follows a subje ...

and personal experiences from Ukraine during the Russian invasion, and in other places where people face challenges from authoritarianism. He told

Slate magazine ''Slate'' is an online magazine that covers current affairs, politics, and culture in the United States. It was created in 1996 by former ''The New Republic, New Republic'' editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as ...

that he wants to tell "deeply-reported human interest stories that humanize events."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mak, Tim American radio reporters and correspondents NPR personalities Living people Year of birth missing (living people) McGill University alumni 21st-century American journalists American war correspondents American male journalists American technology journalists