By Joshua Rosenberg, Frebruary 7th, 2026
Since The Rosenberg Brief was the first outlet to report on Walter Isaacson’s being named in the Epstein Files, there’s been radio silence: both from the local and national media and from the institutions to which he belongs. The Tulane Hullabaloo did run a story about someone being mentioned in the Epstein Files, but it wasn’t Isaacson. And the comment section wasn’t having it.
“I am pleasantly surprised that the Hullabaloo finally decided to cover this,” one commenter wrote, “However, you still haven’t said a word about Walter Isaacson (current Tulane professor) or Benjamin P. Sachs (former dean of Tulane School of Medicine), who are mentioned frequently in the Epstein files. If ‘the eyes and ears of the Tulane community’ take investigative journalism seriously, then surely we can expect a full report on Isaacson and Sachs in the near future. If you aren’t planning to cover their abundant presence in the files, then we ought to consider why this would be. The Hullabaloo already has a reputation for omitting uncomfortable truths in order to protect Tulane’s public image. Surely your editors recognize the importance of reporting on Walter Isaacson and Benjamin Sachs, even if the facts might be uncomfortable.”
“Are you not gonna report on Walter Isaacson being mentioned in the files?” another commenter asked. “Or does he get a pass because he’s well known and brings in a lot of money for the University[?]”
It may be worth wondering why there’s been a total blackout about Isaacson’s presence in the Epstein files. Tulane still has not responded to requests for comment from this reporter about whether Isaacson’s presence in the files will impact his employment or his association with the university’s Book Festival, which will take place March 12th through 15th of this year. Meanwhile, no other media outlet has picked up the story,
Is it Isaacson’s prominent status as a professor that protects him? Is it the fact that he’s an alumnus of the Times Picayune, the city’s paper of record? The fact that he sits on the Board of Advisers of Verite, a local nonprofit newsroom? His close association with Tulane’s Book Festival? His connection to CNN and Time Magazine? His connection to Teach For America (of which this reporter is an alumnus) His work with the show Amanpour & Company? His previous association with the Aspen Institute? Is he simply too “big” to fail?
Maybe it’s some combination of the above. I suppose we may find out in March if/when Isaacson makes an appearance at the Book Festival. But whatever the case, the silence surrounding Walter Isaacson is currently deafening.
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