Tribute: Wayne Barrett

The Leonard Lopate Show | Jan 20, 2017

Wayne Barrett was an old-fashioned muckracker, who relentlessly pursued the misdeeds of abusers of power in New York City over his four decades with the Village Voice. Among his targets were mayors, and our now-president, Donald Trump. He was acknowledged to be perhaps the first reporter to have probed Trump’s life, his business dealings, and even his potential national importance. His book, "Trump: The Deals and the Downfall" came out in 1992, and he lamented that, “Nobody took him seriously when the book came out, so nobody was interested in reading it.” It would be re-released in 2016 as "Trump: The Greatest Show on Earth." He died this week at the age of 71, but you can hear Leonard’s interview with him about his book in May of 1992.

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