Joe Palazzolo

Joe Palazzolo
Born	Joseph Palazzolo (1981-09-21) September 21, 1981 (age 43) [1] St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Education	St. Louis University [2] Masters degree in journalism from the University of Maryland [3]
Occupation	Journalist
Organization	The Wall Street Journal
Awards	Pulitzer Prize 2019, 2023, and 2025

Joe Palazzolo is an American investigative journalist. He started working for The Wall Street Journal as a reporter in 2010. ^{[4] [5] [6] [7]}

He has investigated corporate misconduct, uncovered conflicts of interest within government, and exposed instances of bribery involving companies pursuing international contracts. ^[4]

Biography

Palazzolo started his career as a news editor for SLU’s University News ^[8] and interned at the Baltimore Sun in Washington DC ^[8] After working as a journalist for Main Justice, covering the US Justice Department ^[4] he joined the Wall Street Journal in 2010. ^[4] In 2019, Palazzolo moved to the investigations team of the Wall Street Journal. ^[4]

Palazzolo and his colleagues at The Wall Street Journal received the Pulitzer Prize in 2019 for National Reporting for their work on payments made during Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign to suppress allegations of sexual misconduct. In 2023, the team was again awarded a Pulitzer for uncovering how senior U.S. officials owned shares in companies they were tasked with regulating. In 2025, Palazzolo earned a third Pulitzer for reporting on Elon Musk, including his political ties, communications with Russian leadership, drug use, and undisclosed financial contributions. ^[8]

Palazzolo and his colleague Michael Rothfeld were the first to report on the Stormy Daniels payment, launching over a year of follow-up reporting with dozens of exclusives and in-depth investigations. ^[3] Together they published the book The Fixers on their Pulitzer-winning coverage. ^{[9] [10] [11]}

On July 17, 2025 Joe Palazzolo and Khadeeja Safdar published an article alleging that in 2003, Ghislaine Maxwell compiled a leather‑bound album of risqué letters for Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday. Among the contributors was Donald Trump, according to documents obtained by the WSJ. The next day, Trump filed a defamation lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida against The Wall Street Journal, News Corp., and several reporters, including Joseph Palazzolo. The suit references the article. Trump denies authoring the letter and claims the article was intended to damage his reputation. ^{[12] [13]}

Awards

• 2019 - Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting ^[4]
• 2023 - Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting ^[4]
• 2025 - Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting ^[4]

References

1. "Joe Palazzolo (Author of The Fixers)". Goodreads. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
2. "Palazzolo earns third Pulitzer Prize as Wall Street Journal reporter". Prep News. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
3. "Two reporters joining WSJ investigations team". Talking Biz News. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
4. "Joe Palazzolo". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
5. "Trump sues Wall Street Journal, Rupert Murdoch over Epstein letter story". Washington Post. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
6. "Trump files libel lawsuit over Wall Street Journal report on Jeffrey Epstein's birthday letters". ABC57. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
7. "The Reporter Behind the Trump Hush-Money Trial". Intelligencer. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
8. "Palazzolo earns third Pulitzer Prize as Wall Street Journal reporter". Sluh. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
9. The Fixers: The Bottom‑Feeders, Crooked Lawyers, Gossipmongers, and Porn Stars Who Created the 45th President. The Penguin Random House. 2020.
10. Filipovic, Jill (16 January 2020). "All the president's crooked men". The Washington Post. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
11. "Book Details The 'Bottom-Feeders' And 'Fixers' Who Enabled Trump's Election". NPR.org. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
12. "Trump v. Dow Jones & Company, Inc 1:25-cv-23229". Law. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
13. "Trump's $10 billion suit against Rupert Murdoch could raise more questions about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein". Business Insider. Retrieved 21 July 2025.