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Peter Arnett, Pulitzer-winning war reporter, dies aged 91

December 18, 2025

Peter Arnett, a renowned war correspondent who died at 91 in California while receiving hospice care for prostate cancer, built a distinguished career covering major global conflicts over several decades. The New Zealand-born journalist earned a Pulitzer Prize in 1996 for his extensive Vietnam War reporting with the Associated Press, where he frequently accompanied troops on dangerous missions from 1962 to 1975. He gained international recognition at CNN during the first Gulf War as one of the few Western journalists broadcasting from Baghdad during intense bombing, and notably interviewed both Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden.

Who is affected

  • Peter Arnett and his family, including his wife Nina Nguyen and children Andrew and Elsa
  • His former colleagues, including Edith Lederer (current AP staff) and Nick Ut (retired photographer)
  • News organizations he worked for: Associated Press, CNN, NBC, and Daily Mirror
  • The journalism community and aspiring journalists who will study his legacy

What action is being taken

  • No ongoing actions are explicitly described in the article. The article reports on Arnett's death and reflects on his past career accomplishments.

Why it matters

  • Peter Arnett's death marks the loss of one of the most significant war correspondents of his generation who helped define frontline journalism during major 20th-century conflicts. His willingness to remain in dangerous conflict zones and report directly from enemy territories, such as staying in Baghdad during intensive bombing when most Western journalists left, set new standards for war reporting. His interviews with major historical figures like Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden provided rare insights into adversarial perspectives. His commitment to reporting truth regardless of political pressure, even when it cost him his job at NBC, demonstrates the critical role of independent journalism in documenting armed conflicts.

What's next

  • No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC