Jacques P. Steinberg (born 1966 in Fall River, Massachusetts) is an American journalist and author who covers the media, primarily television, for The New York Times cultural news desk.
After graduating from Dartmouth College, Steinberg joined the Times in 1988 as a researcher for James "Scotty" Reston, assisting him in the compilation of his memoirs.
Beginning in 1995, Steinberg covered New York City's public school system and its chancellor, Rudy Crew. He spent much of the 1996-1997 school year inside a third-grade classroom at P.S. 163 in Manhattan, writing an occasional series about the children's efforts to learn to read.
The Education Writers Association honored Steinberg's reading series with its top award, the Fred M. Hechinger Grand Prize for Distinguished Education Reporting, in 1998.
Steinberg was appointed a national education correspondent in the summer of 1999. His 2002 book, The Gatekeepers, focuses on a year at the college admissions office of Wesleyan University.
Steinberg is married to Sharon Weinstock, an attorney. They have two children.As an author, Steinberg is represented by International Creative Management.