Michael Barbaro, Class of 1998

Michael Barbaro, Class of 1998, is a journalist and the host of The New York Times’ news podcast, The Daily, a popular audio series that grew out of a podcast that aired during the final months of the 2016 presidential election.

Prior to his hosting duties, Michael worked as a reporter for the Times, which he joined in 2005. He was a national political correspondent and during the 2016 presidential election he was frequently featured on the front page of the Times for his coverage of Donald Trump and the election. Earlier beats included articles on Walmart for the Business section, personality stories out of New York City Hall, and coverage of the American retail industry.

He graduated from Yale University in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in history. While at Yale, he reported for the Yale Daily News and later became its editor-in-chief, overseeing a staff of nearly 100 student writers. He joined The Washington Post reporting staff in 2002 and covered the biotechnology industry.

While under the pines at Hamden Hall, Michael wrote for the school's official newspaper called The Advent. Additionally, Michael and classmate/future New York Times colleague Ross Douthat founded and ran the school's underground newspaper, La Verite.

As a podcaster, Michael’s series, The Daily, is the Times' first podcast to air five days a week. Episodes last 20 to 30 minutes and the show was the #1 podcast in the United States for every month of 2019. The podcast that led to The Daily began airing in August 2016 and was called The Run-Up, a twice-a-week political podcast that Michael hosted during the final three months of the presidential election.

In the Nov. 14, 2017, issue of People magazine, Michael was featured in the “Hot Off the Press” section as one of the 15 Sexiest Newsmen Alive.

Michael was one of five recipients of a Hamden Hall Alumni Achievement Award in May 2011. He grew up in North Haven, Conn., and his sister, Tracy, is a Hamden Hall alumna from the Class of 1995.