SAN FRANCISCO – SEPTEMBER 20: Freshly printed copies of the San Francisco Chronicle roll off the printing press at one of the Chronicle’s printing facilities September 20, 2007 in San Francisco, California. Newspaper sales in the U.S. continue to slide as people turn to the internet and television for their news. The Chronicle saw its circulation plunge more than 15 percent in 2006 to 398,000 during the week which has hurt newspaper vendor Rick Gaub’s business. Unable to sell as many papers as he used to, Gaub is looking for a new way to earn money after selling papers for 42 years. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
John DiStaso, a veteran political reporter in New Hampshire who covered 11 first-in-the-nation presidential primaries, interviewing countless candidates and providing analysis on campaigns and elections, died Thursday after suffering a prolonged illness. He was 68.
DiStaso, who spent the last seven years as a political reporter for WMUR-TV, was known for doggedly pursuing stories and asking tough questions on the campaign trail. He was nicknamed the “dean” of the New Hampshire political press corps. The station announced his death Friday.
For many years, he was senior political reporter at the New Hampshire Union Leader, where his longtime column broke news on campaigns, in addition to public policy issues. At WMUR, he continued to write a “New Hampshire Primary Source” column.
He was a panel journalist in several nationally televised presidential primary debates and in many “Granite State Debates” aired on WMUR.
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“He was ferociously devoted to his work and we are all better for it,” U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, said in a statement. “I can’t imagine there is a New Hampshire primary candidate who ever made it out of the state without being grilled by John. He had Granite Staters’ trust, as he worked diligently to bring the most coveted and important news into their living rooms.”
