Phil Bronstein

Phil Bronstein (born October 4, 1950) is an American journalist and editor. He serves as executive chair of the board for the Center for Investigative Reporting in Berkeley, California. He is best known for his work as a war correspondent and investigative journalist. In 1986, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the fall of Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Later, he held leadership positions with the San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Chronicle, and Hearst Newspapers Corporation.

Early life

Bronstein was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on October 4, 1950. Eventually, he settled in California. Bronstein attended but did not graduate from the University of California, Davis. While at Davis, he got his first taste of journalism. He wrote movie reviews for the school paper.

In 1991, Bronstein was promoted to the executive editor position at the Examiner. He held that position until 2000. When an alligator escaped into a city lake in 1996, Bronstein arrived in scuba gear to assist with the capture, but police turned him away. Hearst already owned the Examiner and chose to merge the two newsrooms. Bronstein was editor after the merger, which occurred at the same time as a general decline in the newspaper industry, making the job even more difficult. Bronstein made staffing changes, created new features, and attempted to bring the Chronicle into the Internet age, all while preserving the Bay Area cultural viewpoint.

Bronstein left Hearst Newspapers and the Chronicle in March 2012. Upon leaving the Chronicle, his role at the Center expanded. They were unable to conceive children as Stone suffered from an autoimmune disease, resulting in several miscarriages. They adopted a baby son, Roan Joseph Bronstein in 2000. Bronstein separated from Stone and filed for divorce in 2003, while she was in recovery from a cerebrovascular event she suffered in 2001. They completed their divorce on January 29, 2004. In 2008, a judge gave Bronstein full custody of their son. Although he escaped, Bronstein needed to have several tendons in his foot reattached surgically.

In 2006, Bronstein married Christine Borders, the daughter of Borders Book Store co-founder Louis Borders. She is the founder of "A Band of Wives," a social network for women. The couple has two children.

He sold his Sea Cliff, San Francisco home in 2022.

Awards and recognition In 1986, Bronstein was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the overthrow of Ferdinand Marcos, long-standing dictator of the Philippines. Bronstein's work in the Philippines also earned him awards from the Associated Press, the Overseas Press Club, the World Affairs Council, and the Media Alliance.