I’m the author and host of love, journalism, a newsletter and show about the craft, the people and the industry we can’t quit.
My work cuts through the noise. It’s smart. It’s provocative and it’s focused on the crises and campaigns defining the modern era.
Most recently, I served as the White House, Congress & campaigns editor at USA TODAY, where I led coverage through one of the most volatile periods in modern political history. This followed my time as DC bureau chief for Insider and senior editor at The Messenger, where my teams held the most powerful figures in Washington accountable.
With two decades spent at Politico and E&E News, I was early to the climate and energy beats, tracking UN negotiations and federal policy long before they were mainstream headlines. I’ve done two tours at the White House and launched the ‘shenanigans’ beat during the 2016 campaign - a role that prepared me for almost anything.
My career started before the internet, and my curiosity hasn't slowed down since. I've reported on the mechanics of power — cybersecurity, presidential impeachments and the federal budget — and I've also explored the eclectic: the Tokyo Deadhead scene, the search for Sasquatch, survival tips for national parks, and for a notable stretch of the Trump era, the unofficial receipt of Rudy Giuliani's butt dials. My work has also caught the attention of Jon Stewart and Saturday Night Live.
Today I'm back doing what I love most — telling stories about journalism, the people who make it, and the complicated relationship so many of us have with this industry we can't quit. I'm the author and host of love, journalism and The love, journalism Show, relaunched in 2026 after a two-year break that only made the mission clearer.
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Original reporting
My work has appeared in USA TODAY, The Messenger, Insider, Politico, E&E News, The Olympian, the Columbia Missourian, The New York Times, Relix Magazine, AAA Magazine and Encyclopedia Britannica.
”It’s sometimes forgotten that before Pence rose to national prominence, he hosted a conservative radio talk show in Indiana.When I was an editor at Politico, during the 2016 campaign we sent a reporter, Darren Samuelsohn, to Indianapolis to dig up old episodes of the show in search of the ‘real Mike Pence.’
Over some late nights and with the help of plenty of caffeine, Samuelsohn plowed through hours of cassette recordings, listening for insights about what was clearly a formative experience for the future vice president. (For Gen Z readers: Cassettes are an ancient form of audio technology that preceded compact discs, MP3 files and Spotify.)” - Blake Hounshell, July 28, 2022, The New York Times
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Media appearances
I’ve made frequent appearances on MSNBC, CBS, NPR, C-SPAN, PBS, the BBC and CBC.
“Darren, I just want to take a second while you're here, just to compliment you on the clarity of your prose when you are covering this complicated stuff. It's good to have you here on the show, but I read everything you write. Your work at Politico, you and Josh [Gerstein] both, has been so so clarifying. Thanks for being here. Thanks for your work.” - Rachel Maddow, March 27, 2019
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Awards & citations
Society of Professional Journalists: Winner, Sunshine Award, for “Conflicted Congress,” 2022; Winner, Dateline Awards for both “The definitive oral history of how Trump took over the GOP” and a searchable database of Trump ex-staffers, 2021; Finalist, beat reporting, 2020.
New York Press Club: Winner, National Political Coverage, Internet, for “The definitive oral history of how Trump took over the GOP,” 2022.
The Drum Awards: Best Campaigning/Investigative Journalism, Highly Commended, for “Conflicted Congress,” 2022.
The 14th Annual Shorty Awards: Winner, Data Visualization, for “Conflicted Congress,” 2022.
Editor & Publishing Eppy Award: First Place, best news/political blog with 1 million or more unique visitors, 2021; Runner-up, best news/political blog, 2020 and 2022.
North American Agricultural Journalists: Winner, special projects, “The great FLOTUS food fight,” 2017.
National Press Club: Honorable Mention, analytical journalism, for a story about the risks involved in carbon capture and sequestration, 2007.
Missouri Press Association: First Place, sports writing, “Out of Bounds,” 1997.
Hearst Journalism Awards Program: First Place, sports writing, “Out of Bounds,” 1997.
Associated Press Sports Editors: First Place, under-10,000 circulation, “Out of Bounds,” 1997.
Chick Evans Scholarship: 1993-1997.