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Meet Ed Palattella
Hello and pleased to meet you. I have been a reporter for the Erie Times-News since July 1990. (The summer of 1989, if you count an internship.) I specialize in investigations and also cover courts, the Erie School District and whatever stories I come across in a city and region that are full of them.
I was born on Long Island, New York, grew up in the Cincinnati area and in southwestern Connecticut, and my family also lived in the Chicago area for a time.
Why I became a journalist
In my senior year of college, I gave myself two choices: law school — which would follow my father's career — orjournalism. I chose journalism because I have always liked to write and read, especially the several newspapers we had delivered to my house every day for as long as I can remember.I also came to realizethat, as a newspaper reporter, I could write about the law, one of my favorite topics as a journalist.
In seventh grade, I was intrigued when ateacher told us about Who, What, When, Where, Whyand How, and I took off from there. I wrote music reviews for my high school and college papers, and went on to co-edit my college paper, called Student Life, at Washington University in St. Louis,where I got an English degree in 1989.
Then in 1990 I gota master's degree in journalismfrom Stanford University, where I wrote for the Stanford Daily and the Point Reyes Light, a Pulitzer Prize-winning weekly in Marin County, north of San Francisco. NextI startedmy career at the Erie Times-News, got married to an Erie native and have never left.The journey has been a thrill.
What I like best about my job
Being part of a newspaper means being part of the community. I enjoy telling the community's stories and helping Erie residents understand what is going on. Day by day and, with the website, minute by minute, the Erie Times-News and GoErie.com helpwriteErie's history. Being entrusted with that task is an honor, as is meeting so many people in the community.
Recent work:Ex-coach, teacher in Erie pleads guilty in child p*rn, sex case, faces at least 5 years
I also enjoy digging into complex topics. The best way to fully understand an issue is to write about it.
When Erie County District Attorney Jack Daneri announced his retirement in late 2021, he told mewhat he will miss most about his job:"The camaraderie of a great staff, but also the courthouse environment and all the people who make it work, who make it happen."
Daneri's remarkscapture what I like best about my job: the people I work with, the people I meet, and being part of the process, though at a distance, in which things happen.
Chronicling the courthouse:As Daneri resigns as DA, his successor will be the first woman in that role in Erie County
A story I worked on that has had a lasting impact on me
Covering the justice system for the Erie Times-News has often meant covering cases of child abuse.That includes cases, such as those involving clergy, that were never prosecuted.
The perseverance of many of the abusevictims inseeking justice, despite so many obstacles, has been inspiring. The victims'persistence and commitment havetaught me even more to appreciate the power of the human spirit to counter incompetence, corruption and, in the most dreadful of cases, evil.
What is the biggest challenge I face?
Not having enough time. The stories are always out there. You just have to know where to find them and make time to write as many as you can to a high standard. The digital revolution in journalism has created deadlines that never end. Finding a way to work within those deadlines and also pursue long-term stories has always been a challenge.
What I like to do when I'm not working
We seem to get a magazine just about every day at our house in Erie, and when I am not reading something for the Erie Times-News, I like to read whatever else I can get my hands on — and then spend timein discussions with my wife,Chris.
Several years ago, I helped coach the boys soccer team at Strong Vincent High School, and I also coached youth soccer and basketball teams when my children were young.
Focus on transparency:Is PIAA subject to Right-to-Know Law? State, appeals court say yes, but PIAA still fighting
My sporting life these days is made up of running and, most recently, birding at Presque Isle State Park.
When we are not walking our two dogs, my wife and Ikeepup with the happenings of our two children: our son, Henry,who lives in Cleveland, and ourdaughter, Nina, who lives in New York City. They both went tothe Erie School District's Harding School and Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academyand graduated from Kent State University. Both are writers.
In my spare time, I have also written five books, including one about one of Erie's most infamous crimes: "Pizza Bomber: The Untold Story of America's Most Shocking Bank Robbery," in which my co-author was retired FBI Special Agent Jerry Clark. That is a story that never seems to end.
True crime like no other:15 years later, where are pizza bomber characters now?
Favorite event or Erie-area tradition
Though I did not grow up in Erie, my mother's family is from Erie, and we visited Erie in the summer and stayed at a cottage on Lake Erie. I marveled at the beauty of the lakeand Presque Isle Bay then, and am fortunate to have made my home in the city on the bay and the lake.
Walking, swimming andbirdingat Presque Isle are among my favorite Erie-area events, and every winter, weather permitting, I take a walk across a frozen Presque Isle Bay. My wife and I also like tovisit Waldameer Park & Water World, and strollthe premises and grab dessert. Stopping at the myriad Erie outdoor ice cream stands is also a treat.
Why journalism matters
A neighbor once told methat a community is nothing without a newspaper. He was right.
Journalism helps shape a community and helps a community shape itself. Journalism holds those in authority accountable and aids the community in moving forward. The internet allows anyone to find any kind of "news" anywhere. Butonly local journalism like that practiced at the Erie Times-News and GoErie.com provides the depth, accuracy and insight that inspire and inform a community and helpits residents make the most informed decisions possible.
Watching a case unfold:Defense maneuvering starts in Hertel & Brown case; some defendants want distance from owners
As Gay Talese wrote in "The Kingdom and the Power," his 1969 bestseller aboutthe New York Times: "News, ifunreported, has no impact. It might as well have not happened at all."
The need for qualityjournalism, especially quality local journalism,is as straightforward as that.
Thank you for reading the Erie Times-News and GoErie.com as we report what is happening in Erie and the rest of northwestern Pennsylvania. Along with my dedicated colleagues, I appreciate your trust.
More from Ed: Reporter profile, and links to stories
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Contact Ed Palattella at epalattella@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNpalattella.
Meet more of the Erie Times-News staff
►David Bruce
►Tim Hahn
►Josh Reilly
►Valerie Myers
►Matthew Rink
►Mike Copper
