Sign in to wowOwow

Enter the email address that you used when registering at wowOwow.
The password field is case sensitive. Click here if you have forgotten your password.

Please register for wowOwow

Newsletter subscriptions
Sign up to receive wowOwow's weekly newsletter and get our best picks delivered right to your inbox. Our newsletter content is hand-picked by the wowOwow editorial team and provides the top features, news, and commentary from our site. Subscribing to our newsletter is free and safe. We will never share your email or other information with a third-party without your direct consent.
By registering, you indicate that you have read and agree
with our privacy policy and terms of service.
Home › Politics

Question of the Day | 06/07/2009 11:00 pm

Who is your favorite newspaper columnist, the one you would follow anywhere?

Candice Bergen, Joan Ganz Cooney, Jane Wagner and Liz Smith tell us which columns they’re addicted to. Tell us yours … and perhaps discover a new column worth reading!
© Shutterstock
Candice Bergen

Candice Bergen | 06/07/2009 11:00 pm

Candice Bergen's 'Hands-Down' Favorite Columnist

That would be Tom Friedman. Hands down. Also, a few years ago, Maureen Dowd.
comments7 Comments
Liz Smith

Liz Smith | 06/07/2009 11:00 pm

Liz Smith Is Split Over Favorite Columnists

Golly! You are a hard taskmaster demanding only one when I have to name Frank Rich and Gail Collins of The New York Times and Anna Quindlen and Fareed Zakaria of Newsweek.
comments1 Comment
Joan Ganz Cooney

Joan Ganz Cooney | 06/07/2009 11:00 pm

Joan Ganz Cooney's Four Favorite Columnists

My favorite columnists are David Brooks, Peggy Noonan, David Ignatius and Richard Cohen.

comments3 Comments
Jane Wagner

Jane Wagner | 06/08/2009 4:45 pm

Jane Wagner Narrows It Down

I can’t pick just one. I love Frank Rich and the brilliant Peggy Noonan and, of course, wOw’s own wonderful Liz Smith. And, Paul Krugman.

comments1 Comment
Read more about: Anna Quindlen, Columnist, David Brooks, David Ignatius, Entertainment, Fareed Zakaria, Frank Rich, Gail Collins, Maureen Dowd, New York Times, News, Newspaper, Newsweek, Peggy Noonan, Politics, Richard Cohen, Tom Freidman

46 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

f p
Two actually:  Paul Krugman and David Horsey.
By f p on 06/08/2009 7:31 am
Diana T
In addition, Frank,  I always learn something new when I read Tom Friedman and, lately I have been enjoying Nicholas Kristoff. 
By Diana T on 06/08/2009 10:34 pm
Chrome Toe
I am so sorry ladies. But I get all my news off the web. So I don’t have one. When I did take newspapers "back in the day" so to speak I didn’t have a favorite columnist. No one i looked forward to. I’d scan the topic and read based on the first few sentences. Columnists normally annoy me truthfully. I hear enough of peoples opinions. and when i want more… i come to wow lol!
By Chrome Toe on 06/08/2009 8:04 am
Agyness O
I have recently stopped the paper and am finding I don’t seem to miss a thing. You can find everything online and I almost always enjoy Frank Rich, Paul Krugman, Maurine Dowd and recently Glenn Greewald of Salon has been added to my list. There are others but these are in the do not miss category.
By Agyness O on 06/08/2009 6:38 pm
James the Game
I have no particular favorites, but Terry Foster of the Detroit News sports department is usually pretty good. I used to write a column for Central Michigan Life many years ago. Generally speaking, I’m not too big on op-ed columnists, as they tend to out-think themselves, particularly George Will.
By James the Game on 06/08/2009 8:04 am
rocky rocky
Quite a few. But I will never scroll by Miles O’Brien or Roger Cohen. Gail Collins is a delight. 
By rocky rocky on 06/08/2009 8:10 am
Victoria J
Today, its Fareed Zakaria. He’s new to the business online and I still here the ring of truth. Frank and Maureen used to be favorites, but too often I find these writers succumb to too much personal self-indulgence in their writing and I have to back off. Thirdly, I prefer my own brain and voice when comtemplating issues. It helps to hear contrary points of view, but few of these people actually know more than many of us who have worked in politics for years. I read their opinions, but I have my own and in the end, I find my point of view just as valuable.
By Victoria J on 06/08/2009 8:22 am
Maggie W
That’s a very tall order !  Dowd, Quindlen,Krugman, L. Pitts Jr.  Dionne, Brooks,  Morris, Harrop, Kondracke, Roberts ( both) Parker, Goodman, … too many to name really, along with UK press.  There are two local  newspaper business writers that are great… Buggs and Steffy as well as Lipman for law related issues.
By Maggie W on 06/08/2009 8:41 am
CYNTHIA NEIL
this is why I keep coming back.. the most well read site on the net^_^
By CYNTHIA NEIL on 06/08/2009 9:00 am
Jacqueline Irizarry
I read on line columns.  Glenn Greenwald  and Cyntia Tucker.  Check them out. 
By Jacqueline Irizarry on 06/08/2009 9:54 am
Tee Zee

There is not one I would follow anywhere since Molly Ivins…

Thanks Joan for the reccomendation, I will check out Jane Brody!

By Tee Zee on 06/08/2009 9:57 am
EKA -
OH, don’t you just miss Molly Ivans ?? A true one of a kind.
By EKA - on 06/08/2009 9:25 pm
Kris Merrill
TZ, I really miss Molly! And I wondered if anyone else would mention her. What an incredible spirit she had!
By Kris Merrill on 06/09/2009 7:54 am
LuckyLady n/a

I don’t wish to follow him any day soon but my all time favorite was Jack Smith of the L.A. Times.  He could make any day a great day just by reading him each morning.  There was nothing heavy or political about his columns—until he documented his own journey to death.  Otherwise they were columns documenting his day to day life, his two sons growing up, his dog Fleetwood Pugsley (an Airedale) eating most of the furniture in the house on Mount Washington and all of the electrical wiring underneath, his sons’ marriages, the Italian daughter-in-law (Oh, Meester Smees) and the French daughter-in-law (Oh, Meester Smees).  I have now missed Meester Smees and his columns for 7-8 years.  He was recently honored by our Huntington Library.  The exhibit was wonderful.

I realize that there was nothing in his columns which could change the world.  However a dose of Jack Smith in the mornings was all it took to bring happiness to many readers and most certainly to me. Jack, wish you were here.  We need you.

By LuckyLady n/a on 06/08/2009 10:00 am
EKA -

I wish I had more time in the day because the internet opens up the world and there are so many wonderful interesting people out there to read. I think consistently, my favorite columnist is Jonathan Alter, he seems to channel my thoughts and I always agree with him

I still get a local paper, such as it is, and more like a pamphlet these days, The Hartford Courant and love the sports writer, Jeff Jacobs, the humorist, Jim Shea, and Consumer watchdog George Gombacy.

I love the NYTimes online and my favorites are Gail Collins, Frank Rich,Tom Friedman, Nick Kristof, and when she isn’t too full of herself Maureen Dowd , because NO ONE can put a sentence together better than her. I also love the Technology writer David Pogue.

Fareed Zacharia in Newsweek is always smart and thought provoking and gives a real international perspective.

Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone keeps me in touch with my inner 60s revolutionary and reminds me to always question authority.

By EKA - on 06/08/2009 11:04 am
« first‹ previous1234next ›last »