Martin Baron
Baron in 2018
Born	(1954-10-24)October 24, 1954 (age 71) Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Alma mater	Lehigh University (BA andMBA)
Notable credit(s)	The Boston Globe, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Miami Herald

Martin Baron (born October 24, 1954) is an American journalist who was editor ofThe Washington Post from December 31, 2012, until his retirement on February 28, 2021.^[1] He was previously editor ofThe Boston Globe from 2001 to 2012; during that period, theGlobe's coverage of theBoston Catholic sexual abuse scandal earned aPulitzer Prize.

Baron was born to a Jewish family inTampa, Florida.^[2] His parents emigrated fromIsrael. He attendedBerkeley Preparatory School in Tampa, where he worked on the school's student paper.

Baron attendedLehigh University inBethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he was editor ofThe Brown and White student newspaper and had his own column.^[3] He received special permission to take graduate classes as an undergraduate^[4] and graduated in 1976, earning aBachelor of Arts injournalism andMBA with honors in four years.^[5]

Baron is fluent inSpanish.^[6]

In 1976, after graduation, Baron began working forThe Miami Herald. In 1979, he moved toThe Los Angeles Times. In 1996, he joinedThe New York Times.^[7] Baron returned to theMiami Herald as executive editor in 2000, where he led coverage of several key stories, includingElián González's return toCuba and the2000 election.^[8]

In July 2001, Baron succeededMatthew V. Storin as executive editor ofThe Boston Globe.^[9][10] His editorial term atThe Globe shifted the paper's coverage from international events toward locally centeredinvestigative journalism. TheGlobe's coverage of theBoston Catholic sexual abuse scandal earned aPulitzer Prize in 2003.^[5][7]

In 2012, Baron was inducted into theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences.^[11]

In January 2013, Baron succeededMarcus Brauchli as executive editor ofThe Washington Post.^[12] In 2014, thePost won two Pulitzer Prizes, one in the category of public service for revelations of secret surveillance by theNational Security Agency and the other for explanatory journalism aboutfood stamps in America. The following year, in 2015, the newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize for national reporting for its coverage of security lapses in theSecret Service; in 2016, it won the Pulitzer Prize in the category of national reporting for a groundbreaking project that chronicled every killing by a police officer in 2015. The following year, in 2016, it won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting for exposingDonald Trump's claims of charitable giving and theAccess Hollywood tape. In 2018, it won two Pulitzer Prizes, one in the category of investigative reporting for revealingallegations of sexual misconduct by Roy Moore and the other for national reporting on Russian interference in the2016 presidential election.

Baron supervised the writing team, includingMichael Kranish andMarc Fisher, who authored the 2016 biographyTrump Revealed: An American Journey of Ambition, Ego, Money, and Power.^[13]

For his work in journalism, Baron was awarded the 2016 Hitchens Prize.^[14] In 2017, he received the Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in Media.^[15]

In May 2019, Baron defendedWikiLeaks founderJulian Assange, saying, "Dating as far back as thePentagon Papers case and beyond, journalists have been receiving and reporting on information that the government deemed classified. Wrongdoing and abuse of power were exposed. With the new indictment of Julian Assange, the government is advancing a legal argument that places such important work in jeopardy and undermines the very purpose of theFirst Amendment."^[16]

In January 2020, Baron criticized aPost reporter who sent aTweet about theKobe Bryant sexual assault case after Bryant's death. The reporter,Felicia Sonmez, was later suspended. However,The Washington Post guild criticized the move and she was subsequently reinstated.^[17] Baron issued a three-page statement but did not apologize.^[18]

In January 2021, Baron announced his retirement fromThe Washington Post effective February 28, 2021.^[19] In his note, he advocated forSection 230 protections for social media companies.^[20]

In October 2024, Baron spoke out emphatically againstThe Washington Post's decision to not endorse a Presidential candidate for the first time since 1988, calling it "cowardice, with democracy as its casualty".^[21]

In the 2015 filmSpotlight, which focuses onThe Boston Globe's coverage of theCatholic Church's sexual abuse scandal, Baron is played byLiev Schreiber.^[22] The film wonBest Picture at the88th Academy Awards.^[23]

• Baron, Martin (3 October 2023).Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos, and The Washington Post. New York: Flatiron Books.ISBN 9781250844200.OCLC 1380465038.

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