From Pizzagate to the 2020 Election: Forcing Liars to Pay or Apologize
Michael J. Gottlieb is part of a cadre of lawyers deploying defamation, one of the oldest areas of the law, against a tide of political disinformation.
By Elizabeth Williamson
Elizabeth Williamson
I am a features writer for The New York Times, based in Washington.
What I Cover
I aim to offer Times readers a deeper, nuanced look at people and institutions in the news, whether holding a government official or agency to account, or showing how everyday Americans are affected by government policy. I’ve written about a farm wife widowed by suicide; a teen stalked by a TikTok follower; families battling vicious online disinformation; three women struggling to preserve Black cemeteries. Through my three-decade career I’ve met heroes, miscreants and people in between, like most of us. It is an honor to be entrusted with these stories, and a joy to write them.
My Background
I began my journalism career in 1994, spending a decade reporting from Eastern Europe for The Wall Street Journal, International Herald Tribune, Miami Herald, Chicago Tribune and other outlets, culminating in three years as The Journal’s Warsaw bureau chief. In 2003, I returned to the United States to work for The Washington Post, covering everything from the Chesapeake Bay to Congress. Five years later I returned to The Journal, reporting on the Obama White House, lobbying and the culture of Washington. I joined The Times in 2015 as a member of its editorial board, writing opinion pieces on national politics. I missed being a reporter, though, and in 2018 moved into my current job. I’m the author of “Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy and the Battle for Truth,” published by Dutton/Penguin Random House in 2022. I have a journalism degree from Marquette University.
I am from Chicago, and live with my family in Washington.
Journalistic Ethics
I take seriously the goals Adolph S. Ochs laid out when he took control of The Times in 1896: “to give the news impartially, without fear or favor, regardless of party, sect, or interests involved.” As a Times journalist, I share the values and adhere to the standards of integrity outlined in The Times’s Ethical Journalism handbook. I work hard to be accurate and fair, keeping in mind the power of Times coverage to shape perceptions and debate, and the enormous trust people place in The Times and in me when they share their stories and views. I encourage critics of my work to contact me directly for a respectful conversation. I do not participate in political campaigns or causes. I protect my sources.
Contact Me
X: @nytliz
Signal: 202-674-2463
Anonymous tips: nytimes.com/tips
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