About - Jacqueline Cutler - JACQUELINE CUTLER

On assignment in Kenya,
Jacqueline Cutler and a Maasai woman

A veteran journalist, I’ve covered stories from New York City to the African savannah
and remain curious about pretty much everything.

Growing up in what was to become the poster for urban blight formed me. Though
scared of the gangs and the fires consuming The Bronx, experiencing that taught me to
observe and question – skills that serve me well. Initially, I trained to be a dancer,
studied ballet at Carnegie Hall and earned a scholarship in African dance. Illness forced
a change in plans, and so I attended NYU, where I double majored in classics and
journalism while working full-time in Broadway theater mailrooms.

At the Television Critic Association (TCA) presenting an award

While in school, I started working as a journalist, covering cops in Manhattan. Over the
years, I worked in the upper peninsula of Michigan, and in Chicago at the fabled City
News Bureau. One of my prouder moments was after an investigative series proving
malfeasance in government, Greenwich, Conn. officials tried to have me run out of
town. No one disputed a word of the stories.

In California, I worked for the late greats Bob and Nancy Maynard at The Oakland
Tribune. I did the final investigation the paper ran before changing owners. Along the
way, I picked up a bunch of journalism awards.

After my first child was born, I tried to take a break from newspapers. I consulted,
wrote op-ed pieces, edited books, coached other writers, taught journalism at a
college and kept writing.

On assignment with 'Doomsday Preppers,'
Jacqueline Cutler uses a longbow to slay a zombie

One place I freelanced, Tribune Media Services, became a full-time job for many years.
I covered life through the prism of TV, always looking for the offbeat angle. That job took
me to Africa, where I was the only US journalist invited, and I witnessed the great
migration of millions of beasts. It also took me to Romania, Scotland and Paris.

While covering television, I also had steady book review columns. I freelance for
publications (print and online, national and international), moderate panels, mentor
burgeoning journalists and serve as the president of the Television Critics Association.

Married to film critic Stephen Whitty, I live in a house with far too many books, two
rescue dogs, and a rescue turtle. I’m mom to two adults and gleefully sing Ethel
Merman if only someone would ask.