David Streitfeld

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Template:Short description David Streitfeld is an American journalist, best known for his reporting on books and technology. During his tenure as book reporter at The Washington Post, he definitively identified Joe Klein as the "Anonymous" author of the 1996 novel Primary Colors,[1] upon which Klein admitted authorship, despite earlier denials.[2]

Career

During his career, Streitfeld wrote for The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and, as of September 2025, is a technology reporter for The New York Times.[3] Since 1999, he has reported from San Francisco.

Washington Post

At The Washington Post, Streitfeld covered books and publishing between 1987 and 1998; for three more years, he covered Silicon Valley and technology for the Post from San Francisco.[4] In 1997, Streitfeld identified Joe Klein as Anonymous, the author of the bestselling book about the Clinton presidential campaign, Primary Colors. Streitfeld, a book collector, spotted a galley proof, a pre-publication version of the novel, listed for sale in an antiquarian bookseller's catalog. The proof reproduced handwritten changes, which Streitfeld sent to a handwriting expert, who compared the notes to Joe Klein's handwriting, confirming that he was the author.[5]

Streitfeld has reported extensively on Amazon's business practices, dating back to the 1990s, when the company was primarily an online bookstore. In 1998, Streitfeld gave Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, his first tour of the Washington Post, which Bezos purchased in 2013.[6]

Los Angeles Times

In 2001, Streitfeld joined the Los Angeles Times as a technology reporter, later switching to covering Enron, housing, and general economics. In July 2006, the Atlantic magazine named him "The Bard of the Bubble" for his LA Times real estate coverage.[7]

The New York Times

In 2007, Streitfeld joined The New York Times as Chicago business reporter and later covered technology subjects.

Streitfeld was one of a team of New York Times reporters who won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting for a series of 10 articles on the business practices of Apple and other technology companies.[8][9] Streitfeld's contribution focused on freelance programmers and how hard it could be to make a living making apps for the iPhone.

In May 2014, Streitfeld broke the story of Amazon.com's negotiating tactics with publishing house Hachette,[10] which he continued to cover for multiple months.[11] The reporting on the topic by The New York Times and Streitfeld was the subject of a piece by The New York Times Public Editor Margaret Sullivan in October 2014.[12]

In January 2015, Melville House published Gabriel Garcia Marquez: The Last Interview, a collection edited by Streitfeld. The introduction details his friendship with Marquez and the circumstances of their talks on two continents.[13]

In August 2015, Streitfeld and New York Times colleague Jodi Kantor co-authored Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace.[14]

Since 2015, Streitfeld has edited books in the "Last Interview" series for Melville House. The books collect interviews with authors. In addition to collections by Gabriel García Márquez, he edited volumes focused on Philip K. Dick, Ursula Le Guin, Hunter S. Thompson, and David Foster Wallace.[15] Maureen Corrigan gave a favorable review to the Philip K. Dick collection on NPR's Fresh Air.[16]

Streitfeld's biography Western Star: The Life and Legends of Larry McMurtry was published by Mariner Books in March 2026.[17]

Streitfeld's longtime friendship with science fiction author Elizabeth Hand inspired her Nebula Award-winning short story Echo.[18]

Awards

Personal life

Streitfeld is married and has a daughter. He lives near San Francisco, California, with a book collection exceeding 10,000 volumes.[20] As a tech reporter, Streitfeld is reported to not use much technology outside of his job.[21]

Books

References

  1. ^ Alicia Shepard. "A "book nut" turned sleuth. (searching for the author of 'Primary Colors')," American Journalism Review, September 1996.
  2. ^ David Corn. "The Liars Club," Script error: No such module "webarchive". Salon.com, July 18, 1996. Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
  3. ^ Streitfeld, David, and Theodore Schleifer. "Larry Ellison, a Media Mogul Like No Other" The New York Times, September 23, 2025.
  4. ^ Craig Offman. "Washington Post book reporter defects," Script error: No such module "webarchive". Salon.com, August 4, 1999. Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Streitfeld, David (1996-07-17). "Anonymous' Undone By His Own Hand?". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Irwin, Neil; Mui, Ylan Q. (2013-08-05). "Washington Post sale: Details of Bezos deal". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  7. ^ William Powers. "The Bard of the Bubble," Script error: No such module "webarchive". the Atlantic, July 25, 2006. Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The 2013 Pulitzer Prize Winners - Explanatory Reporting". Pulitzer.org. Archived from the original on 17 April 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."2013 Journalism Pulitzer Winners". The New York Times. 15 April 2013. Archived from the original on 18 April 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  10. ^ Kristen Hare, David Streitfeld on Amazon: 'They don’t care if they’re liked' Script error: No such module "webarchive"., Poynter.org, June 5, 2014. Retrieved on 8 February 2015.
  11. ^ David Streitfeld, Amazon and Hachette Resolve Dispute Script error: No such module "webarchive"., The New York Times, 13 November 2014. Retrieved on 8 February 2015.
  12. ^ Margaret Sullivan, Publishing Battle Should Be Covered, Not Joined, Script error: No such module "webarchive". The New York Times, 4 October 2014. Retrieved on 8 February 2015.
  13. ^ Gabriel Garcia Marquez: The Last Interview Script error: No such module "webarchive"., Melville House website. Retrieved on 8 February 2015.
  14. ^ Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace Script error: No such module "webarchive"., The New York Times, 16 August 2015. Retrieved on 19 January 2016.
  15. ^ Philip K. Dick: The Last Interview Script error: No such module "webarchive"., Melville House website. Retrieved on 19 January 2016.
  16. ^ Revisiting The 'Last Interview' Of Ernest Hemingway, Philip K. Dick And Nora Ephron Script error: No such module "webarchive"., NPR.org, 11 January 2016. Retrieved on 19 January 2016.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Sold to Publishers, November 2021". Biographers International Organization. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  18. ^ Elizabeth Hand's short story "Echo," earns her second Nebula Award! Script error: No such module "webarchive"., M Press Books News, May 2007.
  19. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The 2013 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Explanatory Reporting, Staff of the New York Times". www.pulitzer.org. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hare, Kristen (2014-06-05). "David Streitfeld on Amazon: 'They don't care if they're liked'". Poynter. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  21. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Streitfeld, David (July 18, 2018). "When a Tech Reporter Doesn't Use Much Tech". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2018.

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