John Baer (journalist)

John Baer is an American political columnist, formerly with The Philadelphia Daily News.

Early life and education

Baer earned a degree from Mount St. Mary's University and a master's degree from Temple University.^[1] He studied at the Brookings Institution and worked in Congress as a Fellow of the American Political Science Association.^[1] He also was a Fellow of the Loyola Law School in Los Angeles inaugural Journalist Law School program.^[1]

Career

PoliticsPA gave Baer an Honorable Mention in their Best Capitol Correspondent feature, saying that his "articles cut through all the Capitol B.S. and gives readers a simple, straightforward understanding of politics and state government".^[2] In 2002, the National Journal named him one of the top 10 political journalists outside Washington, DC.^[1] In 2005, he was named one of "Pennsylvania's Most Influential Reporters" by the Pennsylvania political news website PoliticsPA.^[3]

In 2007, Baer received a Second Place Keystone Press Award for his column from the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.^[4] In 2008, the political website PolitickerPA.com named him one of the "Most Powerful Political Reporters" in Pennsylvania.^[5] In 2016 and in 2008, he received an "Honorable Mention" Keystone Press Award for his column from the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.^[6] The Pennsylvania Report named him to the 2009 "The Pennsylvania Report 100" list of influential figures in Pennsylvania politics and described him as the "one journalist who should be read by all politicos."^[7]