Daniel J. Whitman first fell for Philadelphia during a college internship at the old City Paper, where he spent a summer chasing tips about zoning disputes and sitting through marathon city council meetings. Growing up in Scranton, he’d always figured he’d end up covering state politics in Harrisburg. But that internship—watching how decisions made in fluorescent-lit hearing rooms rippled out into neighborhoods—changed his trajectory entirely.
Career Path
After graduating from Temple University with a degree in journalism, Daniel spent three years at a community paper in the Lehigh Valley learning the fundamentals: police blotters, school board elections, Friday night football. He then moved to the Delaware County Daily Times, where he covered municipal government across a dozen townships for nearly eight years. His reporting on pension fund mismanagement in Upper Darby led to a state audit and caught the attention of editors across the region.
Current Coverage
Daniel joined News of Philadelphia in 2019 to cover city government with a focus on budget policy, council legislation, and the agencies that keep the city running—or don’t. He’s particularly interested in how spending decisions affect services in neighborhoods outside Center City, the kind of stories that don’t make the evening news but determine whether a street gets paved or a recreation center stays open. His 2022 investigation into deferred maintenance at Philadelphia Housing Authority properties was cited in a subsequent HUD review and earned a Pennsylvania Press Association Award for public service reporting.
He completed an Investigative Reporters & Editors data journalism workshop in 2020 and now regularly digs through city contracts and budget documents to find stories hiding in spreadsheets. When not at City Hall, Daniel can be found walking his beagle through Fairmount Park or continuing his apparently endless search for the city’s best roast pork sandwich. He lives in Fishtown with his wife, a nurse at Jefferson Hospital.
Stay Connected
Contact: 📧 [email protected]