In the bustling world of cable news, where partisan voices often dominate the airwaves, Leland Vittert strives to bring the facts to the fore – wherever they may land.
Now a 9 PM chief Washington anchor at NewsNation, he is on a mission to deliver news that doesn’t pander to political extremes, but instead focuses on what truly matters to everyday Americans.
“We’re the only show on television where viewers show up and they don’t know what they’re going to be told,” Vittert says, leaning back in his chair. “We’re going to give a fair shake. We’re going to tell you what’s happening, why it’s happening, and why it matters to you. It is then your choice to decide whether that’s good or bad.”
This approach is a stark contrast to his competitors, who Vittert believes have become predictable in their political leanings. “At 9 PM every night, I know what my competition is going to do. They’re going to cheerlead Donald Trump, or they’re going to say how Donald Trump is a fascist, or fact-check him to death,” he explains.
With his signature salt-and-pepper hair and an easy smile, he reports from his state-of-the-art studio overlooking the U.S. Capitol. There is no fake screen behind him – the scenery’s the real deal.
“The proximity is great, and I think it sends a message to the rest of the networks, but also, more importantly, to lawmakers, government officials, the White House, that NewsNation is here to play, just in the same way the other networks are,” he says.
Vittert’s journey to the anchor chair has been anything but conventional. Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, he stumbled into journalism almost by accident. “I wanted to stay in St. Louis for the summer and hang out with my then-girlfriend in high school,” he recalls with a chuckle. “I needed a summer job, and a guy offered me an internship at a radio station. I fell in love with it. It was the greatest thrill, excitement that you could have.”
That summer internship set Vittert on a path that would take him from local news stations to the epicenter of global conflicts. After graduating from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Vittert cut his teeth at various local news outlets before landing a position as a Middle East correspondent for Fox News in 2010, where he spent a decade.
It was during the Arab Spring that Vittert truly made his mark as a journalist. He was one of the few reporters broadcasting live from Cairo’s Tahrir Square on the night Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak relinquished power. The experience left an indelible mark.
“Fair to say, war changes you,” Vittert reflects. “It made me love America more than ever, and made me so fiercely respectful of how special what we have is. To go overseas and see so objectively that that isn’t the case everywhere, and watch people die in pursuit of that and then still fail, made me sort of understand how precious what we have in America is.”
This profound appreciation for American democracy now fuels Vittert’s approach to news at NewsNation. “If you really love what America is and want to protect it, that’s something worth going to work for every day,” he says passionately.
Vittert’s move to NewsNation in 2021 marked a new chapter in his career. His most recent work includes contributing to moderating network 2024 election townhalls and anchoring the network’s coverage of the 2022 Midterm Elections, the State of the Union Address, and the 2021 Russia-United States summit in Geneva, Switzerland.
The ratings continue to climb for the young network, and for Vittert, it’s an opportunity to build something truly one of a kind.
“If there’s hope for America to become less divided, it starts with NewsNation,” he asserts. “It starts with people who are willing to consume news that doesn’t just reinforce what they believe. We consciously make our viewers hear the other side, and we don’t give the other side their worst argument and ridicule it. We give them their best argument and discuss it.”
This commitment to balanced reporting is evident in Vittert’s choice of topics. While other networks might focus on political drama, Vittert isn’t afraid to lead with stories that directly impact Americans’ daily lives. “A couple days ago, we led with the egg crisis. We were the only show to do it, because guess what? In most of America, people are talking about the price of eggs. They’re not talking about plastic straws,” he explains.
Vittert’s day starts long before he takes his seat in the anchor chair. The newsroom buzzes with activity as reporters and producers work to craft the evening’s stories. “TV news is a team sport,” Vittert says. “I’m not the coach and I’m not the team owner. It’s kind of like I’m the quarterback.”
This collaborative environment is one of the things Vittert values most about NewsNation. “The fact that we as a network have our staff in office, and that we have an office to come to… the collaboration, the conversations in the hallways, pushing each other to sharpen our arguments and sharpen our stories and sharpen our perspectives and get challenged is really important,” he explains.
Despite the demands of his job, Vittert makes time for his passions outside of work. An avid golfer, he keeps a set of clubs and a putting mat in his office. “Golf always ruins my hair,” he jokes, referencing his famous coiffure. “Having good hair doesn’t count on the golf course.”
Since Feb. 10 Vittert settled into his new 9 PM time slot, acutely aware of the responsibility that comes with prime time news. “The fact that people are willing to trust you with their time and with their mind and their thoughts, and at 9 PM you’re in their living rooms, is an awful lot of trust,” he says. “So I think the lesson always is, you have to live up to that.”
His commitment to balanced reporting and focus on issues that matter to everyday Americans might just be the breath of fresh air that cable news needs.
As our interview wraps up, Vittert leaves me with a final thought that encapsulates his approach to journalism: “The viewers are really smart. Now more than ever, they have more and more choices, which makes the challenge of providing content, context, coverage, truth, insight all the more important.”
In an era of soundbites and sensationalism, Leland Vittert is betting that there’s still an audience for thoughtful, nuanced news coverage. And if the early success of his show is any indication, that bet might just pay off.
