Nico Pitney (born 1981)
is an American journalist, editor and media executive who has helped lead several prominent left-leaning media outlets, including ''
HuffPost
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' and ''
NowThis
NowThis News is a progressive social media-focused news organization founded in 2012. The company posts short (in most cases 15 seconds long) news videos and hyperpartisan content.
History
NowThis News was founded by ''Huffington Post'' co-fo ...
.''
Pitney was born in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
and attended the
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the U ...
.
Pitney worked as Deputy Research Director at the
Center for American Progress
The Center for American Progress (CAP) is a public policy research and advocacy organization which presents a liberal viewpoint on economic and social issues. It has its headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The president and chief executive offic ...
, where he helped found, and was Managing Editor of, their blog, ''
ThinkProgress
''ThinkProgress'' was an American progressive news website that was active from 2005 to 2019. It was a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAP Action), a progressive public policy research and advocacy organization. Found ...
''.
Pitney joined The Huffington Post in 2007 and served in a variety of capacities, including Politics Editor and DC Bureau Chief during the
2008 Presidential election, National Editor, Executive Editor, and Managing Editor of the
Huffington Post Media Group
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
.
Pitney gained prominence during the
2009 Iranian election protests
After incumbent president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared victory in the 2009 Iranian presidential election, protests broke out in major cities across Iran in support of opposition candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi. The protests c ...
, where he
liveblogged the protest for ''HuffPost'' by aggregating
social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
posts from Iranians, including videos and
tweets.
According to Pitney, over 100,000 comments were left on the popular blog. As a result, Pitney was asked by the
Obama administration to be prepared to pose a question from an Iranian at a June 23, 2009
press conference
A press conference or news conference is a media event in which notable individuals or organizations invite journalists to hear them speak and ask questions. Press conferences are often held by politicians, corporations, non-governmental organ ...
at the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
. In a departure from typical press conference protocol, Pitney was called on second and asked Obama under what conditions the United States would accept the election of
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. While Pitney did not know if he would be called on to ask a question, and President Obama did not know what question would be asked, a number of critics, including members of the
White House press corps
The White House press corps is the group of journalists, correspondents, and members of the media usually assigned to the White House in Washington, D.C., to cover the president of the United States, White House events, and news briefings. Its o ...
charged that the question was an example of improper collusion between the White House and a journalist. One of the most prominent critics was
Dana Milbank
Dana Timothy Milbank (born April 27, 1968) is an American author and columnist for ''The Washington Post''.
Personal life
Milbank was born to a Jewish family, the son of Ann C. and Mark A. Milbank. He is a graduate of Yale University, where he wa ...
of ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
''. Pitney and Milbank engaged in a heated and personal debate on the
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
program ''
Reliable Sources'' about the question,
and according to Pitney, Milbank whispered to Pitney during a commercial break "You're such a dick". This incident spawned the Twitter
hashtag #Dickwhisperer.
Pitney left The Huffington Post in 2012 to travel the world and blog about his experience with his wife Karina Newton, former new media director for
House Minority Leader
Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, also known as floor leaders, are congresspeople who coordinate legislative initiatives and serve as the chief spokespersons for their parties on the House floor. These leaders are el ...
Nancy Pelosi. In 2013, Pitney returned to The Huffington Post as head of product.
In 2017, he joined
NowThis
NowThis News is a progressive social media-focused news organization founded in 2012. The company posts short (in most cases 15 seconds long) news videos and hyperpartisan content.
History
NowThis News was founded by ''Huffington Post'' co-fo ...
where he served as Senior Vice President and News and Politics Director. During his tenure, ''NowThis'' became the #1 most engaged news brand worldwide, amassing roughly 2.6 billion views monthly across social media platforms, according to Tubular Labs. According to The New Yorker, Pitney led the newsroom and also hosted videos and conducted interviews with a number of leading politicians, including former president
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
,
Bernie Sanders,
Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Ann Warren ( née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the senior United States senator from Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party and regarded as a ...
,
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
, and more.
In February 2021, Pitney together with
Faiz Shakir launched ''
More Perfect Union'', a nonprofit media and advocacy outlet modeled on ''
ThinkProgress
''ThinkProgress'' was an American progressive news website that was active from 2005 to 2019. It was a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAP Action), a progressive public policy research and advocacy organization. Found ...
''.
Shakir describes More Perfect Union, which creates video and graphics to support
labor
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the la ...
issues, as "ThinkProgress for a digital age."
References
External links
Official White House transcript of the June 23, 2009 press conference
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pitney, Nico
1981 births
Living people
American male journalists
University of California, Santa Barbara alumni
American bloggers
American editors
21st-century American non-fiction writers
American male bloggers