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Confessions of an Investigative Reporter

Matthew couldn’t tell dozens of incredible inside stories on TV. They involve fake news, bad news, and great news. He tells them for the first time in, “Confessions of an Investigative Reporter.”

Author Bio

matthew-schwartzMatthew Schwartz has told approximately 10,000 stories on television stations across the country for four decades. He has won more than 200 awards, including four New York Emmys and four regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for investigative reporting.

Some of Matthew’s memorable stories include an interview with “Son of Sam” serial killer David Berkowitz; the trials of mobster John Gotti; reports on the 9/11 attacks from Ground Zero; the crash two months later of American Airlines flight 587 in Queens, NY; and hundreds of reports on corruption, fraud and government waste. Matthew has confronted countless con artists. After his reporting broke up a large ring of illegal fortune tellers, the father of one of the accused swung a baseball bat at Matthew’s head. He missed.

He did a half-dozen interviews with a real estate developer who was not yet well known outside New York: Donald Trump.

He went undercover to catch a car dealership rolling back odometers and selling the cars as new. He did a series on pets dying in airplane cargo holds. It led to a federal law making air travel safer for pets.

He likes watching the news but his favorite TV shows of all-time are The Honeymooners, Seinfeld and The Sopranos.

Need An Investigator?

Matthew is now putting his four decades of investigative work to use for law firms and other private companies. Diligent in research and doing the legwork necessary to know the facts of your case. Contact Matthew today.

Endorsements

bob-dotson“A fascinating look behind the media mirror that reflects celebrity and power. Matthew Schwartz has spent his long career shining a light in the shadows, uncovering compelling stories. The shortest distance between two people is a great story. This one is incredible, like a friend you won’t want to leave.”

Bob Dotson, New York Times bestselling author, former national correspondent, the TODAY show.

For the more than three decades I’ve known Matthew Schwartz he’s been a reporter from the old school…the same one I came up in modeled after the dusty Chicago City News Bureau slogan: “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.” In New York, where I worked alongside him, and later in Tucson where I often visited friends and sources during my own long career at NBC News, I watched Matt do the work the good ones do: gathering the evidence and, when it added up and only then, chasing down the bad guys to demand an explanation. His targets were the usual rogues gallery: doctors whose over-prescribed oxycodone and methadone prescriptions killed patients instead of helping them; con men (and women) pushing phony security guard licenses or non-existent services; corrupt judges and politicians, unrepentant killers. What I’ve liked best about Matt’s work is that he never settled for the on-camera gotcha, the low-hanging fruit you knew was coming in every report: he first gave you the context, the background, the documentation— the unglamorous but essential elements in any report that mattered. That meant you could trust Matt’s reporting; I did and still do. And now, if you want the back story behind so many of the reports of his that generated their own headlines or moved the chains toward justice or redemption, you can dive into his “Confessions of an Investigative Reporter: Stories I Couldn’t Tell on TV.” Check it out! — Mike Taibbi, Former correspondent, NBC News, NBC Dateline; winner of 37 local and national Emmy Awards and four Edward R. Murrow Awards.

The toughest job in journalism is that of the investigative reporter. One has to be inquisitive, suspect a wrong, feel it needs to be told and then make it happen. Recording the story for television is fraught with insults, physical abuse, and threats of legal action.

Investigator reporter Matthew Schwartz is a professional colleague and a superb investigating reporter. He’s been attacked, harassed, yelled at, swung at and sued. His professional skin has the outer shell of courage, intellect, and stamina.

Investigative reporters are not crusaders; they are diligent watchers for injustice, political skullduggery, cheats and charlatans who prey upon the innocent and the trusting.

The worst thing an investigative subject can hear from a receptionist is: “Matthew Schwartz is here.”

Confessions of an Investigative Reporter is a good read.

— Rolland Smith, former co-host, “The CBS Morning Program; former anchor WCBS-TV and WWOR-TV; former reporter, NBC News.

Matthew Schwartz is my kind of reporter. We are both old school. Matthew believes in the most important tenants of Investigative Reporting; do the research, do the legwork, know all the facts and go after the bad guy!

When we were competitors in Tampa, whenever one of Matthew’s stories came on one of the many monitors we had in the newsroom of the competition, I always turned up the sound and knew I was going to see a story I wished I had uncovered.

Although Investigative reporting is in my mind the best job in journalism, it is not easy. It involves long hours, reams of paperwork to go through, endless phone calls, meetings with victims and whistleblowers getting more info on the story with the hope that some will talk on camera. Matthew never shied away from doing that work in order to button up all the angles of the story. He was also tenacious and fearless in tracking down the bad guy to hold him or her accountable.

I’m also aware of the great work he did on obtaining an exclusive , interview with Son of Sam killer, David Berkowitz. While that interview occurred before Matthew came to Tampa, I’m aware of it and the work he put it in to make the spectacular piece happen.

Matthew is also an excellent storyteller and if you have any interest in the behind the scenes of a top notch investigative reporter, I know you will want to read his book.

I’ve seen a preview of some of the book and I guarantee it is a page turner that you will have a tough time putting down.

During my six-decade career in Broadcasting, I’ve worker with and against some talented investigative reporters. Matthew Schwartz is among the top tier of those I’ve encountered in my career.

— Mike Deeson, former investigative reporter, WTSP-TV, Tampa/St. Petersburg

Everyone in this business writes a book. For some, it’s one more than they’ve ever read. Those books are filled with anecdotes that are meaningful only to the author. But Matthew is a passionate story teller who has written a thrilling and poignant account of his life and career. I read it in one sitting.

— Michael Horowicz, TV News Producer

“I first met Matthew in 1994 when I went to work for WWOR-TV. I soon learned why he had earned the reputation he had as a member of one of the best investigative teams in the New York market. Fast forward to 2013 and the station I am working for, KVOA, is looking for an investigative reporter to launch its new franchise. I told my news director if you can get Matthew Schwartz he’s all you’ll need. He did not disappoint, quickly earning the nickname “Freight Train” as the investigative reporter who rolled in to town taking down evil doers and anyone else who dared to take advantage of the residents of our city.

“From an exclusive interview with “Son of Sam” killer, David Berkowitz to bringing down a fraudulent moving business and the thousands of stories in between, Matthew has had an incredible career spanning four decades. Now we finally get to hear the stories behind the stories!”

— Sean Mooney, Anchor and Reporter, KVOA-TV, Tucson, Arizona.

Matthew Schwartz propels us into a world few of us have ever seen or even imagined with this candid behind-the-scenes memoir of his years as a prominent investigative reporter. The stories he shares have impacted lives and often changed them for the better. His honesty, his ability to be self-deprecating alongside being duly proud of his accomplishments, and his page-turning words all spin together to make this a rocketing must-read book!

— Lala Corriere, Best Selling Author

Matthew Schwartz is a reporter’s reporter– a top-notch investigative journalist in the tradition of Edward R. Murrow and Mike Wallace. For decades Matthew hasn’t been afraid to tell it like it is, even when his personal safety has been threatened standing up for the public’s right to be informed. From interviewing serial killer “Son of Sam” to dodging a swinging baseball bat wielded by a maniacal gypsy, Matthew has been a pugnacious fighter–a fighter for the truth.

Now in his absorbing debut memoir–“Confessions of an Investigative Reporter: Stories I Couldn’t Tell on TV” you can savor the “inside” stories behind his reports in a remarkable four decades career. I worked alongside Matthew at WOR and WWOR-TV and although we were often rivals, we respected each other and I admired his honesty and thoroughness as an investigative reporter. He’s engaged in public brawls with disreputable salesman and confronted con-men and dirty detectives–his stories responsible for putting them away in jail. Matthew’s reports on homeowners scammed by unlicensed contractors even got his viewers to donate their time to resolve their predicaments. He’s covered three New York mayors and risked his health reporting on 9/11 from Ground Zero. His compelling memoir is a must-read for journalism aficionados and anyone interested in finding out the risks and hardships involved in getting the “real story.”

— Charles Gomez, Author, “Cuban Son Rising;” Former correspondent, CBS News and NBC News.

Matthew Schwartz is the scourge of scoundrels because he digs and digs until he gets the goods on the crooks that prey on ordinary people. Hidden cameras, undercover stings, sifting mountains of documents from the coroner, stakeouts, confrontational interviews – whatever it takes.

In 10,000 stories over decades, he chased down a judge, nailed a pill mill over-prescriber, a scam school operator, a towing racket, the movers from hell, and a whole colorful catalogue of outrageous rascals. Viewers and readers benefit from Matthew’s New York hustle, weapons-grade chutzpah, relentless work ethic, and massive experience.

Matthew and I have been friends and colleagues since a previous century when we had our first television reporting jobs in a small town. I’ve always enjoyed (and learned stuff) from his exploits.

— Jim Randle, former Beijing Bureau Chief, Pentagon Correspondent, anchor, and editor at Voice of America.

Helloooooo America. I had the pleasure of working with Matt at WWOR for several years back in the day when television was BIG. Matt cared a great deal about his work and it showed. Matt had the guts that it takes to be a top-notch investigative reporter. Believe me, there was tons to investigate in the number one television market in America.

In my opinion, it takes team work to get ratings and Matt was an important facet of our team. Kind of like a baseball team, it takes 25 people to produce clickage and when Matt was on the air we clicked. I had a lot of fun with the weather, but as Matt will tell you, when the weather became serious so was I. Matt was a pro’s pro.

He is just as good now as ever in Tucson. When you love what you do it shows. Read his book. Guarantee you will like it.

— Lloyd Lindsay Young, weatherman, WWOR-TV, New York; KGO-TV, San Francisco.

‘Congratulations’ to my valued colleague and friend, on 40-plus years of success, working in the toughest trenches of a very rough TV news business!

You survived, you thrived, and now you get to share with us the quirky, captivating, and compelling details behind the stories that fueled excitement in newsrooms and filled millions of TV screens all those years.

Matthew never let go of the full passion, focus, and doggedness that have been his arsenal for exposing wrongdoers. You see it in every story he produces. And you’ll read about it on these pages.

— Tom McNamara, Host, Arizona Public Media; former news anchor, KVOA-TV, Tucson

After four decades in television news, a few former colleagues truly stand out. Matthew Schwartz is one of them. Matt is the real deal! We have known each other since the late 1970’s when we worked together at the ABC affiliate in Richmond, Virginia.

As it happens, we are both graduates of Ohio University in Athens, which has one of the top broadcast journalism programs in the country. The foundation laid for us as undergraduates served us well as we pursued our television news careers.

Matt is among the smartest, most gifted journalists I have ever known. He has always approached his craft with a sense of fairness and a relentless pursuit of the truth. In an era of journalistic self-aggrandizement, Matt is a definite exception.

As you will read in the following pages, Matt has never made himself more important than the story he is telling. I could not offer any higher praise!

— Frank Robertson is a former news anchor and reporter who worked for television stations in Ohio, Virginia, South Carolina, Arizona and Florida. He is the recipient of a Suncoast Regional Emmy Award, the South Carolina Broadcasters Association television news award the top television news award from the National Education Writers Association.

Matthew Schwartz has been a close friend since we shared work space and room and board while cutting our journalistic teeth at the ABC affiliate in Richmond Virginia in the early 80’s. Matt went on to a distinguished career as an investigative reporter in, among other places, the nations premier TV market of New York City. The streets there yielded a treasure of fascinating stories, including an exclusive interview with Son of Sam serial killer David Berkowitz. Fair, tenacious and untiring in his pursuit of the truth, Matt presented finely crafted tales of some of the most interesting stories of our lifetime. The details of the tales that didn’t always make it to air will be an enjoyable and interesting read to curl up with on a cold rainy night. Matt is a unique colleague and one I am proud to call a friend.

— Jim Bailey, former news anchor, reporter and news manager in South Carolina, Colorado, Virginia, Louisiana, Maine, Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee.

Matt Schwartz is one of the great TV News Investigative Reporters in America over the last 25 years. Matt breaks major stories and holds people accountable. The greatest tribute I can pay Matt is that I would have proudly and immediately hired him during the days I was running major market TV News operations. This book is riveting and a must read.

— Mort Meisner, TV Talent Agent

Reviews

Don Swaim
Candid, Vivid
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Matthew Schwartz was made to be an investigative journalist. His candid memoir depicts vividly the good and the bad and the ups and downs of a forty-year career in the rough and tumble of broadcast news. Don Swaim, Book Beat, CBS Radio.
R. Rappaport
This is a MUST-READ Book!
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Confessions of an Investigative Reporter is an excellent book! I stumbled across this on a Facebook post and had to read it. As a former reporter myself in Tucson, I was able to identify with many of the stories in the book. This book is a great read and details the history of Matthew Schwartz and his stories. From the "Son of Sam' to Hulk Hogan, it's all there! Despite his tough on-air exterior, Schwartz is a nice man and has a soft side. In my current job, I've had to deal with him a couple of times (luckily not the subject of his stories) and he was very pleasant and detail-oriented. He always works hard to get all sides and the best story possible. If you don't have a lot of time to read this book all at once, it's divided into many stories, so you can just spend a little time on one story and move on to the next when you're ready. If you've ever lived in Tucson or New York, you'll really appreciate this book. if you haven't lived in either place, you'll still appreciate this book.
FRANK CIPOLLA
DYNAMITE READ!
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This is the kind of book I absolutely love! Having worked with Matt makes it even better. He gets you inside the game tracking down the slime balls and misfits who work in the shadows. He uses his knowledge, expert story telling skills, and the red hot lens of the TV camera to deliver justice for those without a voice. It's also a touching story of a lifetime of doing news in an ever changing environment. My 3-short years of working along side Matt showed me what being a real investigative reporter was all about. Get the book. Read it. And revel in the stories!
Mike Watkiss
Sense of Purpose
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Confessions of an Investigative Reporter should be mandatory reading for every aspiring, young journalist. Matthew Schwartz is the real deal—a veteran reporter with more than 40 years on the beat. This guy’s seen it all and has forgotten more about TV News than most reporters will ever know. I loved the behind the scenes story of Schwartz famous face-off with “Son of Sam” serial killer, David Berkowitz. As a street reporter, Schwartz has chased bad guy all over the country and made many of them rue the day they attracted his attention. Throughout his remarkable career, Schwartz has been fearless in his pursuit of the truth and, in his book, Schwartz is honest in his telling of the personal toll that has taken on his life. It’s a fascinating read. Schwartz writes that he got his “sense of purpose” from his mother who was a combat nurse in Yom Kipper War. I am sure his mother would be very proud. Mike Watkiss
Scott
Insightful and Entertaining
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I watched Matthew Schwartz on television during his two decades in New York City and admired his reporting. His book takes the reader inside the news van and the editorial process and presents a rare view or how his stories developed and got on the air. I this era of commentary driven infotainment that is branded as "news", CONFESSIONS OF AN INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER is refreshingly nostalgic. It reminds us of a time when television news reporting helped to effect positive change in the community.
Jill Greene
Worth Your Time!
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was entertaining with quick chapters of investigations that Matthew has covered over the years. Each chapter was instant gratification. I remember Matthew from seeing him on WOR, Channel 9 so it was especially fun to see names of newscasters from that time as well as stories and places that I remember. Matthew brought them all back to life for me! Highly recommend this book for a quick, easy, enjoyable read!
Ken Benner
A best seller book for professional journalists.
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This book is an absolute masterpiece of Journalism. It illustrates the degree to which sensationalized fake “news” has destroyed our faith in the media. This is far more dangerous than most of us realize in that this lack of integrity breeds frustration that breeds helpless hopelessness that breeds the war of violence of today. This book should be in the library of every Journalist. Most Respectfully, Ken Benner
Richard Bey
A fun, engaging and informative read.
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I worked at Channel 9 during many of the years Matthew worked there on the I-team. There are many and varied stories in his book, almost all short snapshots of how he found the story, how he covered it and their aftermaths. You will also find an accurate picture of how station politics and procedures affect broadcasts. He was and is one of the good guys. And as his volume of work accumulates throughout his recounting one feels deeply the egregious loss of local investigating reporting, now as extinct as the dinosaur. You won't be disappointed.
Bret Buganski
You feel like you are there!
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You feel like you're in the room when you read this book. I had the pleasure of working with Matt for two years in Tucson. When I got hired, I didn't know much about what it took to be an investigative reporter. It would be an understatement to say I learned A LOT from Matt. And this book captures what it's like not only going after the truth, chasing the bad guys, but the stuff we can't say on air. I think Matt eloquently expresses the challenge of working in a business that many times is under attack, but also the things we can't control. It's a great insight into why Matt became the man he is today. It makes a lot of sense. If you really want to know the sacrifices of a journalist, READ THIS BOOK. Thank you Matt for always giving me advice long after I left Tucson!
PETER V.
This book should be on the top of your list to read NOW!
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This book is what real journalism is all about. Not only is it a reflection of truth and honesty in reporting, it also is a reflection of the backbone of the author. A profound recollection of some of the stories we've all heard about in a way that really hits home to all of us. Writing like this is so refreshing and the stories are captivating. Once you start reading you are compelled to keep going. Read it and you'll recommend it to everyone you know. It's that good !
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