Ryan Lizza
Encyclopedia
Ryan Lizza is the Washington Correspondent for The New Yorker
magazine, where he covers the White House and national politics and writes the magazine's "Letter From Washington" column. He joined The New Yorker
in 2007 and since then has written profiles of Hillary Clinton, Mitt Romney
, John McCain
, Barack Obama
, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, Joe Biden
, Rahm Emanuel
, Peter Orszag
and Michele Bachmann
.
in Sheffield, Massachusetts
and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley
.
A resident of Washington, D.C.
, Lizza is married to Christina Irene Gillespie, a family physician and assistant clinical professor of medicine at both Georgetown University
and George Washington University
.
, where from 1998 to 2007 he covered Bill Clinton's impeachment, the Florida recount, the Bush White House, the 2004 presidential election, and many other national political stories. In 2006 and 2007 he was a correspondent for GQ, where he wrote profiles of Rahm Emanuel, Sen. James Webb
, and a cover story about Barack Obama, who was the first politician on the cover of GQ in 15 years. From 2004 to 2006 Lizza was a contributing editor for New York
magazine, where he wrote about national politics, including a profile of Sen. Chuck Schumer, a piece exploring New York's place as the "abortion
capital of America," a profile of New York's top conservative organizer, and a piece about president Bush's relationship with New York City. From 2002 to 2007, Lizza also regularly contributed to The New York Times
. In 1997, Lizza worked on the Emmy Award
-winning PBS
Frontline documentary "Hot Guns."
Lizza covered the 2008 U.S. presidential election
for The New Yorker, and notably wrote an extended profile of Barack Obama
's career in Illinois politics. In 2009, the same article was nominated for a National Magazine Award
. During the campaign, a cartoon in the New Yorker allegedly caused the Obama campaign to exclude Lizza from Obama's campaign plane. The Obama campaign cited a lack of space.
Brian Williams
of NBC Nightly News
referred to Lizza as "required reading" for those interested in the American political scene. 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."
Conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt
said Lizza is "widely regarded as one of the premiere political reporters of the United States working at this time."
Lizza's writing has been included in the 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2008 editions of The Best American Political Writing. Lizza is a regular guest on public affairs shows on television and radio. He has appeared on Meet the Press
, Hardball with Chris Matthews
, Good Morning America
, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
, Countdown with Keith Olbermann
, The O'Reilly Factor
, CSPAN's Washington Journal
, Tavis Smiley
, NPR's Fresh Air
, Pacifica Radio
's Democracy Now!
, among others.
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
magazine, where he covers the White House and national politics and writes the magazine's "Letter From Washington" column. He joined The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
in 2007 and since then has written profiles of Hillary Clinton, Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...
, John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
, Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
, Rahm Emanuel
Rahm Emanuel
Rahm Israel Emanuel is an American politician and the 55th and current Mayor of Chicago. He was formerly White House Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama...
, Peter Orszag
Peter Ország
Peter Ország is a Slovak ice hockey referee, who referees in the Slovak Extraliga.-Career:He has officiated many international tournaments including the Winter Olympics. He has been named Slovak referee of the year....
and Michele Bachmann
Michele Bachmann
Michele Marie Bachmann is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing , a post she has held since 2007. The district includes several of the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities, such as Woodbury, and Blaine as well as Stillwater and St. Cloud.She is currently a...
.
Personal life
Lizza attended the Berkshire SchoolBerkshire School
Berkshire School is a prestigious, private, co-ed boarding school for grades 9 through 12 located in Sheffield, Massachusetts, USA. Berkshire's applications have doubled in the past few years with Mike Maher taking on the role as head of school...
in Sheffield, Massachusetts
Sheffield, Massachusetts
Not to be confused with the city of Sheffield in the UK, or Sheffield, Vermont.Sheffield is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,257 at the 2010 census. Sheffield is home to...
and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
.
A resident of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Lizza is married to Christina Irene Gillespie, a family physician and assistant clinical professor of medicine at both Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
and George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
.
Journalism career
Lizza was previously a Senior Editor at The New RepublicThe New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
, where from 1998 to 2007 he covered Bill Clinton's impeachment, the Florida recount, the Bush White House, the 2004 presidential election, and many other national political stories. In 2006 and 2007 he was a correspondent for GQ, where he wrote profiles of Rahm Emanuel, Sen. James Webb
James Webb
James Webb, Jim Webb or Jimmy Webb may refer to:Public service*James B. Webb, known as J. B. Webb , influential in shaping Australia's international relations and aid during the 1950s, 60s and 70s*James E...
, and a cover story about Barack Obama, who was the first politician on the cover of GQ in 15 years. From 2004 to 2006 Lizza was a contributing editor for New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
magazine, where he wrote about national politics, including a profile of Sen. Chuck Schumer, a piece exploring New York's place as the "abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
capital of America," a profile of New York's top conservative organizer, and a piece about president Bush's relationship with New York City. From 2002 to 2007, Lizza also regularly contributed to The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. In 1997, Lizza worked on the Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-winning PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
Frontline documentary "Hot Guns."
Lizza covered the 2008 U.S. presidential election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
for The New Yorker, and notably wrote an extended profile of Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's career in Illinois politics. In 2009, the same article was nominated for a National Magazine Award
National Magazine Award
The National Magazine Awards are a series of US awards that honor excellence in the magazine industry. They are administered by the American Society of Magazine Editors and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City...
. During the campaign, a cartoon in the New Yorker allegedly caused the Obama campaign to exclude Lizza from Obama's campaign plane. The Obama campaign cited a lack of space.
Brian Williams
Brian Williams
Brian Douglas Williams is the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News, the evening news program of the NBC television network, a position he assumed in 2004...
of NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News is the flagship daily evening television news program for NBC News and broadcasts. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is located in the center...
referred to Lizza as "required reading" for those interested in the American political scene. In June, 2009, The Washingtonian
Washingtonian (magazine)
Washingtonian is a monthly magazine distributed in the Washington, DC area since 1965. The magazine describes itself as "the magazine Washington lives by." The magazine's core focuses are local feature journalism, guide book-style articles, and real estate advice.-Editorial Content: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."
Conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt
Hugh Hewitt
Hugh Hewitt is an American radio talk show host with the Salem Radio Network, lawyer, academic, and author. An outspoken Republican, evangelical Christian, he comments on society, politics, and media bias in the United States. Hewitt is also a law professor at Chapman University School of Law.-...
said Lizza is "widely regarded as one of the premiere political reporters of the United States working at this time."
Other media
Lizza is slated to write a book published by Penguin Press on Obama's first year in the American presidency.Lizza's writing has been included in the 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2008 editions of The Best American Political Writing. Lizza is a regular guest on public affairs shows on television and radio. He has appeared on Meet the Press
Meet the Press
Meet the Press is a weekly American television news/interview program produced by NBC. It is the longest-running television series in American broadcasting history, despite bearing little resemblance to the original format of the program seen in its television debut on November 6, 1947. It has been...
, Hardball with Chris Matthews
Hardball with Chris Matthews
Hardball with Chris Matthews is a talk show on MSNBC, broadcast weekdays at 5 and 7 PM hosted by Chris Matthews. It originally aired on now-defunct America's Talking and later CNBC. The current title was derived from a book Matthews wrote in 1988, Hardball: How Politics Is Played Told by One Who...
, Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
PBS NewsHour is an evening television news program broadcast weeknights on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States. The show is produced by MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, a company co-owned by former anchors Jim Lehrer and Robert MacNeil, and Liberty Media, which owns a 65% stake in the...
, Countdown with Keith Olbermann
Countdown with Keith Olbermann
Countdown with Keith Olbermann is an hour-long weeknight news and political commentary program that airs on Current TV, where it began airing on June 20, 2011. The program was broadcast on MSNBC from March 31, 2003, to January 21, 2011. On MSNBC, the show presented five selected news stories of...
, The O'Reilly Factor
The O'Reilly Factor
The O'Reilly Factor, originally titled The O'Reilly Report from 1996 to 1998 and often called The Factor, is an American talk show on the Fox News Channel hosted by commentator Bill O'Reilly, who often discusses current controversial political issues with guests.The program was the most watched...
, CSPAN's Washington Journal
Washington Journal
Washington Journal is an American television series on the C-SPAN network in the format of a political call-in and interview program. The program features elected officials, government administrators and journalists as guests, answering questions from the hosts and from members of the general...
, Tavis Smiley
The Tavis Smiley Show
The Tavis Smiley Show is an American public broadcasting radio talk show. A television show, simply titled Tavis Smiley, is a late night television program on Public Broadcasting Service . Both shows feature Tavis Smiley as host....
, NPR's Fresh Air
Fresh Air
Fresh Air is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States. The show is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its longtime host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to 450 stations and claimed 4.5 million listeners. The show...
, Pacifica Radio
Pacifica Radio
Pacifica Radio is the oldest public radio network in the United States. It is a group of five independently operated, non-commercial, listener-supported radio stations that is known for its progressive/liberal political orientation. It is also a program service supplying over 100 affiliated...
's Democracy Now!
Democracy Now!
Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...
, among others.
External links
- Archive of stories by Lizza in The New Yorker
- Archive of stories by Lizza in New York Magazine
- Archive of stories by Lizza in GQ
- Archive of stories by Lizza in The New York Times
- Archive of stories by Lizza in The Atlantic
- Video of Lizza interviewing Howard Dean, Elizabeth Edwards, and Neera Tanden about health-care reform at the New Yorker Summit in 2009.
- Video of Lizza interviewing Rahm Emanuel about the Democratic primaries, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama at The New Yorker Festival in 2008.
- Lizza's official bio at The New Yorker's website
- Video of debates and discussions involving Ryan Lizza on Bloggingheads.tvBloggingheads.tvBloggingheads.tv is a political, world events, philosophy, and science video blog discussion site in which the participants take part in an active back and forth conversation via webcam which is then broadcast online to viewers...