A City Hall Reporter Reveals Where the Scoops Come From

Sally Goldenberg, who covers New York City politics for The New York Times, says her approach to reporting is simple: "I'm trying to figure out who has power, who's trying to get power, how they're using power, who's paying for what, who's trying to hide a money trail."

Goldenberg joined The Times in January to cover Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration after more than two decades in political journalism, much of it in New York. She started her career covering school boards at a weekly newspaper in New Jersey — a path she says taught her the same principles she applies today at the largest paper in the country.

In her first four months at The Times, she has broken stories about wealthy political figures plotting a comeback against Mamdani and the mayor's decision to walk away from a campaign promise to expand a tenant assistance program. Her previous work includes exposing neglect of public housing under Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo's withholding of vaccines from New York City during the pandemic.

Goldenberg says her source network, built over 20-plus years, is the foundation of her reporting. "I just remember thinking that it seemed like very important work to chronicle what was happening around you," she said of her early career, recalling coverage of a tragic nightclub stampede in her hometown.

**What This Means For You:** Good local journalism still depends on relationships built over decades, not algorithms. Goldenberg's approach — following the money and the power — is a reminder that the stories that matter most often come from reporters who stick around long enough to know where the bodies are buried. Support local news, or watch it disappear.