.NinaTotenberg on reporting on the Supreme Court, breaking the Anita Hill story, and her friendship with Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Illustration: Lauren Tamaki Nina Totenberg is a journalism legend. In the course of her impressive career, she covered the Pentagon Papers, suffered the wrath of J. Edgar Hoover , and broke the story of the Anita Hill allegations against Clarence Thomas. She’s also been covering the Supreme Court for NPR for decades and has won countless awards for her stellar and groundbreaking reporting. Totenberg lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband, David, a trauma surgeon.
When my late husband was very sick for a long time — almost five years — [Ruth] told me, “You’re spending too much time at the hospital. You have to go back to work. It won’t be the best work you’ve ever done, but nonetheless, it will be good work and it will keep your head above water and you’ll be a better wife to him as a result.” It was absolutely the best advice anybody gave me, and it’s advice I give to anybody whose spouse is very sick.