Wayne Barrett, Fierce Muckraker at The Village Voice, Dies at 71

 

By Sam Roberts

Wayne Barrett, the muckraking Village Voice columnist who carved out a four-decade career tilting at developers, landlords and politicians, among them Donald J. Trump and Rudolph W. Giuliani, died on Thursday in Manhattan. He was 71.

His wife, Fran Barrett, said the cause was complications of interstitial lung disease. Mr. Barrett himself had called his condition ironic, noting that he had never been a drinker or a smoker.

A self-proclaimed country boy from Virginia and a lapsed seminarian, Mr. Barrett spent 37 years at The Voice, the alternative newsweekly started in Greenwich Village.

There he exposed the misdeeds that ensnared appointees and supporters of Mayor Edward I. Koch — a trail of serial corruption that he recapitulated in 1988 in “City for Sale: Ed Koch and the Betrayal of New York,” a much-praised book written with his mentor and fellow Voice mainstay Jack Newfield. 

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Source: The New York Times

Statement from Governor Andrew Cuomo

“Wayne Barrett’s passing is a tremendous loss for the people of the great state of New York. Wayne was a lion in the field of journalism. For decades, Wayne was the conscience of New York. He had a profound impact on policy and government because of his dogged determination to hold those in power accountable.

“As a public official who was subjected to Wayne’s scrutiny many times, I can attest that his intellect, tenacity, and knowledge were second to none. He did his job without malice and with an absolute dedication to the facts.

“Wayne was a truth finder and a truth teller regardless of whether it was convenient, popular, or easy. Wayne was never afraid to speak truth to power, and those who listened were the better for it.

“At a time in the world in which substantive and respected journalism is vital, today is a painful loss. My heart goes out to Wayne’s family, including his son Mac and his beloved wife Fran who is a valuable member of my team, performing crucial work on behalf of the most vulnerable people of New York each and every day.”

Note: From The G-Man and The G-Man Interviews salute Mr. Barrett's legacy and life. May he forever rest in peace.