Michael Cooper

Previously, as a reporter who covered classical music and dance for The Times, he wrote about opera stars, some of whom happen to be sheep; the struggles women face getting work as conductors and choreographers; the comings and goings of leading conductors; and behind-the-scenes tumult at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. His reporting on accusations of sexual misconduct against James Levine, the longtime music director of the Metropolitan Opera, prompted the company to investigate him and ultimately fire him.

Mr. Cooper was previously a national correspondent, a political reporter covering presidential campaigns, and an early believer in writing fact checks to hold candidates accountable. A lapsed musician who joined The Times as a night copy boy, he started out as a metro reporter and worked over the years at the shack, the dingy press room New York’s police headquarters; Room 9, where New York’s City Hall reporters work; and at the Capitol in Albany, where he was the bureau chief. He has also covered the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001; the 2000 presidential campaign and its overtime rounds in Florida, plane crashes, hurricanes, an oil spill and other mayhem.His work has been recognized by the New York Press Club, the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, the Society of Silurians, and the Legislative Correspondents Association. Born and raised in New York City, he graduated from Stuyvesant High School and Columbia College.