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Anna Palmer
Palmer in 2022
Born (1982-05-25) May 25, 1982 (age 42)
Le Sueur, Minnesota, U.S.
Other namesAnna Alda[1]
EducationSt. Olaf College (BA)
OccupationJournalist
Known forCo-founder and CEO of Punchbowl News

Anna Palmer (born May 25, 1982)[1] is an American political journalist based in Washington, D.C. She has been the co-founder and CEO of Punchbowl News since January 2021, and the host of the related Daily Punch Podcast. She was previously a reporter for Politico and became its senior Washington correspondent.[2][3][4][5]

Early life and education

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Palmer was born, as Anna Alda, in Le Sueur, Minnesota and raised in North Dakota. She attended high school in Kindred, North Dakota, and served as a page for U.S. Senator Kent Conrad. She is a 2004 graduate of St. Olaf College, where she double-majored in political science and English, with a concentration in mass communications, and (starting in 2000) wrote for its newspaper, the Manitou Messenger, becoming its executive editor. Her multiple internships included a summer at the Washington, D.C. bureau of The New York Times.[2][6][7][8]

Career

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Early career

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After graduation, Palmer's first significant job was at the biweekly lobbying industry newsletter Influence.[8] In 2005, working for the Legal Times, the parent company of Influence, she became one of the key journalists investigating the activities of lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who orchestrated a vast network of corruption, resulting in over three years in prison for Abramoff, and convictions of 20 others. Palmer's work on the case brought her first national notoriety.[8]

In 2007, Palmer moved to Roll Call, a prominent Washington-insider newsletter.[2][8]

At Politico

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Initial work

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In 2011, Palmer moved to Politico—a Washington political reporting journal.[3][8]

Herman Cain revelation
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In October of that year, she was one of the team of Politico reporters who investigated and reported on allegations against Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, that—when he headed the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s—he had sexually harassed two female employees, and the lobbying organization had, in response, paid the women to resign and keep quiet about the matter.[9][10][11]

Within a few weeks, two more cases were discovered by journalists, and a fifth woman alleged a long-time, recently-ended affair with Cain. The cumulative effect was blamed for Cain's sudden plunge in survey polls, and his early-December decision to suspend his campaign, less than a month and a half after Palmer's initial story broke.[12][13]

Women Rule project
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Among Palmer's other responsibilities at Politico, Palmer took the lead in Women Rule—a project focused on expanding leadership opportunities for women—becoming its Editorial Director. She also hosted Politico's Women Rule podcast.[2][6][14]

Sherman partnership and Schock revelations
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While at Politico, Palmer partnered with fellow journalist Jake Sherman, to cover political affairs in the capital, particularly the U.S. Congress. Palmer and Sherman have reported corruption among Democrats and Republicans. Their reporting on the spending habits of Illinois Congressman Aaron Schock reportedly led to his 2015 resignation.[3][15]

Politico Playbook

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From 2016 to 2020, the duo co-authored the Politico Playbook[3][5][16][17]—a media franchise tracking the early Trump administration and its relations with the U.S. Congress.[3][5][16] The duo tripled the platform's readership and doubled its revenue.[2]

The Hill to Die On

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In 2019, the duo also co-authored The Hill to Die On: The Battle for Congress and the Future of Trump’s America[18] (a New York Times best-selling account of the Congressional politics of the early Trump presidency),[2][16][19][20] which attracted extensive media attention.[21][22][23][24][25]

The book drew attention to Palmer and Sherman, who then became the subject of numerous interview and discussion programs related to the themes of the book—in the news media,[22][24][25][23] political/documentary media,[26][27] and in the business-and-lobbying community.[28][29]

At Punchbowl News

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Palmer and Sherman departed Politico, together, in late 2020 to start Punchbowl News, an online news service focused on non-partisan reporting of power players, and inside events and leaders, in Congress and the Washington establishment — Palmer becoming Punchbowl's CEO.[2][3][4][5][16]

Other involvements

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Palmer has spoken or moderated discussions at the World Economic Forum, the United Nations General Assembly, the Milken Institute Global Forum, the Aspen Ideas Festival, the Texas Tribune Festival and SXSW.[2]

Palmer has been a political commentator on CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, and PBS's Washington Week.[2][22][24][30]

Awards and recognition

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  • Spring 2019: "Top 10" (books) in "Politics & Current Events," (for "The Hill to Die On"), Publishers Weekly (list announced December, 2018)[18]
  • 2020: "Star to Watch," Washington Women in Journalism Awards[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Palmer, Anna A. (Anna Alda), 1982–". Library of Congress Name Authority File. Library of Congress. April 4, 2019. Archived from the original on March 21, 2022. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Anna Palmer," June 3, 2019, updated February 19, 2021, Washington Week, on PBS, retrieved April 19, 2021
  3. ^ a b c d e f "The Media Equation: They Seem to Think the Next Four Years Will Be Normal: A Beltway school of journalism wants to get back to just-the-facts-ma’am reporting...", January 3, 2021, The New York Times, retrieved April 19, 2021
  4. ^ a b "Punchbowl,", 2021, Muckrack, retrieved April 19, 2021
  5. ^ a b c d Vernon, Pete: "Q&A: Punchbowl’s Jake Sherman on Capitol coverage in the new Washington," January 19, 2021, Columbia Journalism Review, retrieved April 19, 2021
  6. ^ a b c "Meet the Winners of the 2020 Washington Women in Journalism Awards", September 22, 2020, The Washingtonian, ("In 2016, she took over one of the highest-profile spots in political journalism: Politico’s daily Playbook newsletter. She’s coauthor of “The Hill to Die On,” a bestselling book..."), echoed at Politico, September 22, 2020, retrieved April 19, 2021
  7. ^ "The State of Journalism and Reporting in 2020: Ole alumni panel and discussion," March 5, 2021, St. Olaf College News, retrieved April 19, 2021
  8. ^ a b c d e Peterson, Erin: "Politico Insider," Fall, 2016, St. Olaf Magazine, retrieved April 19, 2021
  9. ^ Palmer, Anna; Jonathan Martin, Maggie Haberman and Kenneth P. Vogel: "Exclusive: 2 women accused Cain of inappropriate behavior," October 30, 2011, Politico, retrieved April 20, 2021
  10. ^ "Third woman claims inappropriate behaviour from Cain," November 3, 2011, BBC News, retrieved April 20, 2021
  11. ^ Sides, John and Lynn Vavreck: book: The Gamble: Choice and Chance in the 2012 Presidential Election (updated edition), September 7, 2014, Princeton University Press, retrieved from Google Books April 20, 2021
  12. ^ Lin, Joy (December 2, 2011). "Cain Poll Numbers Plummet in Iowa". Fox News. Archived from the original on December 5, 2011. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
  13. ^ Oliphant, James (December 3, 2011). "Herman Cain drops out of presidential race". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
  14. ^ "Anna Palmer," February 4, 2019, modified February 21, 2020, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, retrieved April 19, 2021
  15. ^ Rutenberg,Jim: "Mike Allen, Politico’s Newsletter Pioneer, Is Handing Over the Reins" [to Palmer and Sherman], June 19, 2016, The New York Times, retrieved April 19, 2021
  16. ^ a b c d Johnson, Ted: "Media Startup Punchbowl News Launches Podcast As D.C. Spotlight Shifts To Capitol," February 1, 2021, Deadline, retrieved April 19, 2021
  17. ^ Dalton, Meg and Pete Vernon:"Podcast: A dive into the swamp with the authors of Politico Playbook," November 30, 2017, Columbia Journalism Review, retrieved April 19, 2021
  18. ^ a b Kushnick, Hannah: "Top 10" in "Spring 2019 Announcements: Politics & Current Events" (book release announcements), Dec 07, 2018, Publishers Weekly, retrieved April 20, 2021
  19. ^ Eilperin, Juliet: Review: "In this portrait of Congress, lawmakers’ ambition breeds dysfunction," April 5, 2019, The Washington Post, retrieved April 19, 2021
  20. ^ Green, Lloyd: "The Hill to Die On review: Trump, Ryan and a Republican dumpster fire," April 6, 2019, The Guardian, retrieved April 19, 2021
  21. ^ VanDenburgh, Barbara:"5 books not to miss: ...'The Hill to Die On,' ..." April 7, 2019, USA Today, retrieved April 19, 2021
  22. ^ a b c Video:"Authors of 'The Hill to Die On' talk new book, Congress and Trump" April 9, 2020, CBS News, retrieved April 19, 2021
  23. ^ a b Audio and transcript:"Reporters Say Members Of Congress Are 'Obsessed' With Getting Re-Elected" April 9, 2020, National Public Radio, retrieved April 19, 2021
  24. ^ a b c "Anna Palmer On Why President Trump Gets Along With Senator McConnell & Didn’t Get Along With Speaker Ryan" April 9, 2020, Fox News, retrieved April 19, 2021
  25. ^ a b Costa, Robert and Sherman, Jake: "Discussing 'The Hill to Die On' with Jake Sherman," April 12, 2019, Washington Week, on PBS, retrieved April 19, 2021
  26. ^ "Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer on The Hill to Die On," April 22, 2019, Washington Journal on C-SPAN, retrieved April 20, 2021
  27. ^ "Anna Palmer, Co-Author, The Hill to Die On: The Battle for Congress and the Future of Trump's America," October 2019, Frontline on PBS, retrieved April 20, 2021
  28. ^ "Talks at GS: POLITICO Playbook’s Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman, Co-Authors of The Hill to Die On," April 12, 2019, Goldman Sachs, retrieved April 20, 2021
  29. ^ "Speakers: Featured Session Speakers," June 23–25, 2020, ACJ Member Summit, Association for Corporate Growth, retrieved April 20, 2021
  30. ^ "Sunday on 'This Week':...", September 23, 2017, ABC News, retrieved April 21, 2021
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