Twitter taps NBC’s Vivian Schiller as head of news partnerships

SAN FRANCISCO -- Twitter’s relationship with the news industry is already -- shall we say -- a feather in its cap. Now it has hired Vivian Schiller to a newly created position as head of news partnerships.

Schiller, a veteran of NPR and the New York Times, is leaving her current job as chief digital officer for NBC News. At Twitter, she will oversee partnerships with news organizations.

Twitter relies on the news media and other high-profile users to draw attention and users to the real-time messaging service that often acts like a news wire. Schiller will serve as a liaison to the news industry.

Schiller has more than 6,500 followers on Twitter. On Thursday she announced the new job in a tweet: “Excited to join @Twitter as Head of News in January. Leaving @NBCNews at year’s end. Grateful to my beloved colleagues for 2+ great years.”

The move was not much of a secret. Kara Swisher and Mike Isaac at All Things D were all over this one. They say: “According to sources, VP of media Chloe Sladden and Twitter’s head of television Fred Graver were champions of Schiller throughout the long, drawn-out hiring process and were instrumental in picking her.”

Twitter has come under fire for staging its high-profile initial public offering without a single woman on its board. All Things D says Schiller interviewed for a spot on the board a year ago but was passed over.

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