He was a journalist at the Buffalo Courier-Express in in 1974–1978 and bureau chief in 1976–1978. He was a staff writer at the Providence Journal-Bulletin 1979–1981. He joined The Los Angeles Times as a financial writer 1981–1983, and was its financial correspondent in New York City 1982–1988, Nairobi bureau chief 1988–1993, Moscow correspondent 1993–1994. He was a financial staff writer, editor, and columnist at the Times 1994–2006. More recently, he began writing a column about business and economic issues in the US West Coast. In 1985, he shared a Gerald Loeb AwardHonorable Mention for Large Newspapers for "Takeovers". He won Silver Gavel award from the American Bar Association and the Overseas Press Club cited his reporting on East African issues. In 1996 he was a finalist for two Pulitzer Prizes, for his reporting on health care issues in California and his reporting on a major entertainment merger between Disney and ABC. Along with Times staff writer Chuck Philips, Hiltzik won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for their series on corruption and bribes in the music industry. The year-long series exposed corruption in the music business in three different areas: The Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences raised money for an ostensible charity that netted only pennies on the dollar for its charity; radio station "payola," for airplay of new recordings; and the proliferation of exploitive and poorly conceived medical detox programs for celebrities. Mark Saylor, then entertainment editor of the business section of the paper, said it was especially rewarding because it recognized "aggressive reporting on the hometown industry... where The LA Times has long labored under a cloud, the misperception that...... were soft on the entertainment industry". The series led to the removal of C. Michael Green, then Grammy chief. In 2004, Hiltzik won a Gerald Loeb Award for Commentary.
Controversy and suspension
In 2006, Hiltzik was suspended without pay from the LA Times for sockpuppeting on his blog "The Golden State". Hiltzik admitted to posting under false names on multiple sites, using the pseudonym "Mikekoshi" to criticize commentators Hugh Hewitt and Patrick Frey. In December 2009, the LA Times announced that Hiltzik would be returning to the paper as a business columnist.
