Jane Mayer is a renowned American investigative journalist who has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1995. Born in New York City in 1955, Mayer comes from a family with notable achievements. Her mother is a painter and former president of the Manhattan Graphics Center, while her father was a composer. Mayer attended Fieldston School in the Bronx and Bedales School in England. She graduated magna cum laude from Yale University in 1977, where she was also senior editor of the Yale Daily News and a campus stringer for Time magazine. Mayer began her journalism career in Vermont, writing for local weeklies before moving to the Rutland Herald. She then worked for the Washington Star and joined The Wall Street Journal in 1982. At the Journal, she became the first female White House correspondent and covered major international events, including the Beirut Marine barracks bombing, the Gulf War, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Mayer's work focuses on money in politics, government actions against whistleblowers, and national security issues, including the U.S. Predator drone program and Donald Trump's financial backers. Mayer has extensively reported on the influence of wealthy individuals and corporations on American politics. Her 2016 book, "Dark Money," explored the political activities of the Koch brothers and other conservative funders. Mayer also wrote about the Obama administration's prosecution of whistleblowers, such as her article on former NSA official Thomas Drake, which earned her the Polk Award. She covered the U.S. Predator drone program and ethical concerns regarding its increased use under the Obama administration. Mayer has authored several influential books, including: "The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals" (2008), which explored the use of torture in the War on Terror and was a finalist for the National Book Awards. She also authored, "Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right," which aforementioned, investigated the political influence of the Koch brothers and was named one of the New York Times' ten best books of the year. Mayer also co-wrote an article with Ronan Farrow that led to the resignation of New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman following allegations of physical abuse. Conclusively, Mayer has received numerous awards for her work, including the George Polk Award, the John Chancellor Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Goldsmith Book Prize, and the Hillman Prize. In 2022, she was inducted into the Society of Professional Journalists' Hall of Fame and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. Today, Mayer continues her work and is married to journalist William B. Hamilton, and they have a daughter.

click here