person1969–2012

Andrew Breitbart

Disciplines:

Summary

American internet media entrepreneur — founder of Breitbart News and The Huffington Post's initial helper — who pioneered the aggregation-plus-outrage model of political internet media before his death at 43.

Core Contribution

Creates the right-wing internet media aggregation model — Breitbart's method (news aggregation organized around outrage at liberal media, with strategic video releases designed to destroy political targets) pioneered the model that Steve Bannon later radicalized and that defined online conservative media.

Key Spikes & Highlights

Died of heart failure at 43 while his wife was pregnant — the manner of his death (sudden, young, on the eve of major stories he claimed to have) produced conspiracy theories; his actual cause of death (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) was confirmed by autopsy; the life he lived (extreme stress, alcohol, no exercise) was consistent with early cardiac death
Approached politics as guerrilla warfare — his tactical innovations (strategic timed releases, getting targets to respond before the full context was released) were explicitly military in his self-description; his insight was that media strategy mattered more than factual accuracy in the attention economy

Notable Works & Achievements

Righteous Indignation

Historical Influences

Matt Drudge Rush Limbaugh

Intellectual Lineage

Los Angeles Tulane Huffington Post Drudge Report Breitbart News

Contemporaries & Peers

Matt Drudge Steve Bannon Tucker Carlson

Minds Influenced

Conservative internet media Steve Bannon

Intellectual Posterity

Breitbart News Weinergate ACORN sting

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