Dennis Roddy | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1954 (age 70–71) |
| Education | University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Notable credit(s) | Greensburg Tribune-Review Pittsburgh Press Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |
| Spouse | Joyce Gannon (m. 1991) |
| Children | 4 |
Dennis Roddy (born 1954 inJohnstown, Pennsylvania) is an American journalist who was special assistant to former Pennsylvania GovernorTom Corbett,[1] and a former columnist for thePittsburgh Post-Gazette.[2]
A native ofJohnstown, Roddy was born the 4th of 5 children to anIrish American family. His father, Robert Roddy Sr., was a steelworker and negotiator for theUnited Steelworkers of America.[3] He attended St. Benedict's parochial school inGeistown, Pennsylvania.[3] He attended theUniversity of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. As a student, he took a part-time job as a newswriter atWJAC-TV and later theNanty Glo Journal and thePortage Dispatch.[3]
Following graduation, Roddy accepted a position at theTribune-Review inGreensburg, Pennsylvania, a position he held for 8 years before joining thePittsburgh Press as a political reporter.[3] In 1992, the financially ailing paper was purchased by thePittsburgh Post-Gazette and Roddy joined its staff.[2][3] In 1996, theScripps Howard News Service began syndicating his political column across a dozen newspapers across the country.[2]
An August 1998 profile of Roddy inPittsburgh City Paper described him as having a knack for "getting into places other reporters find unobtainable -- the USAir jet crash site, President Clinton's limousine, a hotel elevator with presidential candidate Gary Hart and an attractive young woman."[3] The article said that Roddy's "wit, his storytelling skills, his Irishness, infuse the paper. Readers -- whether they notice his name on top of stories or not -- gain their impression of what's going on around Pittsburgh, what's amusing and what's tragic about it, from Roddy. Many of the stories he tells linger in the mind a long time."[3]
His notable articles have included a profile ofJerry Bowyer,Joe Waldholtz's financial crimes, and a powerful article describing an 8-year-old's testimony in a rape trial.[3] In 1994, his award-winning articleThe Messenger Boys provided a first-hand account of anIrish Republican Armybomb attack in Belfast that killed 10.[3] TheCity Paper article noted that he has "gone further than most reporters would dare in writing about his own family life," including familial discord and hisIrish Catholic upbringing.[3]
In September 2007, Roddy wrote an article about the impending divorce between Pittsburgh billionaire newspaper publisherRichard Mellon Scaife and his wife Margaret Ritchie Battle Scaife.[4] The reporting in the article was supported by documents that Roddy obtained from documents inadvertently published on the internet by the Allegheny County Family Court.[5] Scaife's suit and criminal complaints against Roddy were thrown out of court.[5][6]
Roddy wrote theforeword to the bookPennsylvania 24/7 byRick Smolan andDavid Elliot Cohen.[7] His work has been cited inA Force Upon the Plain byKenneth S. Stern,[8]The Hunting of the President byJoe Conason andGene Lyons,[9] andBlood and Politics by Leonard Zeskind.[10]
In 2000, he was named "top columnist in the nation" by theScripps Howard Foundation and he was named "top humor columnist" by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the three times by the Western Pennsylvania Press Club.[2] In 2004, he received an "Honorable Mention"Keystone Press Award for his column from thePennsylvania Newspaper Association.[11] In 2005, he was named one of "Pennsylvania's Most Influential Reporters" by the Pennsylvania political news websitePoliticsPA.[12] In 2008, the political websitePolitickerPA.com named him one of the "Most Powerful Political Reporters" in Pennsylvania.[13]
Roddy lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, Joyce Gannon. They have two children. Roddy also has two older children from a previous marriage.