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Fred Barnes recently announced his retirement after more than 50 years as a working journalist, having served as a reporter for the Baltimore Sun, the Washington Star, The New Republic, the Weekly Standard, and the Washington Examiner. He contributed to countless other publications such as The American Spectator and Reader’s Digest, but many people will remember him for his frequent turns on The McLaughlin Group, or perhaps his big screen cameo in Dave.
Our wide-ranging conversation runs through his start in journalism in South Carolina back in the 1960s, his ascent in Washington in the 1970s and 80s, covering Ronald Reagan, his thoughts on Trump, and how journalism has changed (mostly for the worse) during his long career. The secret to Fred’s journalism was that he never wanted to be an opinion columnist, but preferred reporting, which required talking with sources and finding facts—imagine that! The closest thing we have to an old-school style successor for Fred is Byron York I think.
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Great interview. I’ve always admired Fred Barnes. He’s a real person who has made a difference.