Pete DeCoursey
| Peter L. DeCoursey | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
September 1, 1961 Philadelphia, PA |
| Died | January 1, 2014 (aged 52) Philadelphia, PA |
| Education |
William Penn Charter School Yale University (1984) |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Notable credit(s) | Capitolwire |
| Spouse(s) | Diana Fishlock (divorced); 2 children |
Peter L. "Pete" DeCoursey (September 1, 1961 – January 1, 2014) was a prominent reporter of political news in Pennsylvania. He worked in or covered Pennsylvania politics for nearly three decades, serving most recently as bureau chief for the online news service Capitolwire.com.
DeCoursey was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, attended William Penn Charter School, and graduated from Yale College in 1984 with a bachelor's degree in English language and literature.
DeCoursey started his professional career as an aide to former Philadelphia City Councilwoman Ann Land. He then worked as press secretary for U.S. Rep. Bob Borski, from late 1987 until late 1990. He first became a full-time reporter for the Reading Eagle-Times in August 1990. He worked as a political reporter and columnist for The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania from March 1997 to 2005 before being hired by GovNetPA to produce original news content for Capitolwire.com, where he became bureau chief.
Mark Bernstein, a lifelong friend, recalled DeCoursey's explanation for becoming a journalist after being a political insider: "He said being a press secretary was all about not saying everything you know. And he wanted to switch to something where he could tell everything he knew, rather than spinning it as a press secretary would."
DeCoursey was first to report on the 2011 proposal by Pennsylvania Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R), with the support of Gov. Tom Corbett, to change Pennsylvania from a winner-take-all electoral vote system, to a system that awards electoral votes by congressional district. De Coursey appeared on Public Radio International's Whad'Ya Know? in 2005 and CNN's Capital Gang in 2004. He appeared on Inside Politics on CNN in October 2004.
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