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A Florida native, David Rosenbaum was born
March 1st, 1942, in Miami, and raised in
Tampa. In 1963, he earned his bachelor's
degree from Dartmouth College and two years
later received his master's in journalism
from Columbia University.
He spent some time working for various
publications such as the St. Petersburg
Times in Florida, and Congressional Quarterly,
before beginning his long career with the
New York Times.
He joined the Washington bureau of the
New York Times in 1968 and remained with
that paper until his retirement. Though he
served a three-year stint in the early '80s
as special projects editor for the Times in
New York, it was his career at the Washington
bureau for which he was best known. While
there he held a number of top positions
including business editor, assistant news
editor, chief economics correspondent, chief
domestic policy correspondent and chief
Congressional correspondent. Even those
who may not readily recall his work, often
remember his widely-read feature, The Fine
Print. The popular feature exposed hidden,
perplexing or hypocritical aspects of
legislation that was pending or had just
passed.
His coverage of the 1990 federal budget battles
in which President George Bush abandoned his famous
"Read my lips: no new taxes" pledge not to institute
any new taxes, won Rosenbaum the 1990 George Polk
Award for national reporting. He shared the honor
with Susan Rasky, a fellow reporter at the New
York Times.
Rosenbaum's insightful coverage of politics,
economics and government policy earned him
frequent praise. "David was one of the most
accomplished journalists of his generation
in Washington," Philip Taubman, New York Times'
bureau chief reported.
For over a quarter of a century he served as
a member of the steering committee of The
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
The organization works to protect the First
Amendment, reporters' legal rights and
provides free legal assistance to journalists.
After nearly four decades at the New York Times
he'd become a beloved fixture at their Washington
bureau. Though he retired in December of 2005,
he retained his old desk and planned to continue
contributing occasional articles.
Less than a month after his retirement, David E.
Rosenbaum was robbed and beaten while taking an
after-dinner walk around his upscale District of
Columbia neighborhood. January 6, 2006, he was
found semiconscious on a sidewalk in the 3800
block of Gramercy Street NW.
The severe injuries he suffered in the mugging
were likely exacerbated by an incredible series
of errors made by paramedics and hospital
emergency room workers. Paramedics not only
failed to properly assess his condition, but
in complete disregard for the needs of their
patient, they bypassed the closest hospital
so one of the EMTs could attend to a personal
matter at home. Once at the hospital, Rosenbaum
remained unattended on a gurney for more than
an hour. Even after his examination they failed
to properly evaluate his injuries. Nurses
reported they couldn't read the sloppy handwriting
of the doctor who'd written orders detailing
his treatment. Nearly four hours passed before
he received a neurological evaluation. The
level of medical care he received was appropriately
and succinctly described as "Third World service."
In reference to the bungled care David received
after being robbed and beaten over the head
with a pipe, Marcus Rosenbaum, a senior editor
at National Public Radio and David's younger
brother said, "everything they could have
screwed up, they screwed up." Various official
investigations and reviews agreed with that
conclusion.
The Washington, D.C. Office of the Inspector
General investigated the actions of the Fire
and Emergency Medical Services Department (FEMS),
the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and
Howard University Hospital, regarding their
response in the Rosenbaum case. They concluded
that there was an unacceptable chain of failures
in the provision of emergency medical and
other services to Mr. Rosenbaum as required
by FEMS, MPD, and Howard University Hospital
protocols. It further determined that,
"individuals who played critical roles in
providing these services failed to adhere to
applicable policies, procedures, and other
guidance from their respective employers.
These multiple individual failures during
the Rosenbaum emergency suggest alarming
levels of complacency and indifference which,
if systemic, could undermine the effective,
efficient, and high quality delivery of
emergency services to District residents
and visitors."
Within days of David Rosenbaum's attack, Percy
Jordan, Jr. and Michael Hamlin were in custody
and charged with the crime. Michael C. Hamlin
was originally charged with first-degree murder,
but later agreed to a plea agreement. He pleaded
guilty to second-degree murder and testified
against his cousin and co-defendant. Hamlin was
sentenced to 26 years behind bars for his part
in the violent attack. October 24th, 2006, a
jury convicted Percy Jordan, Jr. of first-degree
murder, conspiracy to commit robbery and robbery
of a senior citizen. In January 2007, he was
sentenced to 65 years in prison.
Tragically, David's wife of 39 years died just
a few months after he was killed. Virginia
Rosenbaum died of colon cancer June 22, 2006.
Like her husband, "Ginny" began her career as
a journalist in Florida. She later became an
influential research analyst, author and editor
known for her expertise on the subjects of
governance-related shareholder proposals and
corporate takeover defenses.
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