David Jackson, a longtime reporter who chronicled the White House and political campaigns for USA TODAY and The Dallas Morning News, died on of an apparent heart attack on April 22. He was 66.
“For decades, David helped define political reporting at USA TODAY and beyond,” Jamie Stockwell, vice president of news at USA TODAY, said. “His coverage of the White House and national politics was steady, authoritative and deeply respected across the industry. We are heartbroken by his loss and are thinking of his loved ones and all who had the privilege to work alongside him.”
Jackson, known as DJ to those close to him, fit the mold of the stereotypical, hard-driven newspaper reporter, with his rumpled appearance and his sometimes curmudgeonly manner.
But friends and colleagues remembered him as someone who had a deep love not only for journalism, but for sports, history, travel, books and, of course, his family.
And that gruff persona? It usually melted once he got to truly know and trust those around him.
“I got to see the funny side of David, I got to see the serious side of David, and I, of course, got to see the dogged reporter,” said Catalina Camia, who worked with him for years as a reporter and editor. “I’m honored to have called him a friend.”
Jackson started his career as a sports reporter at The Times and Democrat in Orangeburg, South Carolina, where he was born and spent most of his formative years. He also worked at newspapers in Augusta, Georgia, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, before moving to The Dallas Morning News, where he covered county and city government before he was sent to the paper’s Washington bureau.
Carl Leubsdorf, who served as the newspaper’s Washington Bureau Chief, said Jackson was initially assigned to cover courts and justice. Back then, the Morning News also produced a weekly TV show, and Jackson developed a knack for landing interesting guests, including an up-and-coming lawyer named John Roberts, who appeared on a segment about the Supreme Court.
Years later, when George W. Bush nominated Roberts to become the Supreme Court chief justice, “the only video anyone had of him discussing legal issues was on our television program,” Leubsdorf said.
Jackson eventually moved from the Supreme Court to the White House, where he covered every president from Bill Clinton to Donald Trump. Jackson joined USA TODAY’S White House team in 2005 and remained with the paper until his retirement in January 2025.
Susan Page, USA TODAY’s Washington bureau chief, recalled the White House team landing an interview with then-president-elect Barack Obama at his inaugural headquarters shortly before he took office. Jackson showed up for the interview dressed in the black trench coat that he wore just about everywhere he went.
“I had to basically order him to take it off before the soon-to-be president arrived,” Page recalled. “It was part of his general persona – of the dogged reporter, pursuing the news, loving the chase, and being fascinated by politics.”
Jackson served as president of the White House Correspondents’ Association and presided over the organization’s annual dinner in 2011.
In retirement, Jackson continued to pursue another love: travel.
Chris Peacock, a longtime friend who often joined him at sporting events, recalled a conversation not long after Jackson took on the White House beat and was about to embark upon his first international trip as a reporter. Jackson didn’t seem all that thrilled about the upcoming adventure.
“Why would I want to go to another country when I haven’t been to all the U.S. states yet?” he asked.
He eventually came around, though, and traveled the world. He especially liked visiting Asia.
Jackson is survived by two brothers, James Jackson Jr. and Dwight Jackson, both of Columbia, South Carolina; a nephew, James B. Jackson III, also of Columbia, and a niece, Katy Handell of Lexington, South Carolina.
Photo: Jack Gruber, USA TODAY