Timothy Robert Noah (born 1958) is an American journalist, author, and a staff writer at ''

The New Republic ''The New Republic'' (often abbreviated as ''TNR'') is an American magazine focused on domestic politics, news, culture, and the arts from a left-wing perspective. It publishes ten print magazines a year and a daily online platform. ''The New Y ...

''. Previously he was labor policy editor for ''

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 ...

'', a contributing writer at

MSNBC MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...

.com, a senior editor of ''The New Republic'' assigned to write the biweekly "TRB From Washington" column, and a senior writer at ''Slate'', where for a decade he wrote the "Chatterbox" column. In April 2012, Noah published a book, ''The Great Divergence'', about income inequality in the United States.

Early life

Noah is a son of Marian Jane (née Swentor) and Robert M. Noah, a television producer. He grew up in

New Rochelle, New York New Rochelle ( ; in ) is a Political subdivisions of New York State#City, city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located approximately from Midtow ...

, and

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

. His father was Jewish, and his mother was

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

; he describes himself as an atheist. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Career

Earlier in his career, Noah was an assistant managing editor at '' U.S. News & World Report'', a Washington reporter 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 ...

''. On February 24, 2007, Noah wrote an article for '' Slate'' entitled "Evicted from Wikipedia", which critiques the online encyclopedia's notability policy as an illustration of our society's "love affair with invidious distinction", and cited Thorstein Veblen's 1899 critique of consumerism, '' The Theory of the Leisure Class'' to this effect. ''The Great Divergence'' grew out of a ten-part series that Noah published in ''Slate'' in September 2010. The series won the 2011 Hillman Prize in the magazine category, and was the first online-only work ever to do so. On March 22, 2013, Noah announced over Twitter that he had been fired by ''The New Republic''; he did not know why. Editor Franklin Foer said "Tim Noah has been a strong voice for liberalism and a rigorous columnist for The New Republic. We’ve appreciated his passion and contribution to the magazine over the past two years and wish him the very best." Noah started freelancing a weekly column for the magazine again in 2020, and in September 2021 he rejoined the staff. As of 2025, Noah appears to have rejoined the magazine as a staff writer.

Iraq War

In a February 2003 article in ''Slate'', Noah described his initial opposition to the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

and his conversion to the pro-war position by

Colin Powell Colin Luther Powell ( ; – ) was an Americans, American diplomat, and army officer who was the 65th United States secretary of state from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African-American to hold the office. He was the 15th National Security ...

's February 3 speech to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

. After many of Powell's statements were proven false, Noah changed his mind again about the war, praising those who had remained steadfastly against it in an August 2004 column. After that, he became an outspoken critic of the media's ongoing tendency to grant credibility to war boosters, while discounting the views of those who opposed the war from the start.

Personal life

In September 2018, Noah married Sarah McNamer, a medievalist and professor of English at Georgetown University. Noah's first wife, fellow journalist Marjorie Williams, died of cancer in 2005. After her death, Noah edited an anthology of Williams' writing, ''The Woman at the Washington Zoo: Writings on Politics, Family, and Fate''. The book won PEN's Martha Albrand Award for First Nonfiction and a National Magazine Award in the category of essays and criticism. A second Williams anthology, ''Reputation: Portraits in Power'' was published in October 2008. Noah has two children and two stepchildren. His brother is television writer/producer Peter Noah. Their sister, Patsy Noah, co-founded the charity Your Mom Cares. She is the mother of Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine.

Selected appearances on CBS News's ''Sunday Morning''

Income Immobility in the U.S.
" March 17, 2013
Ban the Benjamins!
" April 3, 2011
The Great Divergence
October 24, 2010
Why the Filibuster Deserves No Respect
" March 14, 2010
Celebrity Commencements
" May 24, 2009
Let Us Now 'Change' The Campaign Rhetoric
" September 7, 2008

Early life

Career

Iraq War

Personal life

Selected appearances on CBS News's ''Sunday Morning''

References

External links