Ryan Lizza

American journalist

Ryan Lizza
Born
Ryan Christopher Lizza

(1974-07-12) July 12, 1974 (age 49)
EducationUniversity of California, Berkeley (BA)
OccupationPolitical journalist
Notable credit(s)The New Republic (1998–2007)
New York magazine (2004–2006)
GQ (2006–2007)
The New Yorker Washington Correspondent (2007–2017)
Esquire Chief Political Correspondent (2018–2019)
POLITICO Chief Washington Correspondent (2019–)
CNN Senior Political Analyst (2012–)
SpouseOlivia Nuzzi (engaged)
Children2

Ryan Christopher Lizza[1] (born July 12, 1974) is an American journalist. His 2017 interview with White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci allegedly resulted in Scaramucci's dismissal.[2]

Later that year, Lizza was accused of sexual misconduct in the context of the Me Too movement.[3] After a decade-long run as The New Yorker's Washington correspondent,[4] the magazine's internal review of the allegation against Lizza led to his dismissal.[5]

Several other media organizations declined to terminate or bar Lizza from employment in light of their own investigations.[6][7] He is currently the chief Washington correspondent for Politico and a senior political analyst for CNN.[8]

Education

Lizza attended the Berkshire School,[9] a private co-educational boarding school in the town of Sheffield, Massachusetts, and received his bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley.[10]

Journalism career

Lizza started his career at the Center for Investigative Reporting in San Francisco, where he worked on the Emmy Award-winning Frontline documentary Hot Guns.[11][12] In 1998, he joined The New Republic, where he became senior editor. From 1998 to 2007, Lizza covered Bill Clinton's impeachment, the Florida recount, the George W. Bush administration, and the 2004 presidential election. In 2004, he also wrote about politics for The Atlantic, including one of the first national magazine profiles of Barack Obama.[13] From 2004 to 2006, Lizza was a contributing editor for New York magazine,[14] where he wrote about national politics. In 2006 and 2007, Lizza was also a correspondent for GQ.[15] From 2002 to 2007, Lizza regularly contributed to The New York Times.[16]

In 2004, The Washington Post described Lizza as part of the latest "crop of younger journalists who grab the attention of the media establishment through dogged reporting, sparkling writing or provocative analysis."[17]

In 2007, Lizza became the Washington correspondent for The New Yorker magazine, where he covered the White House, three presidential elections (2008, 2012, and 2016), the administrations of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump, and wrote the magazine's "Letter From Washington" column.[18] Lizza covered the 2008 U.S. presidential election for The New Yorker, and wrote an extended profile of Barack Obama's career in Illinois politics.[19] During the campaign, a cartoon in the New Yorker allegedly caused the Obama campaign to exclude Lizza from Obama's campaign plane, with a lack of space cited as the reason.[20] In 2017, Lizza was fired from The New Yorker in relation to an allegation of sexual harassment.[5]

On December 17, 2018, Publishers Marketplace reported that Lizza and Olivia Nuzzi, the Washington correspondent for New York magazine, were writing a "coauthored account of the 2020 presidential campaign" for Avid Reader Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.[21][22]

On August 30, 2019, in a note to staff, Carrie Budoff Brown, Politico’s editor, and Matthew Kaminski, Politico’s Editor-in-Chief, announced that Lizza was joining Politico as Chief Washington Correspondent.[23]

Sexual-misconduct allegation

Lizza at the Miller Center of Public Affairs in 2015

On December 11, 2017, The New Yorker fired Lizza, saying that he engaged in "improper sexual conduct."[5] Lizza called The New Yorker's characterization a "terrible mistake" that had been "made hastily and without a full investigation of the relevant facts."[5] His alleged victim supported the magazine's version of the events; in a statement, her attorney, Douglas Wigdor, said, "[I]n no way did Mr. Lizza’s misconduct constitute a 'respectful relationship' as he has now tried to characterize it."[24][5] Lizza was temporarily suspended by CNN pending an investigation; six weeks later, the network announced that its "extensive investigation" had yielded "no reason to continue to keep Mr. Lizza off the air."[25] Politico, Rolling Stone and other media organizations were later said to have reached similar conclusions in determining whether to bar Lizza from employment.[6][7][24]

Personal life

Lizza is a resident of Washington, D.C. He has two children and was previously married to Christina Gillespie, a doctor.[26]

In September 2022, Lizza became engaged to New York magazine correspondent Olivia Nuzzi.[27]

Awards

In 2008, Lizza was a finalist for the National Magazine Award for Reporting, which "honors the enterprise, exclusive reporting, and intelligent analysis that a magazine exhibits in covering an event, a situation, or a problem of contemporary interest and significance."[28]

In June 2009, The Washingtonian magazine included Lizza on its list of Washington's "50 Top Journalists" and described him as a writer who "change[s] the way readers see the world."[29] That same year, his profile of President Barack Obama was nominated for a National Magazine Award.[30]

In 2011, he received an Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Reporting on Congress Honorable Mention[31] and Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting Honorable Mention[32] for his reporting on Congress's failed attempt to pass climate legislation.[33]

In 2012, he won the Edwin M. Hood Award for Diplomatic Correspondence "for his coverage of the U.S. foreign policy battles during the 'Arab Spring.'"[34]

On April 27, 2013, the White House Correspondents' Association presented Lizza with the Aldo Beckman Memorial Award for journalistic excellence "for his remarkable efforts to provide an independent perspective on President Barack Obama's presidency and re-election."[35]

In 2015, he was a finalist for the Newhouse School Mirror Award competition honoring excellence in media industry reporting (Best Single Article, Digital Media).[36]

Lizza's writing was included in the 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 editions of The Best American Political Writing.[37]

References

  1. ^ "Christina Gillespie, Ryan Lizza". The New York Times. June 20, 2004.
  2. ^ Andrew Kirell; Asawin Suebsaeng; Lloyd Grove (December 12, 2017). "The New Yorker Fires Star Reporter Ryan Lizza Over 'Improper Sexual Conduct'". Daily Beast.
  3. ^ Anna North; Constance Grady; Laura McGann; Aja Romano. "Sexual Harassment/Assault Allegations List". Vox. Ryan Lizza is one of 262 celebrities, politicians, CEOs, and others who have been accused of sexual misconduct since April 2017 (tying Lizza to the Me Too movement).
  4. ^ Kludt, Tom (December 11, 2017). "New Yorker fires star political reporter over alleged 'improper sexual conduct'". CNN.
  5. ^ a b c d e Stack, Liam (December 11, 2017). "Ryan Lizza Fired by The New Yorker Over Sexual Misconduct Allegation". New York Times.
  6. ^ a b Irby, Kate (October 1, 2019). "Another Devin Nunes lawsuit: Congressman sues magazine over story about family's Iowa farm". Fresno Bee. Lizza has denied the allegation and investigations into Lizza's conduct by CNN, Politico and other media companies determined there was no reason to keep Lizza off the air or bar him from employment.
  7. ^ a b Pompeo, Joe (March 6, 2018). "Can Rolling Stone Become Cool Again?". Vanity Fair. Retrieved July 13, 2019. Last month, Penske called a meeting with Rolling Stone's female editorial staff .... Concerns were raised about how it would be perceived if Lizza were to work at Rolling Stone, and whether Lizza was ultimately a good fit.... But after Lizza was cleared by CNN, and Rolling Stone had conducted its own due diligence, the editors moved forward with freelance assignments, as originally planned.
  8. ^ Politico Staff. "BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Ryan Lizza, longtime magazine writer and senior political analyst at CNN". POLITICO. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  9. ^ "Notable Alumni - Berkshire School". www.berkshireschool.org. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  10. ^ "Faculty". gufaculty360.georgetown.edu. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  11. ^ "Hot Guns: Tapes & Transcripts". Frontline. PBS. June 3, 1997. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  12. ^ Hamilton, Doug (June 3, 1997). "Hot Guns". Center for Investigative Reporting. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  13. ^ "The Natural". The Atlantic. September 2004. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  14. ^ "Ryan Lizza". The New Yorker.
  15. ^ "Ryan Lizza - Bio, latest news and articles". GQ. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  16. ^ "The New York Times - Search". www.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  17. ^ Kurtz, Howard (May 3, 2004). "Fresh on The Page And Hot On the Trail". The Washington Post.
  18. ^ "Ryan Lizza". The New Yorker. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  19. ^ "How Chicago politics shaped Barack Obama". The New Yorker. August 1, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  20. ^ Sklar, Rachel (July 21, 2008). "Obama's Revenge: New Yorker Reporter Excluded From Press Plane For Overseas Trip". Huffington Post. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  21. ^ "Russian meddling continues; Trump boxed in; conspiracy 'in plain sight;' two scoops about two books; 'SNL' highlights; box office bomb of the year". us11.campaign-archive.com. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  22. ^ "Ross Yoon Agency". Twitter. December 17, 2018. Retrieved July 13, 2019. Our agents @RossGail and @annasproul are thrilled to be working with @RyanLizza and @OliviaNuzzi on a book about the 2020 election for @simonschuster's new Avid Reader imprint! Check out today's Deal of the Day on Publishers Marketplace, too!
  23. ^ Sherman, Jake; Palmer, Anna. "POLITICO Playbook: Trump heads into buzzsaw in North Carolina". POLITICO. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  24. ^ a b Clio Chang (June 8, 2018). "This Is How Easy It Is For a Man Accused of 'Improper Sexual Conduct' to Get a Free Pass". Splinter News.
  25. ^ Snider, Mike (January 26, 2018). "Ryan Lizza returns to CNN after investigation into conduct". USA Today.
  26. ^ Lippman, Daniel. "BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Ryan Lizza, Washington correspondent for The New Yorker". POLITICO. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  27. ^ "POLITICO Playbook: What's behind the latest Manchin drama". POLITICO. September 23, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  28. ^ Yorker, The New (March 17, 2009). "2009 American Society of Magazine Editors Awards Finalists". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  29. ^ Graff, Garrett M. (June 1, 2009). "50 Top Journalists 2009". The Washingtonian. Retrieved June 28, 2009.
  30. ^ "National Magazine Awards". American Society of Magazine Editors. November 1, 2011. Archived from the original on July 1, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  31. ^ "National Press Foundation Honors Fox News' Chris Wallace". Reuters. December 14, 2011. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  32. ^ "» Craig Harris wins first-ever Toner Prize". Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  33. ^ Lizza, Ryan (October 3, 2010). "As the World Burns". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  34. ^ "Reporting the world: National Press Club seeks the best work". National Press Club. August 14, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  35. ^ "2013 Award Winners". White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA). Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  36. ^ "Finalists announced in 2015 Mirror Awards competition". mirrorawards.syr.edu. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  37. ^ "best american political writing". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 3, 2012.

External links

  • Archive of stories by Lizza in POLITICO
  • Archive of stories by Lizza in Esquire
  • Archive of stories by Lizza in GQ
  • Archive of stories by Lizza in The Atlantic
  • Archive of stories by Lizza in The New Yorker
  • Archive of stories by Lizza in New York
  • Archive of stories by Lizza in The New York Times
  • Archive of stories by Lizza in The New Republic
  • Appearances on C-SPAN
Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata
International
  • VIAF
National
  • United States