Pulitzer winner Stewart to join NYT biz desk

TALKING BIZ NEWS EXCLUSIVE

James Stewart, the Pulitzer Prize-winning business journalist, is joining the New York Times business desk to write a column in the Saturday business section, a source confirmed to Talking Biz News.

The move for Stewart, who currently writes for Smart Money magazine and teaches at Columbia University, is expected to be announced later this afternoon. He is replacing Joe Nocera, who moved to the paper’s editorial page. Stewart will continue to write for the New Yorker.

Stewart is the author of eight books, including the recent national best-seller, “DisneyWar,” an account of Michael Eisner’s tumultuous reign at America’s best known entertainment company. He is also the author of national bestsellers “Den of Thieves,” about Wall Street in the 80s, “Blind Eye,” an investigation of the medical profession, and “Blood Sport,” about the Clinton White House.

“Follow the Story: How to Write Successful Nonfiction,” was inspired by his classes at Columbia. “Heart of a Soldier,” named the best non-fiction book of 2002 by Time magazine, recounts the remarkable life of Rick Rescorla, a victim in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Stewart writes “Common Sense,” a column in SmartMoney and SmartMoney.com, which also appears in The Journal. He contributes regularly to The New Yorker and was formerly “Page One” Editor of The Journal.

Stewart is the recipient of a 1988 Pulitzer Prize for Journal articles on the 1987 stock market crash and the insider trading scandal. He is also the winner of the George Polk award and two Gerald Loeb awards. “Blind Eye” was the winner of the 2000 Edgar Allan Poe Award given annually by the Mystery Writers of America. In 2005, “DisneyWar” was named a finalist for the first annual Financial Times/Goldman Sachs business book of the year award.

Stewart is a graduate of Harvard Law School and DePauw University. He was born and attended public schools in Quincy, Ill.