John Dimsdale

Washington, D.C. Bureau Chief, Marketplace

SHORT BIO

John Dimsdale has spent almost 40 years in radio. As the former head of Marketplace’s Washington, D.C., bureau, he provided insightful commentary on the intersection of government and money for the entire Marketplace portfolio.

As Dimsdale notes, “Sooner or later, every story in the world comes through Washington,” and reporting on those issues is like “… going to school with all the best professors and then reporting to listeners what I found out at the end of the day … Can you believe they pay me to do that?”

Dimsdale began working for Marketplace in 1990, when he opened the D.C. bureau. The next day, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, triggering the first Gulf War, and Dimsdale has been busy ever since.

In his 20 years at Marketplace, Dimsdale has reported on two wars, the dot-com boom, the housing bust, healthcare reform and the greening of energy. His interviews with four U.S. Presidents, four Hall-of-Famers, broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite, computer scientist Sergey Brin, U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson and former U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey stand out as favorites. Some of his greatest contributions include a series on government land-use policies and later, a series on the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste disposal site.

Before joining Marketplace, Dimsdale worked at NPR, the Pennsylvania Public Television Network, Post-Newsweek Stations and Independent Network News.

A native of Washington, D.C., and the son of a federal government employee, Dimsdale has been passionate about public policy since the Vietnam War. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Washington College in Chestertown, Md., and a master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo.

Dimsdale and his wife, Claire, live in the suburb of Silver Spring, Md., and when not working, he enjoys traveling, carpentry, photography, videography, swimming and home brewing.

Latest Stories (983)

Supreme Court: Sorry, whistleblowers

May 30, 2006
In a 5-4 vote, the US Supreme Court ruled that government whistleblowers are not protected by free-speech rights when trying to expose possible misconduct at work. From Washington, John Dimsdale explains.

Unusual immigration bedfellows

May 30, 2006
An unexpected coalition of groups from across the political spectrum is forming to push through the Senate's plan for immigration reform. John Dimsdale takes a look at the members.

The mandatory 401K

May 26, 2006
Coming soon to your benefit package, an automatic enrollment in a worker retirement account. John Dimsdale reports.

NSA phone spying controversy rages on

May 17, 2006
The phone companies continued today to deny they were complicit in any criminal behavior. And, the National Security Agency began briefing members of the Intelligence Committees. John Dimsdale sorts through it all.

Biometric ID cards for immigrants?

May 16, 2006
Looks like President Bush might just get that guest worker program. But now somebody's got to figure out the hard parts, like how to track millions of undocumented or falsely documented workers. John Dimsdale reports.

Bush stumbling over border?

May 15, 2006
The president's speech on immigration tonight may pacify some conservatives worried about border control, but it may not be as well-received among other, more business-minded conservatives. John Dimsdale reports.

Immigration, round two

May 15, 2006
The immigration debate is expected to take front and center today as President Bush makes a televised pitch for his guest worker program and the Senate prepares to vote on its immigration reform bill. John Dimsdale reports.

Bush defends NSA snooping

May 11, 2006
Washington was rocked this morning by a USA Today story revealing that three major phone companies sold the phone records of millions of Americans to the government. John Dimsdale reports.

Tax cuts feeding economy or starving government?

May 10, 2006
The Senate is expected to pass a tax bill today extending many of President Bush's tax cuts through 2010. The move is intended to make it very hard for whatever party controls Congress in 2010 to raise taxes again. John Dimsdale explains.

Congress seeks OK on foreign investments

May 9, 2006
Both houses of Congress are working on bills that will make it harder for the executive branch to approve foreign takeovers of American companies without Congressional approval. John Dimsdale has the story.