Donald G. McNeil Jr.

Donald McNeil Jr.
BornDonald Gerard McNeil Jr.
(1954-02-01) February 1, 1954 (age 70)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
OccupationJournalist
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley (BA)
SubjectsScience and health reporting
Years active1976–present
Notable worksZika: The Emerging Epidemic (2016)
Spouse
(m. 1980; div. 2003)

Donald Gerard McNeil Jr. (born February 1, 1954) is an American journalist. He was a science and health reporter for The New York Times where he reported on epidemics, including HIV/AIDS and the COVID-19 pandemic. His reporting on COVID-19 earned him widespread recognition for being one of the earliest and most prominent voices covering the pandemic.

In February 2021, McNeil resigned under pressure from The New York Times following reports that high-school students on a trip to Peru organized by the Times accused McNeil of making racially offensive remarks. After his resignation, McNeil published a lengthy response, disputing the high-school students' accusations and criticizing the Times.[1]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Guardian-1Mar2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).