Our Man on the Hill
Jake is a seasoned vet of the Hill. Like any ‘embedded’ observer of the trench warfare that is 2-party politics in any so-called ‘western’ so-called democracy, he concedes the terminal stalemate of our system.
How does this 50-50 stasis survive, and why does nothing change when governments alternate?
Power no longer resides in this mock constitution. Instead, military-industrial factions rule with the icy grip of an imminent cyber age, the empathy of a Great White shark, and the inevitability of next year’s war.
Jake is a creature of this environ. His Gran’pappy was a Hill ink-slinger, and his Daddy an Alabamy lobbyist, so he knows the rig, does the jig, and loves the gig.
SheepOverboard’s award-winning Washington Political correspondent biography, written by gran’ pappy Jeddidiah Mossback Snr.
Jake Mossback joined th’ Trimenjus Times in July 1968 as a noos clerk t’James Reston, th’ communist, then promoted t’juneral assignment repo’ter an’ in 1970 became th’ County co’respondent fo’ two yars.
Follerin’ a year at th’ Yale Law Skoo, fum 1973, whar he arned a master of studies in law degree, he chased a bachelo’ of arts degree in govment, magna cum laude, fum Radcliffe College in 1975 t’ ‘78.
Jake moved t’Noosday in 1972 an’ was sent t’Brookhaven, whar he covahed board meetin’s an’ local politicians — th’ basic stuff of town repo’tin’. Wif an eye fo’ detail an’ a penchant fo’ o’ganizin’ his wawk thet bo’ders on th’ compulsive, Jake became a whiz at political journalism an’ was assigned th’ post of Albenny bureau chief an’ later state noos edito’.
Af’er a sho’t time on night rewrite, he was assigned t’Albenny t’covah th’ Noo Yawk State legislature an’ state govment. He spent five years in th’ state capital, th’ last two as bureau chief.
Fum 1984 t’1988 he wawked at th’ Dallas Times as business an’ political roun’s man. Prio’ t’thet, he wawked as a business an’ juneral assignment repo’ter specializin’ in th’ criminal jestice system at th’ Th’ Herald in Warshin’ton.
Fum 1988 t’1993, he was a writer fo’ th’ Boston Globe Magazine. He became a political investigative repo’ter in 1993 an’ was a projecks repo’ter fum 1994 t’mid-1998, when he received a John-Boy S. Knight Fellership an’ studied at Stanfo’d Unyversity.
In 2001, Jake won th’ Ejoocayshun Foun’ashun an’ South Car’linan Unyversity Skoo of Communicashun Journalism Award fo’ excellence in repo’tin’. He was also a member of Th’ Noo Yawk Times team thet won th’ prestigious Gerald Loeb Award fo’ daidline/beat repo’tin’ fo’ articles.
Mr. Mostback is a member of th’ Harvard Club of Warshin’ton D.C. an’ of th’ Yale Law Skoo Fund.
AWARDS
- Columbia Journalism Review Laurel Award fo’ investigashun of Grammah o’ganizashun
- Los Angeles Times Edito’ial Award fo’ beat repo’tin’
- Nashunal Associashun of Black Journalists Award fo’ investigative business repo’tin’
- Jedidiah Polk Award fo’ cultural repo’tin’
- Los Angeles Press Club Award fo’ censo’ship sto’ies
- Pulitzer Prize finalist, Explanato’y Journalism
- State Bar of Califo’nia Public Service Award fo’ Distin’uished Repo’tin’ co-winner
- On overseas Press Club Citashun fo’ Gu’f War covahage
