# David Sirota
**David Sirota** (David J. Sirota) is an American investigative journalist, columnist, author, speechwriter, and screenwriter. He is the founder and editor of The Lever, a reader-supported investigative news outlet; a Guardian US columnist; an editor at large at Jacobin; and the speechwriter for [Bernie Sanders](https://www.edgepedia.org/bernie-sanders)' 2020 presidential campaign.[1](https://www.davidsirota.com/biography) • [2](https://www.theguardian.com/profile/david-sirota) He was nominated for an Academy Award for helping [Adam McKay](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-mckay) create the story for the film *Don't Look Up*, and with McKay won the [Writers Guild of America](https://www.edgepedia.org/writers-guild-of-america)'s 2022 award for best original screenplay.[1](https://www.davidsirota.com/biography) He has published four books, of which the first two, *Hostile Takeover* (2006) and *The Uprising* (2008), were New York Times bestsellers.[1](https://www.davidsirota.com/biography)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current roles | Founder and editor of The Lever; Guardian US columnist; editor at large at Jacobin[1](https://www.davidsirota.com/biography) • [2](https://www.theguardian.com/profile/david-sirota) |
| Sanders campaign | Speechwriter (and senior adviser) on Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign[1](https://www.davidsirota.com/biography) • [3](https://jacobin.com/author/david-sirota) |
| Screenwriting | Academy Award nomination for *Don't Look Up* story work; WGA 2022 award for best original screenplay with Adam McKay[1](https://www.davidsirota.com/biography) |
| Books | *Hostile Takeover* (2006), *The Uprising* (2008), *Back to Our Future* (2011), *Master Plan* (2025)[1](https://www.davidsirota.com/biography) |
| Syndicated column | Weekly Creators Syndicate column, 2007–2015, in newspapers with combined daily circulation above 1.8 million[1](https://www.davidsirota.com/biography) |
| Audio work | *Master Plan* series won the 2025 National Press Club Award and a Signal Award; creator of Audible's *Meltdown*; hosts the weekly podcast *Lever Time*[1](https://www.davidsirota.com/biography) |
| Education | Journalism and political science degree, Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, 1998[1](https://www.davidsirota.com/biography) |
## Early life and education
Sirota grew up outside Philadelphia and received a degree in journalism and political science from [Northwestern University](https://www.edgepedia.org/northwestern-university)'s Medill School of Journalism, graduating in 1998.[1](https://www.davidsirota.com/biography) He lives in Denver, Colorado; his wife Emily Sirota was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in 2018.[1](https://www.davidsirota.com/biography)
## Political work before journalism
Before becoming a journalist in 2006, Sirota worked as a political strategist. He was press secretary for Vermont Congressman Bernie Sanders, a senior campaign aide to Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, the state's first Democratic governor in 16 years, and an adviser to [Ned Lamont](https://www.edgepedia.org/ned-lamont)'s 2006 Senate primary campaign.[1](https://www.davidsirota.com/biography) The Library of Congress authority record for his name describes him from this period as a political operative and campaign strategist, co-chair of the Progressive Legislative Action Network (PLAN), and senior editor at *In These Times*, contributing to *The Nation* and *The American Prospect*.[4](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2006044746.html) Penguin Random House's author catalog adds that he was a senior fellow at the Campaign for America's Future and the founder of the Progressive States Network.[5](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/67466/david-sirota/)
## Journalism career
**Syndicated column.** From 2007 until 2015, Sirota wrote a weekly newspaper column nationally syndicated by Creators Syndicate, running in newspapers with a combined daily circulation of more than 1.8 million readers.[1](https://www.davidsirota.com/biography) [Penguin Random House](https://www.edgepedia.org/penguin-random-house) lists the *Denver Post*, *San Francisco Chronicle*, and *Seattle Times* among the papers that carried it weekly.[5](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/67466/david-sirota/) [Harper's Magazine](https://www.edgepedia.org/harpers-magazine) has described him as a Denver-based syndicated newspaper columnist and radio host.[6](https://harpers.org/author/daviddavidjsirota/)
**Investigative reporting.** Before launching The Lever, Sirota was Senior Editor for Investigations at IBT/Newsweek and an investigative reporter for Capital & Main.[1](https://www.davidsirota.com/biography) The New York Times credited his [Wall Street](https://www.edgepedia.org/wall-street) reporting for showing "that secrecy can hide high fees, low returns, excess risk and the identity of politically connected dealmakers."[1](https://www.davidsirota.com/biography)
**Current outlets.** Sirota is a Guardian US columnist and an editor at large at Jacobin, where his author page lists 356 articles and describes him as editing The Lever.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/profile/david-sirota) • [3](https://jacobin.com/author/david-sirota)
## Books
Sirota has published four books.[1](https://www.davidsirota.com/biography)
- ***Hostile Takeover*** (Crown, 2006), a New York Times bestseller, argues that corporate interests undermined democracy on issues including health care costs, job outsourcing, tax inequities, and energy prices, presenting high-profile scandals as products of a political system the book describes as owned by big-money interests.[1](https://www.davidsirota.com/biography) • [7](https://www.davidsirota.com/books)
- ***The Uprising*** (Crown, 2008), also a New York Times bestseller, investigates what it calls a new populism, reporting from the headquarters of what the book calls the most powerful third party in America, an [ExxonMobil](https://www.edgepedia.org/exxonmobil) shareholder meeting, and a vigilante staging area on the Mexican border.[1](https://www.davidsirota.com/biography) • [7](https://www.davidsirota.com/books)
- ***Back to Our Future*** (Ballantine, 2011), subtitled by Harper's as *How the 1980s Explain the World We Live in*, examines the 1980s; in 2013 it became the basis for the National Geographic Channel miniseries *The '80s: The Decade that Made Us*.[1](https://www.davidsirota.com/biography) • [6](https://harpers.org/author/daviddavidjsirota/)
- ***Master Plan*** (Lever Books, 2025), co-authored with producer Jared Jacang Maher from The Lever's podcast series, traces what it presents as a 50-year effort to influence America's political system, from a memo written by future Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell to Citizens United and dark-money super PACs.[1](https://www.davidsirota.com/biography) • [7](https://www.davidsirota.com/books)
## The Lever
The Lever originated as The Daily Poster, a reader-supported investigative journalism project covering politics, business, and corporate power, led by Sirota as founder and editor in chief.[8](https://www.levernews.com/about-old/) The outlet's stated rationale is that reader-supported independence allows it to do "the kind of hard-hitting reporting that corporate-funded media often avoids."[8](https://www.levernews.com/about-old/) Sirota also hosts the weekly podcast *Lever Time*.[1](https://www.davidsirota.com/biography)
## Screenwriting: Don't Look Up
Sirota was nominated for an Academy Award for his work helping Adam McKay create the story for *Don't Look Up*, which his biography describes as one of Netflix's most widely viewed movies. McKay and Sirota won the Writers Guild of America's 2022 award for best original screenplay.[1](https://www.davidsirota.com/biography) WNYC, in a November 12, 2024 appearance, introduced him as co-creator of the film alongside his other roles.[9](https://www.wnyc.org/people/david-sirota/)
## Audio work and recognition since 2023
Sirota's audio series *Master Plan*, whose first season won the 2025 National Press Club Award and a Signal Award, became the basis for the 2025 book of the same name.[1](https://www.davidsirota.com/biography) He created Audible's financial crisis podcast series *Meltdown*, which [The Atlantic](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-atlantic) and Uproxx named among the year's best podcasts.[1](https://www.davidsirota.com/biography)
## Political views and style
Sirota's own books and outlet state the themes his journalism returns to. *Hostile Takeover* frames corporate interests as the force behind failures on health care costs, job outsourcing, tax inequities, and energy prices.[7](https://www.davidsirota.com/books) *The Uprising* reports on populist movements from the ground, treating them as vehicles for political change.[7](https://www.davidsirota.com/books) The Lever's mission statement frames corporate-funded media as an obstacle to hard-hitting reporting, positioning reader support as the alternative.[8](https://www.levernews.com/about-old/)
## References
1. [Biography: David Sirota (official site)](https://www.davidsirota.com/biography)
2. [David Sirota | The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/profile/david-sirota)
3. [David Sirota: Jacobin author page](https://jacobin.com/author/david-sirota)
4. [Sirota, David (David J.): Library of Congress authority record](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2006044746.html)
5. [David Sirota | Penguin Random House](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/67466/david-sirota/)
6. [David (David J.) Sirota, Author at Harper's Magazine](https://harpers.org/author/daviddavidjsirota/)
7. [Books: David Sirota (official site)](https://www.davidsirota.com/books)
8. [About The Daily Poster: The Lever](https://www.levernews.com/about-old/)
9. [People: David Sirota | WNYC](https://www.wnyc.org/people/david-sirota/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Broadcasting and journalism › Periodicals and publishing › Journalism › Journalists (biographies and roles) › Columnists and opinion journalists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license