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American journalist From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Leland Holt Vittert (born August 31, 1982)[citation needed] is an American journalist who is the anchor and national correspondent for NewsNation. He worked for Fox News from 2010 to 2021,[1][2][3] initially as a foreign correspondent based in Jerusalem[4][5][6] and later as a news presenter. He was a substitute host on Fox & Friends, America's Newsroom, and Happening Now.[1][7][8][9][10]
Leland Vittert | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | August 31, 1982 Illinois, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Northwestern University (BA) |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, news correspondent, anchor |
| Employer | NewsNation |
| Relatives | Liberty Vittert (sister) |
Vittert was born on August 31, 1982, in Illinois. Vittert earned a Bachelor of Arts from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, where he joined Theta Chi.[1][2] He also completed The General Course, a one-year study abroad program at the London School of Economics.[1][2]
During the 2000s, Vittert anchored the weekend news at KDVR-TV in Denver, Colorado, and was a reporter for WFTV-TV in Orlando, Florida. He was also at KATV-TV in Little Rock, Arkansas, KNWA-TV in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and WMTV-TV in Madison, Wisconsin.[1]
Vittert's coverage of the Freddie Gray riots in Baltimore was praised by Mediaite and The Daily Caller.[11][12][13] According to Mediaite, Vittert "made his mark…by standing among protesters, facing a silent line of riot police, while interviewing residents and demonstrators affected by the story in various ways. He [broke] news about the Baltimore mayor's alleged stand-down orders for police, and [had] tense question-and-answer exchanges with lawmakers and public figures throughout the city."[11][13][14]
Arriving in the Middle East in 2010, Vittert began following the Arab Spring.[4] In 2011, he was one of the few reporters live on the ground in Cairo's Tahrir Square on the night that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak left power.[4] Vittert subsequently traveled to Libya during the first days of the country's revolution, where he reported on Muammar Gaddafi's counterattack and later from the besieged city of Misurata.[15][16]
Vittert covered Operation Pillar of Cloud, the 2012 war between Israel and Hamas.[17] He has interviewed Muhammad al-Zawahiri, the brother of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.[18][19]
Before coming to Washington, D.C., in 2014, Vittert spent a month in Eastern Ukraine as Russian-backed militias took over parts of the country.[20][21]
While covering the George Floyd protests outside the White House in Washington, D.C., Vittert and his crew were attacked by protesters and later chased away from the area.[22] In an interview on Cavuto Live the following day, Vittert stated that he and his crew were assaulted after a protester realized they were employed by Fox News.[23][24]
Vittert's last on-air appearance on Fox News was in January 2021; he left the network in April 2021. A Fox News spokesperson said, "We have mutually and amicably parted ways with Leland Vittert", leaving it unclear whether he quit or was fired.[25] On May 5, 2021, Nexstar announced that Vittert will join NewsNation starting May 17, 2021, as a national correspondent and anchor.[26] On May 17, 2021, Vittert made his first appearance for NewsNation on The Donlon Report and NewsNation Prime. On July 8, 2021, Nexstar announced that Vittert would anchor a primetime show called On Balance with Leland Vittert on NewsNation starting July 19, 2021.[27]
Vittert won Westword's Best Hair on a TV Anchor Award in 2007.[2][6] His sister, Liberty Vittert, is a television chef and professor of data science at Harvard University.[28][29][30]
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