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Portrait of Michael Forsythe

Michael Forsythe

As an investigative reporter, I can cover just about anything. But if you look at what I’ve written over the years, my stories have one thing in common: following trails of money. My lifelong passion is writing about China, especially the confluence of business and politics and how the country’s newfound wealth is influencing the rest of the world. I also spent years reporting on the power of the consulting industry, specifically McKinsey & Co., and have written about the immense wealth of Russian oligarchs. Lately I’ve begun to look at the cryptocurrency industry and the art world.

I came to journalism after serving for seven years as an officer in the U.S. Navy, mostly on ships in the western Pacific, and deployed twice to the Persian Gulf. I studied Chinese as an undergraduate at Georgetown and after leaving the Navy, I wanted to pursue a career that was China-related — exactly what, I wasn’t sure. I started as a reporter at Kyodo News in Beijing in 2000. I soon moved to Bloomberg News, first in Beijing, then in Washington covering campaign finance and overseeing coverage of U.S. government and politics. I eventually moved back to Asia, living in Beijing and Hong Kong, where I joined The Times. I came to New York in early 2017, joining the investigations team.

I’m passionate about writing accurate and fair articles. One of the many joys of journalism is diving in depth on new, often very unfamiliar, topics. That drives me to relentlessly fact-check articles and constantly question whether what I’ve written reflects reality. I don’t make political donations, and, other than voting, I don’t participate in politics. I always identify myself as a Times reporter when I’m working. All Times journalists are committed to upholding the standards of integrity outlined in our Ethical Journalism Handbook.

Latest

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    Who Will Pay for the Baltimore Bridge Collapse?

    Disputes over liability and the cost of claims could take years for insurers to resolve and result in billions of dollars in payouts.

    By Jenny Gross, Michael Forsythe, Emily Flitter and Peter Eavis

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