Howard Fineman, Veteran Political Journalist and Former MSNBC Analyst, Dies at 75

Veteran political correspondent Howard Fineman, who spent three decades covering the halls of power in Washington for Newsweek before becoming an analyst for MSNBC and other media outlets, has died after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer, his wife announced. on Tuesday.

Fineman, who was 75, died Monday at his home in Washington.

“I am heartbroken to share that my brilliant and extraordinary husband passed away last night, surrounded by those he loved most, his family,” Amy Nathan posted on husband account on X (formerly Twitter). “He could not have been more adored. The world was a better place because he lived in it and wrote about it.”

Born on November 17, 1948 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Fineman joined Newsweek in 1980 and quickly began to build a reputation as one of the most astute observers of the Beltway scene in the country.

From his position at what was then one of the most read weeklies in the US, Fineman covered presidents and political actors and gave his readers a behind-the-scenes look at the Capitol, where decisions affecting their lives were being made.

Fineman left Newsweek in 2010 for The Huffington Post (now HuffPost), where he became senior political editor and later global editorial director.

Additionally, Fineman became an analyst for MSNBC and a frequent guest on “Hardball With Chris Matthews,” “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” and “The Rachel Maddow Show.”

Fineman also became a familiar face to several generations of viewers who tuned in to watch other political news programs, such as PBS’s “Washington Week in Review” and CNN’s “Capital Gang Sunday.”

An expert par excellence, Fineman was known for his intelligence and encyclopedic knowledge of politics having covered the administrations of seven different presidents during his career.

Tributes to Fineman quickly began pouring in as news of his death spread.

MSNBC’s Chris Jansing became emotional Wednesday as she recalled being a rookie political reporter when she met Fineman.

“I was in awe of him,” Jansing said, his voice choked. “My admiration for him as a person and journalist is unlimited.”

Noting that Fineman’s son, Nick, is a senior producer on his show, Jansing added, “We send our love and condolences to the entire family. This is a tremendous loss and we love you all.”

Raised in a Jewish family in a Pittsburgh neighborhood called Squirrel Hill, Fineman had his bar mitzvah at the Tree of Life synagogue, where in 2018 a gunman stormed the sanctuary and killed 11 people – perhaps the most heinous anti-Semitic attack in US history .

After earning a bachelor’s degree from Colgate University and a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University, Fineman began his journalism career covering coal mining and local politics for the Louisville Courier-Journal.

In 1978, Fineman worked in the newspaper’s Washington Bureau and two years later signed a contract with Newsweek.

Married Fineman Amy Nathana technology lawyer, in 1981. In addition to his son, Fineman is survived by his daughter, Meredith Fineman, and his sister, Beth Fineman Schroeter, according to The New York Times.