I’m Darren Samuelsohn, and thanks for listening to The love, journalism Show. We’re back after a brief hiatus with Josh Gerstein, a senior legal affairs reporter at Politico.
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I am lucky to have called Josh Gerstein a colleague for nearly a decade. His reporting chops are unparalleled. His legal beat expertise is unrivaled.
He’s also one half of the reporting duo with Alexander Ward that broke one of the biggest stories of 2022 by obtaining a leaked copy of the draft Supreme Court opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade. You probably heard about it at the time.
Josh shared a good bit with me about that journalism experience of a lifetime in this episode of The love, journalism Show. He talked about what it’s been like to have everyone trying to figure out where their scoop came from, including the Supreme Court itself. He explained how there’s more suspicion among justices and their staffs since Politico published its story. And he walked me through the feelings that came with his team being named a Pulitzer Prize finalist.
We covered plenty more ground too, including what Josh is prepping for around the potential for more criminal charges against former President Donald Trump — plus his journalism origin story and his advice for people just getting started in the business.
“I'm a big fan of doing — more than studying,” he said before explaining how he may give off serious law school vibes but he’s managed just fine with only a bachelor’s degree.
Josh and I were in the trenches together at Politico. We were fact checking presidents before fact checking was a media thing. He showed me the ropes at the Supreme Court for a couple of momentous decisions. We also were partners on the Mueller investigation beat, a period when everything was moving all at once, and then some.
It was a delight to reconnect with Josh and ask him about his journalism career. I hope you enjoy our conversation.
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