Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and war correspondent Peter Arnett has died at the age of 91, US media has reported. Arnett won the international reporting prize in 1996 for his Vietnam War coverage at the Associated Press (AP). He was also well known for his work at CNN, having become a household name while reporting on the first Gulf War. His career spanned decades and covered several conflicts in countries including Iraq, Vietnam, and El Salvador.
The New Zealand-born journalist died on Wednesday surrounded by family and friends in California, his son told reporters. He was receiving hospice care for prostate cancer. Arnett first worked for AP as a wire-service correspondent in Vietnam, from 1962 until the war's end in 1975, often accompanying troops on missions. Arnett left AP in 1981 for CNN, becoming one of the few Western reporters to stay in Baghdad during the first Gulf War.
In 1997, he became the first Western journalist to interview Osama Bin Laden at a secret hideout in Afghanistan. Arnett’s legacy will endure, as his impactful storytelling and fearless reporting continue to inspire aspiring journalists and historians.
The New Zealand-born journalist died on Wednesday surrounded by family and friends in California, his son told reporters. He was receiving hospice care for prostate cancer. Arnett first worked for AP as a wire-service correspondent in Vietnam, from 1962 until the war's end in 1975, often accompanying troops on missions. Arnett left AP in 1981 for CNN, becoming one of the few Western reporters to stay in Baghdad during the first Gulf War.
In 1997, he became the first Western journalist to interview Osama Bin Laden at a secret hideout in Afghanistan. Arnett’s legacy will endure, as his impactful storytelling and fearless reporting continue to inspire aspiring journalists and historians.
