Andrew Breitbart

Andrew Breitbart
Name	Andrew Breitbart
Birth date	February 1, 1969
Birth place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Death date	March 1, 2012
Death place	Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Media entrepreneur, author, commentator
Years active	1990s–2012
Nationality	American

Andrew Breitbart Andrew Breitbart was an American conservative media entrepreneur, commentator, and author who founded and helped build several digital news and opinion platforms. He emerged as a prominent figure in early 21st-century online media networks, interacting with figures and institutions across journalism, politics, and entertainment. Breitbart's activities intersected with major media outlets and political actors and ignited debates involving HuffPost, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Fox News, and other legacy and new media organizations.

Early life and education

Breitbart was born in Los Angeles, California, and raised in a Jewish household with roots in Oklahoma and New Mexico. He attended Tulane University in New Orleans, where he studied political science and became involved with student political organizations and local media. After college he moved into publishing and media production, working with publishers and writers linked to New York City media and national conservative networks. Early contacts included figures associated with National Review, The Weekly Standard, and other opinion platforms.

Career and media ventures

Breitbart worked in the editorial and digital operations of several established publications, including positions that connected him to The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, and digital initiatives in Silicon Valley media circles. He co-founded and launched sites that became part of a larger conservative and libertarian media ecosystem, such as platforms associated with Drudge Report-style aggregation and partisan commentary. Over his career he helped create or expand outlets that engaged with or competed against organizations like Politico, The New York Post, ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, Reuters, Associated Press, CNN, and Bloomberg News.

Breitbart later founded major ventures that bore his name and philosophy, collaborating with producers, bloggers, and columnists who had backgrounds at institutions such as Breitbart News Network, The Washington Times, Townhall, National Review Online, The American Spectator, Investor's Business Daily, and Salon. He worked with media personalities and commentators drawn from networks associated with Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Michelle Malkin, and Ann Coulter. His platforms emphasized rapid publication, viral distribution, and aggressive editorial approaches that intersected with advertising and fundraising patterns common to New Media businesses and conservative advocacy groups.

Political views and activism

Breitbart described himself as a conservative and cultural libertarian, aligning with policy positions and activist strategies common among Tea Party allies and conservative intellectuals. He engaged with politicians, strategists, and commentators including figures from Republican Party politics, activists connected to Citizens United, and media strategists who had worked with George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan administrations. His work supported investigative and oppositional coverage of public figures and institutions such as those associated with Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, and other leading Democratic politicians, while also criticizing figures from Democratic Party policy circles and progressive organizations like MoveOn.org and ACLU-aligned activists.

Breitbart participated in events and campaigns associated with conservative causes, collaborating with organizers from Conservative Political Action Conference, activists linked to FreedomWorks, and commentators from The Federalist and Weekly Standard circles. He advocated for free-market policies, skeptical positions on regulatory initiatives originating from administrations like Obama administration, and a combative media posture toward institutions such as Mainstream media outlets and academics tied to Columbia University, Harvard University, and Yale University.

Controversies and public disputes

Breitbart's career included numerous high-profile disputes with journalists, media organizations, and public figures. He was central to a number of viral confrontations, contested video releases, and editorial decisions that prompted responses from outlets including The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and broadcast networks like ABC and NBC. His strategies often involved sourcing and editing materials that critics said mischaracterized subjects, prompting debates involving legal advisers, media ombudsmen, and journalism scholars from institutions such as Columbia Journalism School and University of Missouri School of Journalism.

Several episodes involving contested footage and reporting—some tied to investigations by journalists at PolitiFact and FactCheck.org—led to retractions, public apologies, or prolonged controversies that involved activists and public intellectuals from Media Matters for America, American Civil Liberties Union, and advocacy groups associated with both major parties. These disputes also drew commentary from pundits and columnists at The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Slate, Reason, National Review, and The Weekly Standard.

Personal life and death

Breitbart married and had children; his family life was occasionally referenced in profiles by media outlets including People (magazine), Vanity Fair, and The New York Post. He maintained residences in Los Angeles and traveled frequently for speaking engagements at venues such as CPAC, university campuses, and conservative think tanks. Breitbart died in Brentwood, Los Angeles in 2012; his death prompted obituaries and retrospectives in publications including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal, and sparked further discussion among commentators at Fox News, MSNBC, C-SPAN, and various online platforms.

Category:1969 births Category:2012 deaths Category:American media founders