Priscilla Painton
Encyclopedia
Priscilla Painton is an American journalist and book editor. She was Time
magazine's deputy managing editor until 2008, and is now the editor in chief of Simon & Schuster
.
in 1980. She is fluent in French.
Painton currently lives in New York City and is the mother of two children, Isabel and Anthony Smith.
, The Washington Post
, and The Berkshire Eagle
.
She joined Time as a correspondent for the New York bureau in 1989, specializing in writing about politics and American life. She wrote cover stories on Atlantic City, Orlando, and country music, as well as on the 1992 Man of the Year, Ted Turner
, in which she revealed that he suffered from manic depression.
In 1994, Painton became Times business editor, where she oversaw covers on everything from Dreamworks
to derivatives
. Later, she was appointed Nation editor, where she managed the magazine's political coverage and all of its domestic news.
As one of the only women managers at Time, she commissioned cover stories on everything from "Is Feminism Dead?" and "The Female Mid-Life Crisis" to whether kids have too much homework. But political coverage still took up most of her time: she oversaw coverage of the rise of Bill Clinton (Times investigation of the campaign finance scandals in 1996 and 1997 won the Goldsmith Investigative Journalism Prize), the fall of Newt Gingrich, and the election and re-election of George W. Bush.
Painton was promoted to Deputy Managing Editor in 2006. Also that year, Painton taught a journalism course at Mount Holyoke College
as a visiting instructor in the English
department.
In November 2007, Painton edited a column by Joe Klein about an amendment to the F.I.S.A. law. Liberal bloggers Jane Hamsher
and Glenn Greenwald
argued that the column was inaccurate. Time later issued a clarification on Klein's column.
In early 2008, Painton joined Simon & Schuster
as Editor in Chief of the flagship imprint.
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine's deputy managing editor until 2008, and is now the editor in chief of Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
.
Personal
Painton was born in Rome and raised in Paris, where she attended the Lycée de Sèvres and graduated from L'École Alsacienne. She received her B.A. in history from Mount Holyoke CollegeMount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts college for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was the first member of the Seven Sisters colleges, and served as a model for some of the others...
in 1980. She is fluent in French.
Painton currently lives in New York City and is the mother of two children, Isabel and Anthony Smith.
Family
Painton is the daughter of Frederick Painton and the late Patricia High Painton. Frederick was the bureau chief for U.S. News and World Report in Rome, covering Southern Europe and North Africa. He moved to Paris to be its correspondent. He stayed in Paris for about 40 years, but while there moved from U.S. News to TIME to help launch its European edition. He retired from Time as a senior writer in 1991. Patricia was a business journalist who was based in Paris for many years.Career
Painton began her career as a reporter for The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the only major daily newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and its suburbs. The AJC, as it is called, is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the result of the merger between The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta...
, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, and The Berkshire Eagle
The Berkshire Eagle
The Berkshire Eagle is a daily newspaper published in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and covering all of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, as well as four New York communities near Pittsfield...
.
She joined Time as a correspondent for the New York bureau in 1989, specializing in writing about politics and American life. She wrote cover stories on Atlantic City, Orlando, and country music, as well as on the 1992 Man of the Year, Ted Turner
Ted Turner
Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III is an American media mogul and philanthropist. As a businessman, he is known as founder of the cable news network CNN, the first dedicated 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he founded WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television...
, in which she revealed that he suffered from manic depression.
In 1994, Painton became Times business editor, where she oversaw covers on everything from Dreamworks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
to derivatives
Derivative (finance)
A derivative instrument is a contract between two parties that specifies conditions—in particular, dates and the resulting values of the underlying variables—under which payments, or payoffs, are to be made between the parties.Under U.S...
. Later, she was appointed Nation editor, where she managed the magazine's political coverage and all of its domestic news.
As one of the only women managers at Time, she commissioned cover stories on everything from "Is Feminism Dead?" and "The Female Mid-Life Crisis" to whether kids have too much homework. But political coverage still took up most of her time: she oversaw coverage of the rise of Bill Clinton (Times investigation of the campaign finance scandals in 1996 and 1997 won the Goldsmith Investigative Journalism Prize), the fall of Newt Gingrich, and the election and re-election of George W. Bush.
Painton was promoted to Deputy Managing Editor in 2006. Also that year, Painton taught a journalism course at Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts college for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was the first member of the Seven Sisters colleges, and served as a model for some of the others...
as a visiting instructor in the English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
department.
In November 2007, Painton edited a column by Joe Klein about an amendment to the F.I.S.A. law. Liberal bloggers Jane Hamsher
Jane Hamsher
Jane Hamsher is a US film producer, author, and blogger best known as the author of Killer Instinct, a memoir about co-producing the 1994 movie Natural Born Killers with Don Murphy and others, and as the founder and publisher of the politically progressive blog FireDogLake...
and Glenn Greenwald
Glenn Greenwald
Glenn Greenwald is an American lawyer, columnist, blogger, and author. Greenwald worked as a constitutional and civil rights litigator before becoming a contributor to Salon.com, where he focuses on political and legal topics...
argued that the column was inaccurate. Time later issued a clarification on Klein's column.
In early 2008, Painton joined Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
as Editor in Chief of the flagship imprint.
External links
- TIME magazine biography
- Real - Time Journalism
- Interview - CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
- MHC Alumna Offers Journalism Course