Dennis Roddy
Encyclopedia
Dennis Brian Patrick Roddy is a prominent journalist in Pennsylvania, working for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
.
, Roddy was born the 4th of 5 children to an Irish American
family. His father, Robert Roddy, Sr., was a steelworker and negotiator for the United Steelworkers of America. He attended St. Benedict’s parochial school in Geistown, Pennsylvania
. He attended University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
. As a student, he took a part time job as a newswriter at WJAC-TV
and later the Nanty Glo Journal and the Portage Dispatch.
in Greensburg, Pennsylvania
, a position he held for 8 years before joining the Pittsburgh Press
as a political reporter. In 1992, the financially ailing paper was purchased by the Pittsburgh Post Gazette and Roddy joined its staff. In 1996, the Scripps Howard News Service began syndicating his political column across a dozen newspapers across the country.
An August 1998 profile of Roddy in Pittsburgh 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." 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."
His notable articles have included a profile of Jerry Bowyer
, Joe Waldholtz's financial crimes, and a powerful article describing an 8-year-old's testimony in a rape trial. In 1994, his award-winning article The Messenger Boys provided a first-hand account of an Irish Republican Army
bomb attack in Belfast that killed 10. The City Paper article noted that he has "gone further than most reporters would dare in writing about his own family life," including familial discord and his Irish Catholic
upbringing.
In September 2007, Roddy wrote an article about the impending divorce between Pittsburgh billionaire newspaper publisher Richard Mellon Scaife
and his wife Margaret Ritchie Battle Scaife. 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. Scaife's suit and criminal complaints against Roddy were thrown out of court.
to the book Pennsylvania 24/7 by Rick Smolan
and David Elliot Cohen
. His work has been cited in A Force Upon the Plain by Kenneth S. Stern
, The Hunting of the President
by Joe Conason
and Gene Lyons
, and Blood and Politics by Leonard Zeskind.
In 2000, he was named "top columnist in the nation" by the Scripps Howard Foundation
and he was named "top humor columnist" by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the Western Pennsylvania Press Club. In 2004, he received an "Honorable Mention" Keystone Press Award for his column from the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association
. In 2005, he was named one of "Pennsylvania's Most Influential Reporters" by the Pennsylvania political news website PoliticsPA
. In 2008, the political website PolitickerPA.com named him one of the "Most Powerful Political Reporters" in Pennsylvania.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the "PG," is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.-Early history:...
.
Education
A native of JohnstownJohnstown
- Places :Canada* Johnstown, Nova Scotia* Johnstown, Ontario, United Counties of Leeds and Grenville* Johnstown, Hastings County, OntarioRepublic of Ireland*Johnstown, County Dublin*Johnstown, County Kildare*Johnstown, County Kilkenny...
, Roddy was born the 4th of 5 children to an Irish American
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
family. His father, Robert Roddy, Sr., was a steelworker and negotiator for the United Steelworkers of America. He attended St. Benedict’s parochial school in Geistown, Pennsylvania
Geistown, Pennsylvania
Geistown is a borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,555 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Geistown is located at ....
. He attended University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, also known as UPJ or Pitt-Johnstown, is a four-year, degree-granting regional campus of the University of Pittsburgh. The university is located in Richland Township, a suburban area of Johnstown, Pennsylvania and was founded in 1927 as one of the first...
. As a student, he took a part time job as a newswriter at WJAC-TV
WJAC-TV
WJAC-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for the Allegheny area of Pennsylvania that is licensed to Johnstown. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 34 from a transmitter northwest of the city in Laurel Ridge State Park along the Cambria and Westmoreland County line....
and later the Nanty Glo Journal and the Portage Dispatch.
Career
Following graduation, Roddy accepted a position at the Tribune-ReviewPittsburgh Tribune-Review
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, also known as "the Trib," is the second largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
in Greensburg, Pennsylvania
Greensburg, Pennsylvania
Greensburg is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States, and a part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The city is named after Nathanael Greene, a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War...
, a position he held for 8 years before joining the Pittsburgh Press
Pittsburgh Press
The Pittsburgh Press is an online newspaper in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, currently owned and operated by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Historically, it was a major afternoon paper...
as a political reporter. In 1992, the financially ailing paper was purchased by the Pittsburgh Post Gazette and Roddy joined its staff. In 1996, the Scripps Howard News Service began syndicating his political column across a dozen newspapers across the country.
An August 1998 profile of Roddy in Pittsburgh City Paper
Pittsburgh City Paper
The Pittsburgh City Paper is Pittsburgh's leading alternative weekly newspaper which focuses on local news, opinion, and arts and entertainment...
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." 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."
His notable articles have included a profile of Jerry Bowyer
Jerry Bowyer
Gerald "Jerry" Bowyer is an American radio and broadcasting host who also been extensively involved in public affairs, political writing, and investment activities.-Early career:...
, Joe Waldholtz's financial crimes, and a powerful article describing an 8-year-old's testimony in a rape trial. In 1994, his award-winning article The Messenger Boys provided a first-hand account of an Irish Republican Army
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
bomb attack in Belfast that killed 10. The City Paper article noted that he has "gone further than most reporters would dare in writing about his own family life," including familial discord and his Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic is a term used to describe people who are both Roman Catholic and Irish .Note: the term is not used to describe a variant of Catholicism. More particularly, it is not a separate creed or sect in the sense that "Anglo-Catholic", "Old Catholic", "Eastern Orthodox Catholic" might be...
upbringing.
In September 2007, Roddy wrote an article about the impending divorce between Pittsburgh billionaire newspaper publisher Richard Mellon Scaife
Richard Mellon Scaife
Richard Mellon Scaife is an American newspaper publisher and billionaire. Scaife owns and publishes the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. With $1.2 billion, Scaife, a principal heir to the Mellon banking, oil, and aluminum fortune, is No...
and his wife Margaret Ritchie Battle Scaife. 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. Scaife's suit and criminal complaints against Roddy were thrown out of court.
Other writings and awards
Roddy wrote the forewordForeword
A foreword is a piece of writing sometimes placed at the beginning of a book or other piece of literature. Written by someone other than the primary author of the work, it often tells of some interaction between the writer of the foreword and the book's primary author or the story the book tells...
to the book Pennsylvania 24/7 by Rick Smolan
Rick Smolan
Rick Smolan is an American photographer. He is CEO of Against All Odds Productions.-Background:Smolan is a 1972 graduate of Dickinson College. He has worked for TIME, LIFE and National Geographic...
and David Elliot Cohen
David Elliot Cohen
David Elliot Cohen is an American author and publisher who has, over a 30-year span, created more than 70 photography books. He is probably best known for the bestselling Day in the Life and America 24/7 series of photography books that he co-created with Rick Smolan.Cohen created four New York...
. His work has been cited in A Force Upon the Plain by Kenneth S. Stern
Kenneth S. Stern
Kenneth S. Stern is a defense attorney and an author. He is director on antisemitism, hate studies and extremism for the American Jewish Committee. In 2000, Stern was a special advisor to the defense in the David Irving v. Penguin Books and Deborah Lipstadt trial.-Education:Stern earned his A.B. at...
, The Hunting of the President
The Hunting of the President
The Hunting of the President is a 2004 English language documentary film about Bill Clinton. Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton appear in archived footage...
by Joe Conason
Joe Conason
Joe Conason is an American journalist, author and political commentator. He writes a column for the weekly New York Observer newspaper, for Salon.com and has written a number of books, including Big Lies , which addresses what he says are myths spread about liberals by conservatives.-Life and...
and Gene Lyons
Gene Lyons
Gene Lyons is a liberal political columnist and co-author with Joe Conason of The Hunting of the President: The 10 Year Campaign to Destroy Bill and Hillary Clinton, a documentary book published in 2000, with a supporting film. The book outlines a purported right wing campaign waged against...
, and Blood and Politics by Leonard Zeskind.
In 2000, he was named "top columnist in the nation" by the Scripps Howard Foundation
Scripps Howard Foundation
The Scripps Howard Foundation is the corporate foundation of the E. W. Scripps Company, an American media conglomerate which owns newspapers, television stations, cable television networks, and other media outlets...
and he was named "top humor columnist" by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the Western Pennsylvania Press Club. In 2004, he received an "Honorable Mention" Keystone Press Award for his column from the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association
Pennsylvania Newspaper Association
The Pennsylvania Newspaper Association is a trade group serving newspapers in Pennsylvania. The PNA seeks to "advance the interests of Pennsylvania newspapers" and protect the "free and independent press." It represents the newspaper industry in governmental affairs and provides public educational...
. In 2005, he was named one of "Pennsylvania's Most Influential Reporters" by the Pennsylvania political news website PoliticsPA
PoliticsPA
- Content :The website focuses on news aggregation, linking to major political news making headlines across the state. The editors write occasional features, like the weekly "Up & Down" scorecard and one-off lists like "Harrisburg's Smartest Staffer" and "Best Dressed Lobbyist" lists...
. In 2008, the political website PolitickerPA.com named him one of the "Most Powerful Political Reporters" in Pennsylvania.