Nick Papantonis is a reporter for WFTV in Orlando, Florida. He joined the team in June 2021.
Since his move to the Sunshine State, Nick has established himself as one of the most respected reporters on Central Florida television. He routinely breaks stories about government impropriety and missteps, challenging politicians and senior administrators to work in the best interest of their citizens. His ability to break down complex topics into understandable nuggets has made him a familiar sight outside many city halls and court houses, although he is best known as the reporter who helped the world understand the “Disney v. DeSantis” fight.
Before Florida, Nick spent four years reporting in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, serving as WPDE’s primary long-form storyteller. His work, featuring subjects ranging from trauma survivors to short-track drivers, helped his station dominate the state-wide awards year after year. In 2020, he won a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for a 10-minute investigation into the state school system and was named a Top 5 Solo Video Journalist from the National Press Photographer’s Association. While he works with photographers in Orlando, he still carries around his own small camera and produces many of WFTV’s stock website images.
One of Nick’s most valuable attributes, though, has been his pioneering work in data journalism for local TV stations. Armed with spreadsheets and visualization tools, he has tackled stories about campaign finance, food deserts and drug arrest patterns — topics that many consider to be “newspaper” stories. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nick built the largest infection, morbidity and vaccination tracking database in local news, using it to provide context and occasionally challenge the narrative from state leaders.
Before attending Syracuse University, Nick never touched a professional camera and had only edited one video. He honed his skills at the student-run CitrusTV and launched his professional career at WBNG in Binghamton, NY. His fondest memories of the Southern Tier were a record-breaking snow storm and April the Giraffe.
Nick is easily accessible and active on many online platforms. If you have any questions, tips or comments, feel free to send him an email using the "Connect" page.
