Jane Mayer: Difference between revisions

| name = Jane Mayer

| image = Jane mayer 2008.jpg

| caption = Mayer at thein 2008 [[Texas Book Festival]]

| birth_name = Jane Meredith Mayer

| birth_place = [[New York City, New York]], U.S.<ref name=NewYorkerBio>{{cite web|url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/bios/jane_mayer/search?contributorName=jane%20mayer |title=Jane Mayer, Contributor, The New Yorker |publisherwork=Newyorker.comNew Yorker |access-date=2017-09-26}}</ref>

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1955}}

| death_date = =

| death_place = =

| occupation = Journalist, author

| spouse = {{marriage|William B. Hamilton|1992}}

| children = Katherine Hamilton1

| alma_mater = [[Yale University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|B.A.BA]])

| parents = Meredith Nevins Meyer<br> [[William Mayer (composer)|William Mayer]]

| family = [[Allan Nevins]] (grandfather)

'''Jane Meredith Mayer'''<ref name="The New York Times">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/27/style/weddings-jane-m-mayer-william-hamilton.html|title=WEDDINGS; Jane M. Mayer, William Hamilton|website=The New York Times|date=September 27, 1992|access-date=February 20, 2012}}</ref> (born 1955)<ref>"Jane Mayer." ''The Writers Directory''. Detroit: St. James Press, 2011. Gale Biography In Context, June 10, 2011.</ref><ref>Jane Mayer profile at ''Contemporary Authors Online''. Detroit: Gale (2011).</ref> is an American [[investigative journalism|investigative journalist]] who has been a staff writer for ''[[The New Yorker]]'' since 1995.<ref name=NewYorkerBio /> She has written for the publication about money in politics; government prosecution of [[whistleblower]]s; the United States [[Predator drone]] program; Donald Trump's ghostwriter, [[Tony Schwartz (author)|Tony Schwartz]];<ref>{{cite webmagazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/07/25/donald-trumps-ghostwriter-tells-all|title=Donald Trump's Ghostwriter Tells All|first=Jane|last=Mayer|magazine=The New Yorker |date=18 July 2016|access-date=26 September 2017|via=www.newyorker.com}}</ref> and Trump's financial backer, [[Robert Mercer (businessman)|Robert Mercer]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/27/the-reclusive-hedge-fund-tycoon-behind-the-trump-presidency |title=The Reclusive Hedge-Fund Tycoon Behind the Trump Presidency |magazine=The New Yorker |access-date=2017-09-26}}</ref> In 2016, Mayer's book ''[[Dark Money (book)|Dark Money]]''—in which she investigated the history of the right-wingconservative billionaire network centered on thefundraising [[Koch brothers]]—was published to critical acclaim.<ref name=NYT />

Mayer was born in [[New York City]].<ref name=NewYorkerBio /> Her mother, Meredith (née Nevins), is a painter, print-maker and former president of the Manhattan Graphics Center. Her father, [[William Mayer (composer)|William Mayer]], was a composer.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EWERAQAAMAAJ&q=MAYER+NEVINS |title=Current Biography Yearbook, 2008|author=Maxine Block, Anna Herthe Rothe, Marjorie Dent Candee, Charles Moritz |date=September 15, 2017 |website=[[Books.Google.com]] |publisher=H. W. Wilson Co. }}</ref> Her paternal great-great-grandfather was [[Emanuel Lehman]], one of the founders of [[Lehman Brothers]]. Her maternal grandparents were Mary Fleming (Richardson) and [[Allan Nevins]], a historian and [[John D. Rockefeller, Jr.]]'s authorized biographer.<ref name="The New York Times"/><ref>[https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/the-ludlow-massacre-still-matters The Ludlow Massacre still matters], ''[[The New Yorker]]'', Ben Mauk, April 18, 2014. Retrieved December 26, 2017.</ref>

Mayer attended two private non-denominational secondary schools: [[Ethical Culture Fieldston School|Fieldston]], in the northwest area of the [[Bronx]] borough of New York City; and—as an exchange student in 1972-1973—[[Bedales]], a boarding school in the village of [[Steep, Hampshire]], England.

A 1977 ''[[magna cum laude]]'' graduate of [[Yale University]], she was elected to [[Phi Beta Kappa Society|Phi Beta Kappa]] and served as senior editor of the ''[[Yale Daily News]]'' and as campus [[Stringer (journalism)|stringer]] for ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine. She continued her studies at [[Oxford University]].<ref name=NewYorkerBio />

Mayer began her career as a journalist in [[Vermont]] writing for two small weekly papers, ''The Weathersfield Weekly'' and ''The Black River Tribune'', before moving to the daily ''[[Rutland Herald]]''. She worked as a metropolitan reporter for the now-defunct ''[[Washington Star]]'', and in 1982 joined ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', where she worked for 12 years. She was the first woman at the ''WSJ'' to be named [[White House]] [[White House press corps|correspondent]], and subsequently, senior writer and front page editor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.texasbookfestival.org/Author_Page.php?aid=397|title=2017 Author Page - Texas Book Festival|access-date=26 September 2017|archive-date=18 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218192059/http://www.texasbookfestival.org/Author_Page.php?aid=397|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Mayer has co-authored two books: ''Strange Justice: The Selling of Clarence Thomas'' (1994)<ref>''Strange Justice'' was excerpted in ''The Wall Street Journal'', was the subject of an hour-long edition of [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''Turning Point'', and subsequent appearances on [[Ted Koppel]]'s ''Nightline'' and [[Larry King]] Live.[https://www.commentarymagazine.com/articles/strange-justice-by-jane-mayer-and-jill-abramson/]</ref> (co-authored with [[Jill Abramson]]), a study of the nomination and appointment of [[Clarence Thomas]] to the [[U.S. Supreme Court]]; and ''Landslide: The Unmaking of the President, 1984–1988'' (1989; co-authored with [[Doyle McManus]]), an account of [[Ronald Reagan]]'s second term in the [[White House]]. ''Strange Justice'' was adapted as a 1999 [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] [[television movie]] of the same name, starring [[Delroy Lindo]], [[Mandy Patinkin]], and [[Regina Taylor]]. ''Strange Justice'' was a finalist for the 1994 [[National Book Award for Nonfiction]],<ref>{{Cite news|last=Barron|first=James|title=Study of Death Wins a National Book Award|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=November 17, 1994|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940CE7DF1331F934A25752C1A962958260}}</ref> and both books were finalists for the [[National Book Critics Circle Award]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bookcritics.org/awards/past_awards/page_2|title=National Book Critics Circle: awards|website=bookcritics.org|access-date=14 April 2018|archive-date=23 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180223040500/http://bookcritics.org/awards/past_awards/page_2/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[http://opa.yale.edu/news/article.aspx?id=2511 "Yale Journalism Initiative to Offer Seminar with New York Times Managing Editor"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100725190012/http://opa.yale.edu/news/article.aspx?id=2511 |date=2010-07-25 }}, Yale University Office of Public Affairs, October 24, 2006.</ref>

In an ''[[Elle (magazine)|Elle]]'' magazine interview, Mayer said about her next article, “I’m"I'm focusing broadly on stories about abuses of power, threats to democracy, and corruption.”"<ref>{{cite web |last1=Langmuir |first1=Molly |title=What's Next For New Yorker Reporter Jane Mayer? |url=https://www.elle.com/culture/a26537529/jane-mayer-new-yorker-interview-kavanaugh/ |website=Elle.com |date=27 February 2019 |access-date= 8 April 2019}}</ref>

Mayer's third nonfiction book, ''[[The Dark Side (book)|The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals]]'' (2008), addresses the origins, legal justifications, and possible war crimes liability of the use of [[enhanced interrogation techniques]] (commonly considered torture) on detainees and the subsequent deaths of detainees, sometimes victims of mistaken identity, under such interrogation by the [[CIA]] and [[United States Department of Defense|DOD]]. The roles of [[Dick Cheney]] and attorneys [[David Addington]] and [[John Yoo]] in providing cover for the grisly procedures were prominent. The book was a finalist for the [[National Book Awards]].<ref>[[National Book Foundation]], [http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2008_nf_mayer.html 2008 National Book Award Finalist, Nonfiction] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131229052828/http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2008_nf_mayer.html |date=2013-12-29 }}</ref>

Military and diplomatic historian, Colonel [[Andrew J. Bacevich]], reviewing the book in ''The Washington Post'', wrote: "[Mayer's] achievement lies less in bringing new revelations to light than in weaving into a comprehensive narrative a story revealed elsewhere in bits and pieces."<ref>[[Andrew J. Bacevich]], [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/10/AR2008071002373.html?tid=informbox Collateral Damage], ''[[The Washington Post]]'', July 10, 2008; accessed July 13, 2008.</ref> ''Washington Post'' reporter [[Joby Warrick]] reported that Mayer's book revealed that a [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) analyst warned the [[Presidency of George W. Bush|Bush administration]] that "up to a third of the detainees at [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp|Guantanamo Bay]] may have been imprisoned by mistake." The administration ignored the warning and insisted that all were [[enemy combatants]].<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/11/AR2008071102954.html?hpid=moreheadlines Joby Warrick, "A Blind Eye to Guantanamo?"], ''[[The Washington Post]]'', July 11, 2008; accessed July 12, 2008.</ref>

In a story appearing the same day in ''The New York Times'', reporter [[Scott Shane]] reported Mayer's book as disclosing [[International Committee of the Red Cross]] officials had concluded in a secret report in 2007: "the Central Intelligence Agency's interrogation methods for high-level Qaeda prisoners constituted torture and could make the Bush administration officials who approved them guilty of war crimes."<ref>Scott Shane, [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/washington/11detain.html Book Cites Secret Red Cross Report of C.I.A. Torture of Qaeda Captives], ''The New York Times'' (July 11, 2008).</ref> Mayer said of her book: "I see myself more as a reporter than as an advocate."<ref>[http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/27289 "Writer Talks Torture"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130093009/http://yaledailynews.com/articles/view/27289 |date=2009-01-30 }}, ''The Yale Daily News'', January 27, 2009; accessed August 30, 2013.</ref>

Mayer covered the [[Obama administration]]'s prosecution of whistleblowers with an article about former [[National Security Agency]] (NSA) official [[Thomas Andrews Drake|Thomas Drake]]. DespiteMayer wrote that despite Obama's campaign promises of transparency, Mayer wrote, his administration "has pursued leak prosecutions with a surprising relentlessness."<ref>[http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/05/23/110523fa_fact_mayer Jane Mayer, "The Secret Sharer"], "''The New Yorker"'', May 23, 2011.</ref> She won the [[Polk Award]] for the article, and the judges said her article helped expose "prosecutorial excess" and "helped lead to all major charges against Drake being dropped."<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/20/nyregion/anthony-shadid-times-correspondent-posthumously-honored.html?_r=3 James Barron, "Posthumous Polk Award for Times Correspondent"], ''The New York Times'', February 19, 2012.</ref>

For many years, Mayer has written about money in politics for many years, covering and criticizing both liberals and conservatives. In 1997, she wrote an article about "dubious [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] fundraising tactics leading to the 1996 election." The article described how the Clinton campaign "marketed the prestige and glamour of the Presidency as never before."<ref>Jane Mayer.[http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1997/02/03/1997_02_03_032_TNY_CARDS_000377145 "Inside the Money Machine"], "The New Yorker", February 3, 1997.</ref>

In 2011, Mayer reported on retail sales millionaire [[Art Pope]]'s dominant spending in [[North Carolina]] politics. It documented his extraordinarily successful efforts as a [[Koch brothers]] ally, who held seats on the boards of their [[Americans for Prosperity]] and [[Citizens for a Sound Economy]] organizations, to target both Democrats and moderate Republican state legislators. and itIt predicted the redistricting-generated loss of Democratic congressional delegation seats.<ref>[http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/10/10/111010fa_fact_mayer Jane Mayer, "State for Sale"], ''[[The New Yorker]]'', October 10, 2011.</ref> Her article won a Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting, and the judges called it "the kind of journalism that strengthens democracy and shows the value of a free press."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://newhouse.syr.edu/Newsroom/read_news.cfm?id=733|title=Newsroom - Newhouse School - Syracuse University|website=Newhouse School|access-date=26 September 2017}}</ref> [[Mark Bauerlein]], writing in the ''Chronicle of Higher Education'', was critical of the piece, saying the article was "a tendentious, poorly-researched, and weakly argued bit of journalism" and that "Pope never gets a fair shake."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://chronicle.com/blogs/brainstorm/jame-mayers-poor-journalism/40106|author=Mark Bauerlein|author-link=Mark Bauerlein|title=Jane Mayer's Poor Journalism|newspaper=[[Chronicle of Higher Education]]|date=October 9, 2011|access-date=December 29, 2012}}</ref> In response to criticism, Mayer supplemented her article with a blog entry pointing out that, despite Pope's claims that he was "not an heir", his "political career was launched" by more than $300,000 from his parents.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2011/10/art-pope-heir.html|author=Jane Mayer|title=Art Pope and Individualism|magazine=The New Yorker|date=October 10, 2011|access-date=February 20, 2012}}</ref>

In 2012, Mayer wrote an article about President Obama's efforts to raise money from liberal billionaires, and the decision of his campaign's decision to flip-flop and encourage fundraising from [[super PAC]]s.<ref>Jane Mayer, [http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/08/27/120827fa_fact_mayer?currentPage=all Schmooze or Lose], ''New Yorker'', August 27, 2012.</ref>

Following the 2016 election cycle, Mayer covered the exertion of the considerable influence of former Democratic strategist and pollster [[Patrick Caddell]], in his capacity as advisor to reclusive contributor [[Robert Mercer (businessman)|Robert Mercer]] for ''The New Yorker''. Hedge fund director Mercer, joined in his efforts by his daughter [[Rebekah Mercer (donor)|Rebekah]], has been an increasingly important source of substantial funding for right -wing campaigns, including the successful candidacy of [[Donald Trump]].<ref>[http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/27/the-reclusive-hedge-fund-tycoon-behind-the-trump-presidency The Reclusive hedge-fund tycoon behind the Trump presidency], ''[[The New Yorker]]'', Jane Mayer, March 27, 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2017.</ref>

In 2016, Doubleday published Mayer's fourth book, ''[[Dark Money (book)|Dark Money]]'', which became an instant national best-seller. ''The New York Times'' named it one of the year's ten best books of the year.<ref name=NYT>{{cite webnews|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/books/review/best-books.html|title=The 10 Best Books of 2016|work=The New York Times |date=1 December 2016|access-date=26 September 2017|via=www.nytimes.com}}</ref> ''[[The New York Review of Books]]'' described it as "absolutely necessary reading for anyone who wants to make sense of our politics",<ref>{{cite webmagazine|url=http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2016/03/10/koch-brothers-new-brand/|title=The Koch Brothers' New Brand|first=Bill|last=McKibben|date=10 March 2016|access-date=26 September 2017|via=www.nybooks.com}}</ref> and ''[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]'' called Mayer "quite simply one of the very few, utterly invaluable journalists this country has".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a41594/jane-mayer-dark-money/|title=Why It's Very Dangerous to Be an Investigative Journalist in America|date=28 January 2016|access-date=26 September 2017}}</ref> In interviews about her book, Mayer said approximately six investigators, led by former New York Police Commissioner Howard Safir, had been hired by the industrialist [[Koch family|Koch brothers]] in an effort to try to dig up dirt in order to smear her reputation, as well as accusations of plagiarism being leveled against her.<ref>{{Citation |title=Jane Mayer, "Dark Money" |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wULHP8oXxxg |language=en |access-date=2022-11-14}}</ref> She responded by publicly airing those tactics of intimidation tactics, effectively debunking the smear campaign.<ref name="MotherJones_2016">{{citation |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/01/koch-brothers-jane-mayer-dark-money |title=How the Kochtopus Went After a Reporter |work=[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]] |last=David |first=Corn |date=21 January 2016 |access-date=25 January 2016}}</ref><ref name="NYT_jan_2016">{{cite webnews | url=http://nyti.ms/23s8yR5 | title=What Happened to Jane Mayer When She Wrote About the Koch Brothers | website=The New York Times | date=26 January 2016 | access-date=30 January 2016 | author=Dwyer, Jim| work=The New York Times }}</ref> ''Dark Money'' won the 2017 Helen Bernstein Award, and was a finalist for the PEN [[Jean Stein]] Prize, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize.

On May 7, 2018, within hours of publication of an article Mayer co-wrote with [[Ronan Farrow]] in ''[[The New Yorker]]'', New York State Attorney General [[Eric Schneiderman]], resigned, effective May 8, 2018. During his term in office, he had been accused of physical abuse by at least four women with whom he had been romantically involved, and also of habitually abusing alcohol and prescription drugs.<ref name="New Yorker May 7, 2018 ">{{cite news |title=Four Women Accuse New York's of Physical Abuse |last1=Mayer |first1=Jane |last2=Farrow |first2=Ronan |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/four-women-accuse-new-yorks-attorney-general-of-physical-abuse |work=New Yorker |date=May 7, 2018|access-date=May 9, 2018}}</ref><ref name="New York Times">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/07/nyregion/new-york-attorney-general-eric-schneiderman-abuse.html |title=Eric Schneiderman, New York's Attorney General, Resigns Amid Assault Accusations |last1=Hakim |first1=Danny |date=May 7, 2018 |work=The New York Times |last2=Wang |first2=Vivian |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331|access-date=May 9, 2018}}</ref> Mayer and Farrow had reported that they had confirmed the women's allegations both with photographs of contusions, as well as with statements from friends with whom the alleged victims had confided subsequent to the claimed assaults.<ref name="New Yorker May 7, 2018 " /> Though he denied the allegations, Schneiderman stated he resigned because they "effectively prevent me from leading the office’soffice's work".<ref>{{cite web|title=Statement By Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman {{!}} New York State Attorney General|url=https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/statement-attorney-general-eric-t-schneiderman|website=ag.ny.gov|access-date=May 9, 2018|language=en|date=May 7, 2018|archive-date=May 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180508020031/https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/statement-attorney-general-eric-t-schneiderman|url-status=dead}}</ref> Governor [[Andrew Cuomo]] assigned a special prosecutor to investigate the filing of possible criminal charges against Schneiderman.<ref name="The New York Times 9 May 2018">{{cite news|title=New York Today: The Latest on Eric Schneiderman|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/09/nyregion/new-york-today-latest-on-eric-schneiderman.html|access-date=May 9, 2018|work=The New York Times|date=May 9, 2018}}</ref>

Mayer has appeared as a guest on the ''[[Charlie Rose Show]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.charlierose.com/guest/view/4927|title=Guests: Jane Mayer, Charlie Rose, charlierose.com|access-date=26 September 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090513122034/http://www.charlierose.com/guest/view/4927|archive-date=13 May 2009}}</ref> as well as on the ''[[Late Show with David Letterman]]''.<ref>{{YouTube|oC4Kw4wq1uQ|Jane Mayer, Guest, David Letterman show}}</ref> She was also a guest on the ''[[Bill Moyers Journal]]'' show on [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] in 2008,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07252008/profile.html|title=Bill Moyers Journal . Jane Mayer on Torture - PBS|website=www.pbs.org|access-date=26 September 2017}}</ref> and appeared as a guest on [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] ''[[Tavis Smiley]] show'' on August 7, 2008, to discuss her book ''The Dark Side'', which had just made [[The New York Times Best Seller list|''The New York Times'' Best Seller list]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200808/20080807_mayer.html|title=Jane Mayer, Tavis Smiley Show|website=[[PBS]] |access-date=26 September 2017}}</ref> She appeared as a guest on [[Comedy Central]]'s ''[[List of The Colbert Report episodes (2008)|The Colbert Report]]'' on August 12, 2008.

Mayer has appeared frequently on [[Free Speech TV]]'s ''[[Democracy Now!]]'' program.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.democracynow.org/1996/4/30/whitewater|title=Whitewater|website=[[Democracy Now!]] |date=1996-04-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.democracynow.org/1997/6/9/geronimo_pratt|title=Geronimo Pratt|website=[[Democracy Now!]] |date=1997-06-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.democracynow.org/2005/2/17/outsourcing_torture_the_secret_history_of|title=Outsourcing Torture: The Secret History of America's 'Extraordinary Rendition'|website=[[Democracy Now!]] |date=2005-02-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.democracynow.org/2007/8/8/the_black_sites_a_rare_look|title=The Black Sites: A Rare Look Inside the C.I.A.'s Secret Interrogation Program|website=[[Democracy Now!]] |date=2007-08-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.democracynow.org/2009/5/20/torture|title=New Yorker Correspondent Jane Mayer and British Attorney Philippe Sands on Bush Administration Torture and How Obama Should Address It|website=[[Democracy Now!]] |date=2009-05-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.democracynow.org/2016/1/20/dark_money_jane_mayer_on_how|title=Dark Money: Jane Mayer on How the Koch Bros. & Billionaire Allies Funded the Rise of the Far Right|website=[[Democracy Now!]] |date=2016-01-20}}</ref> On February 17, 2016, she was interviewed by [[American University]] journalism professor [[Charles Lewis (journalist)|Charles Lewis]], the founder of the [[Center for Public Integrity]], at a public discussion of her career and ''[[Dark Money (book)|Dark Money]]'' that was broadcast on [[C-SpanSPAN]].<ref>[http://www.c-span.org/video/?404805-1/book-discussion-dark-money Book Discussion - Dark Money], ''[[C-spanSPAN]]'', February 17, 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2016.</ref>

Mayer was awarded the 2008 [[John Chancellor]] Award for Excellence in Journalism for her investigative report leading to her book ''The Dark Side''. The Award, presented annually by the [[Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism]], is given to reporters for "distinguished cumulative accomplishments." In presenting the award, [[Nicholas Lemann]], dean of the journalism school and one of the nine members of the award committee, noted that Mayer and her fellow winner, [[Andrew C. Revkin]] (science reporter for ''The New York Times'') "set the gold standard for journalists, and we have benefited tremendously from their dedication and hard work."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.journalism.columbia.edu/cs/BlobServer?blobheadervalue0=inline%3B+filename%3D2008+Chancellor+Press+Release.pdf&blobcol=urldata&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobheadername0=Content-Disposition&blobkey=id&blobwhere=1212766837420&blobheader=application%2Fpdf|title=John Chancellor Awards for Excellence in Journalism, The Journalism School, Columbia University|access-date=26 September 2017}}</ref> She also has won the [[The Ridenhour Prizes|Ridenhour Book Prize]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ridenhour.org/recipients_02g.shtml|date=April 16, 2009|title=The Ridenhour Prizes - Fostering the spirit of courage and truth|access-date=2009-09-12|archive-date=2009-04-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418084120/http://www.ridenhour.org/recipients_02g.shtml|url-status=dead}} (see also video at this site)</ref> and the [[New York Public Library]]'s [[Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.democracynow.org/2009/5/20/torture|title=New Yorker Correspondent Jane Mayer and British Attorney Philippe Sands on Bush Administration Torture and How Obama Should Address It|access-date=2009-09-12|date=May 20, 2009|work=[[Democracy Now!]]}} (see also video at this site)</ref>

In [[List of Guggenheim Fellowships awarded in 2008|2008]], Mayer was awarded a [[Guggenheim Fellowship]] in connection with her work on her third book, ''The Dark Side''.<ref>[[Random House]], [http://www.randomhouse.com/author/results.pperl?authorid=19544 Jane Mayer, Author Spotlight, Random House, Inc.]</ref><ref>[[John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation]], [http://www.gf.org/fellows/9604-jane-mayer Jane Mayer, 2008 General Nonfiction] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603234334/http://www.gf.org/fellows/9604-jane-mayer |date=2011-06-03 }}</ref> In 2009, Mayer was awarded the [[The Hillman Prize|Hillman Prize]], the [[Shorenstein Center]]'s [[Goldsmith Book Prize]] for trade book of the year, and the [[J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize]] for ''The Dark Side''.<ref name=Lukas>{{cite web|title=J. Anthony Lukas Prize Project winners|url=http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/NiemanFoundation/Awards/AwardsAtAGlance/JAnthonyLukasPrizeProject/Winners.aspx|publisher=Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard|access-date=16 March 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Hillman Prize Previous Honorees|url=http://www.hillmanfoundation.org/honorees/2009|publisher=The Sidney Hillman Foundation|year=2009|access-date=August 29, 2010|archive-date=July 22, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722023145/http://www.hillmanfoundation.org/honorees/2009|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[https://shorensteincenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/2009_goldsmith_awards.pdf 2009 Goldsmith Awards], ''[[Shorenstein Center]]''. Retrieved 25 March 2017.</ref>

She received the Edward Weinthal Award from Georgetown University, in 2009, and the James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism in 2010.

Mayer was awarded the [[George Polk Award|George Polk Award for Magazine Reporting]] in 2011 for her investigative reporting on the relentless [[United States Department of Justice]] prosecution of NSA whistleblower [[Thomas Andrews Drake]]. Mayer's article in ''The New Yorker''<ref>{{cite webmagazine|url=http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/05/23/110523fa_fact_mayer|title=The Secret Sharer|last=Mayer|first=Jane|workmagazine=The New Yorker|date=May 23, 2011|access-date=March 14, 2013}}</ref> told the story of how Drake faced up to 35 years in federal prison for communicating non-classified information about an NSA surveillance program known as "Trailblazer" to [[Baltimore Sun]] reporter Siobahn Gorman, who wrote a prize-winning article about it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.nsa18may18,1,5386811.story?ctrack=1&cset=true |title=NSA rejected system that sifted phone data legally - Dropping of privacy safeguards after 9/11, turf battles blamed |last=Gorman |first=Siobhan |work=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |date=May 16, 2006 |access-date=March 14, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927193047/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.nsa18may18%2C1%2C5386811.story?ctrack=1&cset=true |archive-date=September 27, 2007 }}</ref> Drake had been arrested after an investigation meant to identify the source for the Pulitzer Prize-winning 2005 ''New York Times'' report on [[NSA warrantless surveillance controversy|warrantless wiretapping]],.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/07/thomas-drake|title=NSA Executive Leaked After Official Reporting Process Failed Him|last=Zetter|first=Kim|work=[[Wired Magazine]]|date=July 14, 2010|access-date=March 14, 2013}}</ref> Neither Drake nor any other NSA employee had actually been the story's source.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/us/16nsa.html?_r=0&pagewanted=all|title=Officials Say U.S. Wiretaps Exceeded Law|author1=James Risen|author2=Eric Lichtblau|work=The New York Times|date=April 15, 2009|access-date=March 14, 2013}}</ref> After Mayer's story was published, the prosecution dismissed all 10 felony charges against Drake.<ref>[http://www.jdsupra.com/post/documentViewer.aspx?fid=0f053ecd-c945-4b40-9dec-8ae60275b006 "United States v Thomas A Drake. Criminal Indictment of Thomas A Drake"], filed April 14, 2010, US District Court, District of Maryland, Northern Division. This is a PDF of the criminal indictment itself, provided via jdsupra.com, in an upload from Justia.com' retrieved March 14, 2013</ref> He pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of violating rules regarding the retention of classified materials.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/56665.html|title=Ex-NSA official takes plea deal|last=Gerstein|first=Josh|website=[[Politico]] |date=June 9, 2011|access-date=September 23, 2013}}</ref>

In 2020, Mayer was awarded the [[Mirror Awards|Mirror Award]] for the ''Best Single Article/Story'' for her ''New Yorker'' article on detailing relationthe relationship between [[Fox News]] and the White house.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Loughlin |first1=Wendy S. |title=Newhouse School Announces Winners in the 2020 Mirror Awards Competition |url=https://news.syr.edu/blog/2020/06/12/newhouse-school-announces-winners-in-the-2020-mirror-awards-competition/ |access-date=15 July 2020 |work=SU News |date=June 12, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite newsmagazine |last1=Mayer |first1=Jane |title=The Making of the Fox News White House |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/03/11/the-making-of-the-fox-news-white-house |access-date=15 July 2020 |workmagazine=The New Yorker |date=March 4, 2019 |language=en-us}}</ref>

Mayer married [[Bill Hamilton (journalist)|William B. Hamilton]], also a journalist, in 1992.<ref name="Wedding">[https://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/27/style/weddings-jane-m-mayer-william-hamilton.html Jane M. Mayer, William Hamilton], ''The New York Times'' (September 27, 1992).</ref> Hamilton is the former national editor at ''[[The Washington Post]]''<ref name="Wedding"/> and former Washington editor for ''The New York Times''.<ref name="DwyerWhatHappened">Jim Dwyer, [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/27/nyregion/what-happened-to-jane-mayer-when-she-wrote-about-the-koch-brothers.html "What Happened to Jane Mayer When She Wrote About the Koch Brothers"], ''The New York Times'', (January 26, 2016).</ref> Hamilton's father was a foreign correspondent and U.N. bureau chief for ''The New York Times'' and his grandfather was the editor and publisher of [[The Augusta Chronicle|''The Augusta'' (Georgia) ''Chronicle'']] and a member of the [[Democratic National Committee]].<ref name="The New York Times"/>

Their daughter, Katherine Hamilton, was the 2015 winner of the [[Truman Scholarship]] from Washington, D.C.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.middlebury.edu/newsroom/archive/2015-news/node/494036|title=Two Juniors Receive Truman Scholarships Leading to Careers in Public Service|date=20 April 2015|access-date=26 September 2017}}</ref>

Mayer is a member of the [[American Academy of Arts and Sciences]], and the [[American Philosophical Society]],.<ref>{{cite andweb a steering board director of the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press|url=https://www.amphilsoc.org/sites/default/files/2019-01/attachments/APS_News_2017.pdf}}</ref>

* {{C-SPAN|Jane Mayer1197}}