Robin Toner
Encyclopedia
Roberta 'Robin' Denise Toner (1954 — 2008) was an American journalist. She was the first woman to be national political correspondent for The New York Times
.
Robin Toner was born on May 22, 1954, in Chester, Pennsylvania
and grew up in Chadds Ford Township, Pennsylvania
. Her father, Charles, was an oil refinery supervisor and World War II pilot; her mother, Mary Louise, was a homemaker. One of six children, Toner was a summa cum laude graduate of Syracuse University
. She reported for The Charleston Daily Mail in West Virginia
and The Atlanta Journal and Constitution before joining the Times in 1985.
In 1992, Toner was the lead reporter on Bill Clinton
's presidential election. She later became chief of correspondents on the paper's national desk in New York, coaching reporters in other bureaus, and also had held the title of senior writer, covering topics including abortion rights and judicial nominations.
"When you watched her work — relentless on the phone, gnawing her fingernails to the nub, a perfectionist on the keyboard you'd think: a workhorse, not a showhorse," Bill Keller
, executive editor of The New York Times, said on its Web site. "Then you'd read the result and it would be elegant. She was one of the best."
Michael Oreskes, a former Times Washington bureau chief who is now managing editor for U.S. news at the Associated Press
, praised Toner as "the toughest, smartest and straightest political reporter I have ever known."
"She loved covering politics, because it was about people, with all their heroics and flaws and just plain boneheadedness," he said. "She was full of passion and moral outrage but had not one ounce of that bane of modern journalism, cynicism. That's why her stories were so memorable."
In her 25 years with The New York Times, she published more than 1,900 articles of which six required corrections. This was a result of her own system of verifying and confirming dates, names, facts and figures in her initial version of articles, steps taken by few other reporters.
Robin died of complications resulting from colon cancer on December 12, 2008.
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
.
Robin Toner was born on May 22, 1954, in Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 33,972 at the 2010 census. Chester is situated on the Delaware River, between the cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware.- History :...
and grew up in Chadds Ford Township, Pennsylvania
Chadds Ford Township, Pennsylvania
Chadds Ford Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, about 30 miles southwest of Philadelphia. Prior to 1996, Chadds Ford Township was known as Birmingham Township, Delaware County, and the name was changed to allow the township to correspond to both its...
. Her father, Charles, was an oil refinery supervisor and World War II pilot; her mother, Mary Louise, was a homemaker. One of six children, Toner was a summa cum laude graduate of Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
. She reported for The Charleston Daily Mail in West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
and The Atlanta Journal and Constitution before joining the Times in 1985.
In 1992, Toner was the lead reporter on Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
's presidential election. She later became chief of correspondents on the paper's national desk in New York, coaching reporters in other bureaus, and also had held the title of senior writer, covering topics including abortion rights and judicial nominations.
"When you watched her work — relentless on the phone, gnawing her fingernails to the nub, a perfectionist on the keyboard you'd think: a workhorse, not a showhorse," Bill Keller
Bill Keller
Bill Keller is a writer for the The New York Times, of which Keller was the executive editor from July 2003 until September 2011. On June 2, 2011, Keller announced that he would step down from the position to become a full-time writer...
, executive editor of The New York Times, said on its Web site. "Then you'd read the result and it would be elegant. She was one of the best."
Michael Oreskes, a former Times Washington bureau chief who is now managing editor for U.S. news at the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, praised Toner as "the toughest, smartest and straightest political reporter I have ever known."
"She loved covering politics, because it was about people, with all their heroics and flaws and just plain boneheadedness," he said. "She was full of passion and moral outrage but had not one ounce of that bane of modern journalism, cynicism. That's why her stories were so memorable."
In her 25 years with The New York Times, she published more than 1,900 articles of which six required corrections. This was a result of her own system of verifying and confirming dates, names, facts and figures in her initial version of articles, steps taken by few other reporters.
Robin died of complications resulting from colon cancer on December 12, 2008.