Updated, 11:30 a.m.
Good morning on this bright, cold Thursday.
She’s been called a “Trump-whisperer,” “Trump’s favorite foe” and "the best reporter in the room.”
Maggie Haberman, The New York Times’s White House correspondent, consistently breaks front-page news with deeply sourced articles about the Trump White House.
We recently spoke to Ms. Haberman as part of an interview series in which successful New Yorkers offer advice to newcomers to their industries. She got her start as a clerk at The New York Post and became a reporter there. She also worked at The Daily News and Politico before joining The Times - where her father, Clyde Haberman, has written for more than 40 years - in 2015. She splits her time between Washington and New York City, and we reached Ms. Haberman, 44, at The Times’s Washington bureau. Her responses have been lightly edited and condensed.
How does someone get started in journalism today?
It’s not what it was when I started, which was you worked at a local paper — in my case, the tabloids in New York. It’s still a good idea to clerk somewhere, either a print newsroom or TV network. But you’re going to be doing a lot of grunt work for not a lot of pay early on. It was always a difficult field to get into. It’s harder now.
What’s your best advice for a young journalist?
Basically, outwork everybody: Start out earlier and end your day later. Go to every stakeout that you can on a story. Always make the additional phone call. When a rival beats you on a story, try to figure out how they got it and go from there. Meet with whoever asks to meet with you, although we’re in a bit of a “gotcha” environment now, so you have to be more careful.
How do you avoid burnout?
I don’t know. I’m very tired (laughs). But we’re all very tired. I think that the demands of reporters now are very different. The only way to avoid burnout is to take cues from your body and your brain. If you’re making mistakes in your copy, take a few extra minutes and look it over a few extra times. Double-check yourself. That doesn’t really deal with the feeling of “I can’t keep doing this,” but if you need to take a break, take a break.
What’s something that newcomers to the industry might not understand about your job?
There’s a difference between letting your sources take advantage of you and having good sources.
What are the most important qualities in a journalist today?
Not being afraid. A lot of times people are afraid of writing something because someone will get mad or they’ll lose access. That can never be a concern. Ever. That was true 50 years ago, and even more so now because the culture of bullying reporters has become more intense.
Here’s what else is happening:
Weather
The sun is out, but zip up your jacket: Today’s high is only 34.
In the News
• Harendra Singh, a restaurateur and campaign donor to Mayor Bill de Blasio, secretly pleaded guilty in federal court to trying to bribe the mayor to win favorable lease terms. [New York Times]
Water’s Edge restaurant on city property in Long Island City, Queens.CreditBryan Anselm for The New York Times• A new bureau of the Bronx district attorney’s office, located inside the Rikers Island jail complex, has changed the way prosecutors investigate crimes by inmates and visitors. [New York Times]
• A federal judge acquitted Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey and his co-defendant of seven bribery and mail fraud charges, leaving them to face 11 charges at retrial. [New York Times]
• The owner of the $65 million animal transit facility at Kennedy International Airport known as Ark claims he is incurring massive operational losses and has sued the Port Authority. [New York Times]
The feud continues between the mayor and the governor.CreditHilary Swift for The New York Times• Mayor Bill de Blasio won the latest battle in his feud against Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority put off a vote on the governor’s plan to add amenities to 33 subway stations. [New York Times]
• After the F.B.I. raided the home of Joseph Percoco, the first call he made was to his ally and close friend: the governor. [New York Times]
• New York City expanded a taxi dispatch program to allow people in wheelchairs in boroughs outside of Manhattan to request a wheelchair-accessible cab. [New York Times]
• A jury in Queens convicted a detective of lying under oath about the circumstances of a drug arrest, raising concerns about the prevalence of false testimony in court cases. [New York Times]
• Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that he no longer planned to attend the mayor’s conference in Washington, D.C., which would have been his first gathering with Donald J. Trump since he assumed the presidency. [Crains New York]
• A New York police officer is facing accusations in federal court of firing his service revolver in an attempt to rob another man. [New York Daily News]
• Today’s Metropolitan Diary: “Leather Jacket on the Bus.”
• For a global look at what’s happening, see Your Morning Briefing.
Coming Up Today
• An ice-skating exercise class (not for beginners) at the Rink in Bryant Park in Midtown. 8 a.m. [Free]
• Learn how to make a book at a workshop at the Greenbelt Nature Center on Staten Island. 4 p.m. [Free]
• Listen to historical recordings of Leonard Bernstein’s music, followed by a discussion about American music, at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts near Lincoln Center. 6 p.m. [Free]
• The author Lorraine Passero presents her hybrid history and coloring book, “P.S.1: A School for the Centuries,” about the schoolhouse that became MoMA PS1, at the Greater Astoria Historical Society in Long Island City, Queens. 7 p.m. [Free]
• Vaudeville performances by women, part of Ladyweirdo, at the Cobra Club in Bushwick, Brooklyn. 9 p.m. [$10]
• Knicks at Nuggets, 9 p.m. (MSG). Islanders at Knights, 10 p.m. (MSG+). Rangers at Sharks, 10:30 p.m. (MSG2).
• Alternate-side parking remains in effect until Feb. 12.
• For more events, see The New York Times’s Arts & Entertainment guide.
And Finally …
Should marijuana be legal in New York?CreditJason Henry for The New York TimesThere’s been a lot of talk in these parts lately about marijuana.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced last week that New York would study whether it’s possible to legalize recreational marijuana in the state. In New Jersey, Gov. Philip D. Murphy, who campaigned on full legalization of marijuana, signed an executive order on Tuesday aimed at easing access to medical marijuana. And in Vermont, the state’s Republican governor, Phil Scott, signed a bill on Monday “with mixed emotions” that legalized recreational marijuana.
Even so, states face the potential challenge of a federal crackdown on legalization by the Trump administration.
But we’d like to know what you think: Do you support the legalization of recreational marijuana in New York? Why or why not?
Let us know in the comments or send an email at nytoday@nytimes.com. Please include your full name, age and the neighborhood or city in which you live. We may include your response in an upcoming New York Today column.
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