Daniele Compatangelo (born November 15, 1975) is an Italian journalist.[1] He lives in the United States.
Compatangelo was born in Savona and raised in Torino, Italy where he studied at Collegio San Giuseppe. He attended the University of Torino, where he graduated in 2003 in law with a thesis on the "Reform of CONI" (the Italian National Olympic Committee).[2]
He became a member of the Italian Press Bar Association in 2008 (Ordine dei Giornalisti di Torino – Professionista[3]). In his career, he's been correspondent from the USA for Italian broadcasters RTI Reti Televisive Italiane Mediaset, SkyTg24 and RAI, LA7 and Tv2000. He's also known for his coverage from the US Senate for the Italian news show Mezz'ora in Più Il Mondo che Verrà.[4]
Thanks to his news reports in March 2020 he become member at the White House Correspondent Association WHCA in Washington DC.
He is also known for becoming the first Italian journalist to have briefly interviewed the 46th President of the United States Joe Biden[5]
In the late 1990s, he began freelancing in media relations at the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup in Sestriere. He later continued working in media relations in 30 different sporting events around the world, such as the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Sestriere (1997), Vail – Colorado (1999), Bormio – Italy (2005); the International Track and Field Meeting in different locations (1994–2000), the Gerald Ford Golf Tournament in Vail – Colorado (1998), the National Basketball Association Europe Live Tour (2007) and the 2007 Winter Universiade in Torino.
In 2006, he was hired by NBC Universal as bureau coordinator and producer at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino. Together with the Olympic production team, he organized NBC's on-air broadcasting studio and facilities. Later on, he covered, as reporter the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing[6] while at 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver,[7] [8] he was hired as one of the managers of the International Broadcast Centre. His last coverage the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[9]
In the fall of 2008 he worked as sport correspondent at Infront Media at that year Alpine Ski World Cup season and the same year, he began freelancing for Italian daily newspaper "Il Secolo XIX" covering events such as the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, the Mediterranean Games in Pescara and the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2009 in Val-d'Isère.
In 2011, his documentary "The Los Angeles Break Down"[10] about the tragic and uncontrolled homeless crises in Los Angeles was awarded at the Southern California Journalism Awards.
His career had a breakthrough during the January 6, 2020 insurrection in Washington DC, while working for Italian SkyTg24 during the 2020 Presidential Election. He was the first Italian correspondent to broadcast Live from the US Capitol ground,[11] while the mobs were storming and entering the Parliament.
Thanks to his outstanding coverage, Italian news show Mezz'Ora in Più il Mondo che Verrà on Italian television RAI, offered him to cover the White House and the US Parliament, where a year later, on January 6, 2022, he became the first and only Italian journalist to briefly ask few questions the 46th President of the United States Joe Biden,[12] on the anniversary of the insurrection.
While in Los Angeles, for a decade he has covered The Oscars, the Golden Globes, the Critics Choice Awards and dozens of junkets. He interviewed the main Hollywood celebrities for RTI Mediaset Studio Aperto Nightly News[13] and the Italian Today Show Mattino Cinque.[14] He also contributed to the Swiss station RSI News[15] [16] and the Italian newspaper "Corriere della Sera".[17]
During the 2015 San Bernardino attack, Compatangelo was the first Italian journalist to report live on Rai News24[18] and the Italian today Show Mattino Cinque,[19] [20] from the Greater Los Angeles area, and the following year he covered the 2016 United States presidential election.[21]
Compatangelo was recognized for his remarkable coverage on Sky TG24 .[22] of the dramatic 2017 Las Vegas shooting.
He was also acclaimed for his news stories from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory NASA in Pasadena about the Voyager spacecraft[23] with the interview with his inventor Ed Stone; the Rover Perseverance in 2020, and his interview with astronauts Kjell Lindgren about the Artemis II Mission to the Moon all aired on Italian Nightly News on RTI Studio Aperto Mag.
In Calabasas, California, he has covered the tragic death of Kobe Bryant and his was the first Italian reporter to break the story live to the Italian audience in Europe on Mediaset.
Since 2020, he has interviewed dozens of American politicians from the White House and the US Senate, such as Former US State Secretary Mike Pompeo,[24] Leon Panetta[25] former CIA Director and Secretary of State under President Barack Obama, the Chairman of the Us Senate Foreign Relation Committee Robert Menedez,[26] The President of US Senate Intelligence Committee Mark Warner and the Vice Chairman Marco Rubio,[27] John Kirby Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, and Congressman Jamie Raskin impeachment manager of the Jan 6th Committee.
In 2022 he was acclaimed in Italy for his interview with Oksana Markarova[28] the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States.
On January 6, 2022, he became the first Italian journalist to briefly interview the 46th President of the United States Joe Biden, in the anniversary of the insurrection.
He was recognized in Italy in different occasions, thanks to his interviews with former House Speakers Nancy Pelosi[29] and the Kevin McCarthy[30] on geopolitical and foreign relations issues.
In early 2024, after more than a decade as one of the US correspondent for RTI Reti Televisive Italiane Mediaset he left the network, and in March he joined Italian broadcaster LA7’s news show L’Aria Che Tira hosted by anchor David Parenzo, covering the White House.
In the same month, he joined prime time news show’s DiBellaSul28 hosted by legendary Italian anchor Antonio Di Bella on Tv2000, the Italian based broadcaster own by the Italian Episcopal Conference, the conference of the Catholic Bishops in Italy, covering the US Senate and the White House.
This is the first time that the Roman Catholic network in collaboration with the Vatican Media, covers more in depth both foreign and American politics. An example of this historical and going change, is the interview aired with Senator Chris Coon, co-chair for President Biden's 2024 campaign, recorded on occasion of the State of the Union 2024 at the US Congress.