Michelle Goldberg: A Political and Cultural Writer

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Michelle Goldberg is a columnist who explores political and cultural topics from a left-leaning and feminist viewpoint, continuously seeking stories that challenge her preconceived notions. She holds a particular interest in the growing authoritarianism both in the United States and globally, the status of the progressive movement, and the transformation of gender dynamics. Readers can subscribe to receive notifications whenever her column is published.

Background

Before joining The Times, Goldberg served as a columnist at Slate, with her writings also featured in publications such as The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The Nation, and The New Republic. Her inaugural book, “Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism,” examines the influence of religious authoritarianism in American politics. This work was a finalist for the Helen Bernstein Award for Excellence in Journalism.

Following this, she traveled to countries including India, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, and Poland to pen “The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power and the Future of the World,” a book addressing global conflicts over gender and reproductive rights. This piece garnered her the J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award and the Ernesta Drinker Ballard Book Prize.

Goldberg then briefly diverged from political topics with “The Goddess Pose,” a book examining wellness culture and the Western fascination with Eastern spirituality, told through the story of Russian yoga advocate Indra Devi. In 2018, Goldberg was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team for public service journalism focusing on workplace sexual harassment. She has also won the Front Page Award for opinion/criticism from the Newswomen’s Club of New York in 2018 and 2024, as well as the Hillman Prize for opinion and analysis in 2020.

Originally from near Buffalo, Goldberg completed her undergraduate studies at the State University of New York at Buffalo and later obtained her master’s degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley. She is currently an on-air contributor for MS NOW and resides with her family in Brooklyn.

Journalistic Ethics

As an opinion writer, Goldberg openly integrates her political beliefs into her work, yet she adheres to principles of accuracy and fairness. She ensures her facts are correct or issues corrections when necessary, refuses to quote individuals out of context, and includes pivotal information that might oppose her argument. Goldberg does not accept speaking engagements or payments from political entities and discloses any potential conflicts of interest. Like all Times journalists, she is dedicated to maintaining the integrity standards laid out in the Ethical Journalism Handbook.