Michael Paulson is a veteran journalist specializing in religion and theater reporting. A native of Newton, Massachusetts, he graduated from Newton South High School and earned a bachelor's degree from Haverford College in 1986. His early career included roles as a political reporter for the San Antonio Light in Texas, a general assignment reporter for the Patriot Ledger in Quincy, Massachusetts, and seven years at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer as city hall reporter, state house bureau chief in Olympia, and Washington correspondent in Washington, D.C. He joined The New York Times in 2010 as National Religion Reporter, focusing on religion tied to national politics, and has served as Theater Reporter since April 2015, based in New York City, where he covers Broadway and the theater industry as a lifelong theatergoer attending over 100 shows annually. Previously, he was a religion reporter for The Boston Globe, extensively covering the Islamic Society of Boston controversy. Notable achievements include co-authoring Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church (2002 hardcover, 2003 paperback) and sharing in the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service as part of the Boston Globe's Spotlight team on clergy sexual abuse, along with multiple awards such as four Wilbur Awards (2003-2006), Mike Berger Award, Templeton Award, Supple Award (2008), AP Managing Editors' FOI Award, Goldsmith Prize, George Polk Award, IRE Medal, Sigma Delta Chi, Taylor Family Award, and Worth Bingham Award. He currently resides in New York City and is active on Twitter/X at @MichaelPaulson.