New Jersey is mourning the loss of Michael Aron, an award-winning journalist who served his viewers and readers for nearly four decades with dedicated, professional coverage of politics and government that inspired colleagues and drew praise from those whose stories he told.

Aron died Tuesday. He was 78.

“Few journalists ever garner the widespread level of respect Michael Aron achieved,” said Neal Shapiro, The WNET Group president and CEO. “He earned it with an unbiased, methodical and unwavering investigative style examining the issues, policies and stakeholders affecting state residents. He was one of a kind and will be missed; however his standards and practices live on in the NJ Spotlight News newsroom and continue to inspire our staff today.”

“Michael Aron was a tremendous mentor in our newsroom and a shining example of how a serious and often tough reporter could pursue the facts but also be kind,” said Jamie Kraft, NJ Spotlight News senior managing editor. “He knew everybody in Trenton and was a walking Rolodex of contacts and facts that we depended on throughout his tenure here. We are proud to carry on the legacy of the ‘Dean of the State House Press Corps’.”

“Michael Aron will always be remembered for his formidable questions and quick wit. But it’s his warmth, mentorship and generosity of time that I’ll hold close to my heart,” said NJ Spotlight News anchor Briana Vannozzi. “His legacy endures in the countless journalists he’s inspired to pursue the truth. I’m so honored to have called him a colleague and a cherished friend.”

“Michael Aron was a Titan,” said former NJ PBS news anchor Mary Alice Williams. “He was a soft-spoken, hard-hitting journalist who set the standards of integrity and grit for generations of young reporters who aspired to give voice to the issues of our state and to the disparate communities it serves. He was also, and always, a gentleman and a very dear friend. We are all better for the life he lived and deeply saddened by his loss.”

Word of Aron’s death came Tuesday as his former colleagues prepared the daily broadcast. At the time, Vannozzi was interviewing political columnist Charles Stile, who worked alongside Aron since beginning to cover the State House in the 1980s.

“The first time I ever went to the State House was with him and Zach Fink, and that was when I realized and I knew Michael was a big deal,” Vannozzi said. “Then, you know, like the trumpets start playing for him and the red carpets are rolled out. And it was truly like everybody there was like, ‘Michael, Michael,’ like you were with royalty … And he thought nothing of bringing me along.”

“He was also a great link to the old newsrooms of the past,” Stile said. “I think it was the first Menendez trial. I go to the courthouse and we’re all there with tape, gadgets and everything. He comes in there with a notepad and pen, like, something off ‘The Front Page’ … He was part of that tradition, even though he was television.”

Aron served as chief political correspondent for New Jersey public television news organizations for over four decades, including NJ Spotlight News, the news division of NJ PBS, its predecessor NJTV News, and the former New Jersey Network (NJN). He semi-retired in 2020, but continued to report on elections and other special coverage for NJ Spotlight News. Throughout his career and tenure at NJ Spotlight News, Aron interviewed every New Jersey governor, state Supreme Court chief justice and legislative leader, plus several presidential candidates. He covered national political conventions, trade missions abroad and all the major political issues of the state.

Aron also wrote  for national and local outlets including Harper’s Magazine, Rolling Stone and New Jersey Monthly, where he had served as editor.

Adding to his distinguished career, Aron was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in New Jersey Journalism at the inaugural Byrne Kean Dinner in 2021 and the League of Municipalities’ Distinguished Public Service Award in 2015, while also consistently ranking in the Top 10 on the PolitickerNJ and InsiderNJ Power Lists.