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Tom Robbins on Muck Rack

Tom Robbins

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Freelance Journalist, Investigative Journalist in Residence — Freelance
New York
Crime and Justice, Metro New York, Politics
As seen in: The New York Times, Financial Times, Time Magazine, New York Post, New York Daily News, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Seattle Times, Esquire, New York Magazine and more
Ex-Village Voice, Daily News, NY Observer, City Limits, Dover Garage. CUNY Craig Newmark Journalism School. tommyrobb@gmail.com

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Biography

These are mostly stories of New York, tales of scoundrels, of heroes, and of those like the rest of us who are somewhere in between. Some stories helped convict people, some helped others win their freedom, which is far more satisfying. All told, a gallery of forty-plus years of trying to keep tabs on the city and its people for dailies, weeklies, monthlies, and publications now retired to the sweet bye and bye.
Just free-lance these days, plus teaching at a fine public school where the new re…

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Portfolio

As Newsrooms Close Across the Country, Remembering Why They Matter

As Newsrooms Close Across the Country, Remembering Why They Matter

Mortimer Matz, a New York press agent who turned ninety-six this summer, is one of the few people who remembe…

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When Pete Hamill Was the Editor of the New York Daily News

When Pete Hamill Was the Editor of the New York Daily News

In September, 1997, when Pete Hamill, who died on Wednesday, was fired from his job as the editor of the Dail…

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How a Coalition of New York Activists Revealed Police-Department Secrets

How a Coalition of New York Activists Revealed Police-Department Secrets

It has been more than eight years since a New York City police officer shot Constance Malcolm's son to death …

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Is Bill de Blasio the Loneliest Man in New York City?

Is Bill de Blasio the Loneliest Man in New York City?

On the evening of May 29th, a New York state senator named Zellnor Myrie, a mild-mannered son of Caribbean im…

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Remembering Rebecca Reich, Who Battled to Save a Wounded Brooklyn

Remembering Rebecca Reich, Who Battled to Save a Wounded Brooklyn

Forty years ago this spring I stood in a sprawling stretch of rubble along Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn's lower P…

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Karl Taylor Died in a New York Prison. Now the State Has Agreed to Pay Millions.

Karl Taylor Died in a New York Prison. Now the State Has Agreed to Pay Millions.

In life, Karl Taylor never found his way. A high-school dropout hobbled by mental problems, he labored as a t…

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Articles

As Newsrooms Close Across the Country, Remembering Why They Matter

By Tom Robbins
newyorker.com — Mortimer Matz, a New York press agent who turned ninety-six this summer, is one of the few people who remember what it was like to work at the Daily News in its glory days. Matz started at the News as a copyboy in 1949. When the photo assignment editor was called up to fight in Korea, Matz was promoted to take his place. Back then, the newspaper occupied several floors in an Art Deco skyscraper on East Forty-second Street.
Aug 14, 2020 Open in Who Shared Wrong byline?

When Pete Hamill Was the Editor of the New York Daily News

By Tom Robbins
newyorker.com — Hamill took his ouster from the Daily News with the same quiet good grace with which he handled most problems.Photograph by Jim Cooper / AP / ShutterstockIn September, 1997, when Pete Hamill, who died on Wednesday, was fired from his job as the editor of the Daily News, the staff took him out to tell him how much his short reign at the newspaper had meant to them.
Aug 06, 2020 Open in Who Shared Wrong byline?

How a Coalition of New York Activists Revealed Police-Department Secrets

By Tom Robbins
newyorker.com — It has been more than eight years since a New York City police officer shot Constance Malcolm’s son to death as he stood in a bathroom in their home, in the Bronx. Ramarley Graham was eighteen. His grandmother and his younger brother, who was six, were standing nearby at the time. Officers later said they believed that Graham had a gun. But a lengthy search of the apartment revealed no weapon.
Jul 17, 2020 Open in Who Shared Wrong byline?
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@tommy_robb — 4,958 followers, 5,233 tweets

Nov 22, 2020
Tom Robbins
@tommy_robb
As mayor, Rudy Giuliani traveled NYC in a large white SUV. "Mighty Whitey" some of us dubbed it. And we weren't talking about the car. There's a direct line between the racist tropes Giuliani employed then, and his calls today for the votes of largely Black cities to be rejected.
Nov 21, 2020
Tom Robbins
@tommy_robb
The Remarkable Journey of Boris Franklin: A conversation with the poet, playwright and organizer for @JerseyTogether about writing, democracy, and mass incarceration. Monday Nov. 23, 5PM @WBAI 99.5FM on Deadline: NYC pic.twitter.com/d7ntV0mgln
Nov 20, 2020
Tom Robbins
@tommy_robb
RT @BobSaietta: the president's speaking style, grievances, and general demeanor are now more or less indistinguishable from Livia Soprano.
Nov 18, 2020
Tom Robbins
@tommy_robb
RT @Barrett_Reader: Had a great time chatting with the awesome Sheryl McCarthy at @OnetoOneCUNYTV on legacy and genius of #Wayne Barret… https://t.co/ZIG6nuWPOL
Nov 18, 2020
Tom Robbins
@tommy_robb
@jordanmossBX Among many great moments of that class's investigation: @pauldebenedetto marching into mega-landlord Palazzolo's vast Westchester offices demanding to see the boss.  https://citylimits.org/2012/03/13/dozens-of-properties-millions-of-dollars-no-landlord/ …
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Interview

What was your first job as a journalist?

The (late and not terribly lamented) North Brooklyn News

Have you ever used a typewriter?

It is how we used to earn a living. The sound track of my youth and middle age.

How is social media changing news?

I teach at a journalism school named after the generous man who created Craig's List, which helped put my last newspaper out of business.
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