Journalists of The Gazette: Meet Tom Barton

Where are you from and where did you go to school?

I grew up in the Quad Cities — I was born and raised in Davenport and I still have family there. I’m an Iowa State graduate and a die hard Cyclone fan.

Describe your beat.

I’m the Gazette’s Deputy Des Moines Bureau Chief. We have a content sharing agreement with Lee Enterprises and I’m part of a three-member crew that makes up The Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau. So, it’s myself, Erin Murphy, the Gazette Des Moines Bureau Chief, and Maya Marchel Hoff, who is the Des Moines Bureau Chief for Lee Enterprises.

I cover Iowa politics including the Iowa Legislature, the governor’s office, state agencies and I also cover the congressional delegation and campaigns and, every four years, the Iowa caucuses.

What do you like about being a politics reporter?

I enjoy the ability to write the first draft of history and to have a front row seat. I also enjoy the watchdog role of it, the ability to hold institutions and politicians, elected officials accountable; to promote and foster transparency, debate and informed decision making; and to help Iowans understand complex issues that are affecting them and their families and offering them a way to have a voice in that process and in that discussion.

What is the On Iowa Politics podcast?

If you’re a political news junkie or just want to catch up on the week’s political news and events in Iowa, you can check out the On Iowa Politics newsletter or the On Iowa Politics podcast every Friday. The podcast is a round table discussion featuring political reporters and columnists from The Gazette and Lee Enterprises and we recap and go behind the scenes of the big news stories and political events from that week.

Subscribe to that newsletter here.

Share a fun fact about yourself.

I was in a Pizza Hut ‘Book It’ commercial as a kid with my twin brother. For those who aren’t familiar, ‘Book It’ was a reading incentive program that Pizza Hut did in the ‘80s and ‘90s. It encouraged young readers to achieve literacy goals by rewarding them with a personal pan pizza. Yeah, that was my five minutes of fame as a kid.

What do you like to do for fun?

Outside of work you can usually find me on the golf course, burning something in the kitchen or nerding out with The Gazette’s Des Moines Bureau Chief Erin Murphy about Star Wars, comic books — anything geek culture.

Where can we read your latest work?

You can read my latest work at www.thegazette.com/tom-barton.

Comments: tom.barton@thegazette.com