politics
Veteran Washington Post Editor Dan Eggen Found Dead at 60 in Washington Home
Dan Eggen, a longtime editor at The Washington Post who contributed to multiple Pulitzer Prize-winning projects, was found dead at his home in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. No foul play is suspected, and an autopsy is pending to determine the cause of death. Eggen, recently laid off from the Post, was set to start a new role at NOTUS.
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D.C. on Tuesday. He was 60 years old at the time of his death. Local authorities stated that no foul play or violence were suspected. An autopsy was pending as of Wednesday morning to determine the cause of Eggen's death, according to The Washington Post.
Eggen helped steer the paper's reporting on the White House, Congress and presidential campaigns during his tenure. He was on a team that won a 2002 Pulitzer Prize for investigating the plotters behind 9/11. Eggen also worked on projects that won a 2016 Pulitzer Prize for reporting on Russian election interference.
In addition, he contributed to efforts that earned a 2022 Pulitzer Prize for exploring the 2021 attack on the US Capitol. Eggen began his career at The Washington Post as a metro reporter and covered the post-9/11 Justice Department before becoming an editor. Eggen was laid off from The Washington Post earlier this year.
At the time of his death, he was set to start a new job at NOTUS, a recently launched, DC-based outlet. Matt Murray, executive editor of The Washington Post, described Eggen as a sharp editor with a keen story sense. Murray stated that Eggen was involved in hiring, editing and mentoring dozens of politics writers across the years.
Murray added that Eggen's news muscle and instincts were integral to The Washington Post's coverage. Tim Grieve, editor in chief of NOTUS, wrote that they hired Eggen after some of the best reporters in DC told them he was the best editor they had ever had.
Grieve stated that NOTUS was excited to have Eggen and that he was equally excited to be coming there. Eggen is survived by two children from his ex-wife, journalist Stephanie Armour, and a sister, according to The Washington Post.
Josh Dawsey, a Wall Street Journal reporter who previously covered the White House for The Washington Post, recalled Eggen's relentless work ethic, noting he worked seven days a week, 14 hours a day, and was incredibly dedicated as a line editor who pushed reporters to improve.
