Michael Schaffer is an American journalist who is editor of the Washington City Paper. Schaffer began his career as a writer at City Paper, where he eventually became the editor David Carr (journalist)'s deputy. He later worked at U.S. News and World Report, where he covered national politics and the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He later worked for the Philadelphia Inquirer, mainly focusing on municipal politics and doing a tour of duty in Iraq. In 2007, he left the Inquirer to work on a book, One Nation Under Dog, published by Henry Holt in 2009. The next year, he returned to City Paper, replacing his longtime friend Erik Wemple as editor. He has also written for Slate, the Washington Post, Philadelphia, the Daily Beast, the Boston Globe and other publications.