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Jonathan Swan

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Jonathan Swan
Swan in 2018
Born (1985-08-07) August 7, 1985 (age 39)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Citizenship
  • Australia
  • United States
OccupationJournalist
EmployerThe New York Times
Spouse
​
(m. 2019)​
Children2
Parents

Jonathan V. Swan[a] (born August 7, 1985) is an Australian-American investigative journalist at The New York Times. He is best known for his scoops and his 2020 Emmy-winning interview with then-US president Donald Trump.

Swan interviewed Trump in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He was praised for fact-checking the Trump's falsehoods and constantly challenging his remarks, which, according to David Brinn, exposed the President as "woefully unprepared and unequipped with the facts."[1] His stunned facial expressions made in response to Trump's statements became a viral internet meme.

Early life and career

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Jonathan Swan was born on August 7, 1985,[2] in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, the eldest child of Lee Sutton and health reporter Norman Swan.[3] He grew up in a "very liberal" Reform Jewish household enrolled in the Emanuel Synagogue. As a teenager, he did his bar mitzvah.[4] Swan was educated in his hometown,[5] and he later graduated from Sydney Grammar School.[6]

In 2010,[5] Swan's journalistic career began in writing for The Sydney Morning Herald.[7] Around this time, he also worked for The Age.[8] Swan became known for his scoops—most notably, his revelations on parliamentarians abusing taxpayer funds as well as his unearthing a video of a senator hurling kangaroo feces at his brother.[9]

In 2014, as part of a one-year visa with the American Political Science Association, Swan emigrated to the United States to work as a congressional aide at Washington, D.C.[10] He would decide to stay. Having followed US politics "obsessively" while in Australia, he aspired to break into American journalism.[11] Swan approached several media outlets, but was continually rejected before being hired by The Hill.[12]

United States career

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Beginnings

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Swan began reporting on politics at The Hill in August 2015.[11] There, he shed light on several Republican Party plots, including the Trump campaign's petitions of illegal donations from foreign individuals and Breitbart News' attempts to thwart House Speaker Paul Ryan's career.[13] In late 2016, he joined Axios shortly before the company's founding.[14] It is at Axios that Swan made his breakthrough in journalism.[7]

Donald Trump's first presidency

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As a national political correspondent, Swan covered Trump's first administration from 2017 through 2021.[15] He was the first to reveal the United States' initial withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement,[12] the US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the firing of White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, and Paul Ryan's retirement.[7] Contemporary journalists regarded Swan's reporting as key to Axios' rise to prominence.[16]

Swan's reports had made him a rising influence in the journalistic scene,[17] but his efforts did rouse controversy. Some commentators accused him of favoring "access over accountability"[9] in light of his refusal to strongly challenge the White House's actions[12] and the lack of depth in his articles, with the one detailing the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital being just 55 words long.[7][b] His paid speaking engagements, earning him roughly $25,000 per speech,[7] also attracted criticism.[18] In September 2018, Swan reported that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had resigned, which caused a stir in the media. However, the report was false. This damaged Axios' reputation, which had already been questioned owing to their articles's perceived shallowness.[12]

First Trump interview (2018)

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Swan in his 2018 interview
Swan in his 2018 interview with Donald Trump, as he grins exuberantly while inquiring the President on his plan to repeal birthright citizenship

Swan interviewed Trump in October 2018.[19] In one preview clip, Trump revealed that he was planning to end birthright citizenship in the US, a constitutionally-protected right.[16] He claimed that he could legally do so by altering the Constitution himself, which was untrue. Nevertheless, Swan did not correct him.[20] The President also falsely declared that no other country had birthright citizenship, and Swan, again, said nothing in response.[7] Commentators also pointed out that Swan appeared sprightly and cheery;[21] he chuckled,[22] grinned, and "bounce[d] in his chair with glee."[23]

Swan faced stern backlash, with one outlet even calling him a "bootlicker."[22] Some journalists noted that his attitude debased the profession of journalism as he seemingly placed discovering new media fodder above holding politicians accountable.[20] According to Sam Biddle of The Intercept, his interaction was a "revolting," "perverse amalgam of news, social media, entertainment, and the White House."[23] The interview only worsened Swan and Axios' reputation of favoring access over accountability.[24] Conversely, veteran journalist Bob Woodward argued that he was not soft—he was "tough but fair."[7] Three White House officials too praised his "fairness."[12] Swan regretted his performance,[12] and later admitted that it was "bad."[25]

Second Trump interview (2020)

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Two years later, Swan interviewed Trump again. It lasted 38 minutes[26] and aired on Axios' HBO series on August 3, 2020.[27] The US was then engulfed in a pandemic that had killed upwards of 100,000 Americans as well as nationwide protests over the murder of George Floyd.[28] This time, Swan's approach would be more critical.[25] During the interview, he pointedly challenged and called out the President's false and misleading statements in real time.[29] When Trump, for instance, described COVID-19 as being "under control," Swan responded, "How? A thousand Americans are dying a day."[30]

According to commentators, Swan's managed to challenge Trump by deploying an aggressive line of follow-up questions.[31] When Trump ambiguously said "people say…," Swan replied, "Which people?"[1] The President often could not answer such questions.[32] Daniel Dale of CNN wrote that, during his interviews, Trump would state one false claim after the other in a "hit-and-run" strategy, and interviewers would generally let them pass. However, Swan kept asking "how?", "what?", and "who?", which thwarted Trump's strategy.[33] Journalist David Brody asserts that while Trump often dominated interviews by "commandeering" them, Swan humbled him.[34] This left Trump stumbling through responses as he appeared baffled and unprepared.[35]

Swan in his 2020 interview
Swan in his 2020 interview with Donald Trump, as he gives a befuddled expression in response to the President's statements

Swan was also noted for his facial expressions made in reaction to some of Trump's claims. They shifted between confusion, fury, bemusement, and bewilderment.[36] When Swan insisted that the COVID-19 death tally needed to be considered as a percentage of population, and Trump replied, "You can't do that," Swan promptly "furrowed his brow; his mask of utter befuddlement perfectly encapsulated many viewers' reactions to the interview," in the words of Forward reporter PJ Grisar.[37] Beyond the handling of the pandemic, Swan also exposed the President's perceived disinterest in Russia's provision of aid to the Taliban and his unwillingness to praise the recently deceased civil rights activist John Lewis.[37]

The interview was widely praised,[38] with commentators applauding Swan's efforts at fact-checking Trump.[39] His approach, they noted, ensured that the President was kept accountable.[40] The New York Times columnist Ben Smith declared it "perhaps the best interview of Mr. Trump's term."[41] In 2021, Axios was awarded an Emmy Award for Best Edited Interview.[14] The interview also became a media and internet sensation,[39] and Swan's stunned facial expressions became a viral internet meme.[36] Swan claimed that, following the interview, the Trump administration refused all his interview requests.[25]

"Off the Rails"

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Shortly before the 2020 presidential election between incumbment president Trump and Joe Biden, Swan revealed Trump's plans to claim victory regardless of the outcome[42] as part of his wider plan to overturn the results.[43] A few months later, he documented the President's plan and efforts in a nine-part[c] series titled "Off the Rails".[d] This series won Swan the 2022 White House Correspondents' Association's Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence in White House Coverage.[45]

Later efforts

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In January 2023, after six years reporting for Axios, Swan joined The New York Times, where he focuses on congressional Republicans and Trump.[46]

Personal life

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Swan is married to fellow reporter Betsy Woodruff of Politico;[25] they have two children.[47] He became an American citizen in 2024.[48]

In 2019, it was revealed that Axios, suffering backlash against Swan's first interview with Donald Trump, had paid a journalist to improve its reputation by lobbying for changes to the Wikipedia articles on Axios and Swan. He pushed for promotional material to be included, such as an "Awards and honors" section, and recommended that controversies related to Swan be whitewashed.[49]

References

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Notes

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  1. ^ Swan's Twitter handle includes the middle initial "V," although it is uncertain what it stands for.
  2. ^ In actual fact, all Axios articles tend to be brief.[12]
  3. ^ A tenth bonus article (or episode) is also included in the series.[44]
  4. ^ "Off the Rails" was coproduced with Zachary Basu.[44]

Citations

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  1. ^ a b Brinn 2020
  2. ^ Politico 2017
  3. ^ Harvey 2020
  4. ^ Cohen & Koessler 2022
  5. ^ a b Child 2020
  6. ^ Education Standards Authority
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Farhi 2018
  8. ^ Farhi 2018; The Sydney Morning Herald 2014
  9. ^ a b Grynbaum 2018; McGowan & Cantor 2020
  10. ^ Farhi 2018; Grinapol 2015
  11. ^ a b Grinapol 2015
  12. ^ a b c d e f g Grynbaum 2018
  13. ^ Gold 2016
  14. ^ a b Fischer 2022
  15. ^ Fischer 2022; Kassel 2020
  16. ^ a b Farhi 2018; Grynbaum 2018
  17. ^ Biddle 2018; Farhi 2018; Grynbaum 2018
  18. ^ Grynbaum 2018; Watson 2018
  19. ^ Barr 2020
  20. ^ a b Biddle 2018; Watson 2018
  21. ^ Barr 2020; Grynbaum 2018
  22. ^ a b Watson 2018
  23. ^ a b Biddle 2018
  24. ^ Biddle 2018; Grynbaum 2018; McGowan & Cantor 2020
  25. ^ a b c d Kassel 2020
  26. ^ Kikerpill 2022, p. 142
  27. ^ Barr 2020; Kikerpill 2022, p. 142
  28. ^ Karl 2021, pp. xviii, 33
  29. ^ Barr 2020; Kassel 2020; Meade 2021
  30. ^ Holpuch 2020
  31. ^ Dale 2020; Kassel 2020; Rupar 2020
  32. ^ Rupar 2020
  33. ^ Dale 2020
  34. ^ Barr 2020; Schwartz 2020
  35. ^ Brinn 2020; Holpuch 2020
  36. ^ a b Brinn 2020; Grisar 2020; Kassel 2020
  37. ^ a b Grisar 2020
  38. ^ Barr 2020; McGowan & Cantor 2020; Meade 2021
  39. ^ a b Brinn 2020; Meade 2021
  40. ^ Brinn 2020; Kassel 2020; Schwartz 2020
  41. ^ Meade 2021
  42. ^ Karl 2021, pp. 117–118
  43. ^ Karl 2021, ch. 28–29; Parmar 2021, pp. 35–50
  44. ^ a b Swan & Basu 2021
  45. ^ Manning 2022
  46. ^ The New York Times Company 2022
  47. ^ Kassel 2020; Swan 2022
  48. ^ Swan 2024
  49. ^ Feinberg 2019

Bibliography

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Books and academic papers

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  • Karl, Jonathan (2021). Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show. New York City, New York: Penguin Random House. ISBN 978-0593186329.
  • Kikerpill, Kristjan (2022). "Misinformation, Scandalization, and the Trump Show: Audience Responses to President Trump's Pandemic Narrative". In Chen, Shing-Ling S.; Allaire, Nicole; Chen, Joyce Zhuojun (eds.). Discordant Pandemic Narratives in the U.S. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-7936-5533-2.
  • Parmar, Inderjeet (2021). "Trump's Coup and Insurrection: Biden's Challenge and Opportunity". Insight Turkey. 23 (1) https://www.insightturkey.com/: 35–50. doi:10.25253/99.2021231.4. JSTOR 26989815. {{cite journal}}: External link in |article-number= (help)

News articles

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Other media

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