Biden Pays Tribute to the Late Journalist Howard Fineman: ‘A Trusted and Respected Voice For Millions of Americans’

Christopher Millette/Erie Times-News via AP

Veteran journalist Howard Fineman died of pancreatic cancer on Monday, and several tributes have surfaced to pay respect to a long, celebrated career. President Joe Biden provided his own tribute on Thursday, calling Fineman “one of the great journalists of our time.”

Fineman was an editor at Newsweek beginning in 1980 and later joined The Huffington Post as a senior politics editor. He was a regular commentator on MSNBC, where his colleagues paid tribute on the air.

In a statement posted on the White House’s site, Biden shared the following about the late Fineman:

Great journalists hold a mirror up to the Nation to reveal the good, the bad, and the truth of who we are as Americans. For four decades, Howard Fineman was one of the great journalists of our time.

His career covered much of mine, and throughout the debates over big issues and historic campaigns, I respected his reporting and insights whether I agreed or disagreed with him.

Where I believe all politics is personal, Howard believed all journalism is personal. No matter the issue or who he was interviewing, he always thought about the people he grew up with in his cherished Pittsburgh, or where he first started as a reporter in Louisville.

He understood the fundamental role of journalism in our democracy is to illuminate, educate, and shed light. With his focus on the facts and ability to tell a great story, it’s no surprise why Howard was a trusted and respected voice for millions of Americans, and true friend and mentor to countless colleagues.

Above all, in the decades we knew each other, it was clear that his love of family was the greatest story he ever told. Jill and I send our love to Amy and their children Nick and Meredith. We know what it’s like when cancer takes away the life of a beloved family member. But no matter where you are, he will always be with you.

Fineman’s death was announced by his wife Amy Nathan on Tuesday. He was 75 years old.