The oldest of four children, Barry was born in Queens, New York, and raised in Deer Park, New York He graduated from Saint Bonaventure University in 1980 with a bachelor"s degree in mass communication and received a master"s degree in journalism from New York University.
New York University.
In 1983, Barry joined The Journal Inquirer in Manchester, Connecticut, as a reporter, and moved to the Providence Journal-Bulletin in 1987. Barry joined The New York Times in 1995. Before becoming a columnist he served as city hall bureau chief, Long Island bureau chief, police bureau chief, and general assignment reporter for the metropolitan desk.
Barry wrote the "About New York" column for The Times for three years before launching the "This Land" column, which has taken him to all 50 states.
In addition to his 1994 Pulitzer Prize, Barry has since been a nominated finalist for the Pulitzer twice: in 2006, for his coverage of post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans and life in New York City, and in 2010, for his coverage of how the Great Recession changed lives and relationships in America. His other honors include the 1992 shared Polk Award. The 2003 American Society of Newspaper Editors Award for deadline reporting, for his coverage of the first anniversary of September 11. The 2005 Mike Berger Award, which honors in-depth human interest reporting. And the 2010 Sigma Delta Chi award for column writing from the Society for Professional Journalists.
