News Archive

Mark Shaw, ’72, has written a new book, The Reporter Who Knew Too Much. The book, which is Shaw’s 25^th, will be published on December 6 by New York City-based Post Hill Press.

Dorothy Kilgallen was a noted media personality, author, and journalist who died in 1965. Shaw’s work examines the circumstances surrounding her death. Kilgallen was known at the time for her reporting skills, and for her appearances on the television game show “What’s My Line?” She was writing a tell-all book about the John F. Kennedy assassination at the time of her death, which was listed as an overdose.

“Many of my books deal with the subject of ‘justice denied,’” Shaw said. “I was drawn to writing a biography of Kilgallen because when she died under mysterious circumstances following an 18-month probe of the JFK assassination, there was no investigation despite real questions about the death scene being staged.” Shaw also recalled an individual that he was interviewing for a previous book telling him that an attorney said “They’ve killed Dorothy,” shortly after Kilgallen died. “I couldn’t get that quote out of my mind,” Shaw said. “My intent is to provide Kilgallen, a remarkable woman who was once called the "most powerful female voice in America" by the New York Post, her day in court, so to speak, providing her with the justice she richly deserves as a journalist killed in the line of duty for simply seeking the truth.”

Shaw’s background includes six years as a criminal defense attorney in Indiana. He also practiced entertainment law in Los Angeles and Indianapolis. He moved to Aspen, Colorado, in the late 1970s, and co-founded the Aspen Daily News. Shaw also became a correspondent for the morning television show, “Good Morning America” during this time.

In 2008, he earned a master’s degree in theological studies from the San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo, California, with a specialized interest in spiritual conversion and religious art. Shaw remains a member of the bar in California and Indiana. He also is a legal analyst for ABC, ESPN, and USA Today.

“Not a day goes by that my law degree isn't a vital part of either my research or my writing of the books,” Shaw said of his legal education at IU McKinney. “I am blessed to have received excellent training in the nuances of the law but perhaps more importantly, the professors instilled in me a curiosity to seek out injustice wherever it exists.”