Michael Jon Anderson

Anderson (BSJ74, MSJ75) is a member of the Medill Hall of Achievement.

He retired in 2005 from his post as an editor for The Book Review of The New York Times, where he had worked since 1988. He selected books for review, solicited reviewers, edited reviews and aided in production. He worked with writers John Updike, Edna O'Brien, John LeCarre and John Irving to name a few.

Before joining the Times, Anderson worked for The Los Angeles Herald-Examiner where his second assignment was coverage of what was at the time, the largest mass murder in American history when a man killed 22 people after seizing a McDonald's restaurant in San Diego. Anderson then moved to The Los Angeles Times where he worked on its electronic publishing prototype, the financial copy desk, the suburban copy desk and as suburban sports news editor.

Anderson received his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Medill in 1974 and his master’s degree from Medill the next year. He received his MSJ cum laude, was inducted into Kappa Tau Alpha and received the Harrington Award. He then worked for the Chicago Sun-Times, where he was a general assignment reporter, education writer, financial writer, and financial news editor. In 1982, Anderson joined the Medill faculty as an assistant professor, following a year of adjunct teaching.