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Wolf Blitzer

"Ze'ev Barak" redirects here. Not to be confused with Zev Barak, a character in The Hope (novel).
"Wolfey" redirects here. For the competitive Pokémon player, see Wolfe Glick.

Wolf Blitzer
Blitzer in 2017
Born
Wolf Isaac Blitzer

(1948-03-22) March 22, 1948 (age 76)
Augsburg, Germany
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity at Buffalo (BA)
Johns Hopkins University (MA)
OccupationJournalist
Years active1972–present
EmployerCNN
TitleAnchor, The Situation Room, CNN Chief Anchor
Spouse
Lynn Greenfield
​
(m. 1973)​
Children1
Websitewww.cnn.com/profiles/wolf-blitzer-profile

Wolf Isaac Blitzer (born March 22, 1948) is an American journalist, television news anchor, and author who has been a CNN reporter since 1990, and who currently serves as one of the principal anchors at the network.[1] He has been the host of The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer since 2005; previously he served as the network's lead political anchor until 2021.

Early life and education

Blitzer was born in Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany near Munich in 1948, during the post–World War II Allied occupation[2][3] the son of Cesia Blitzer (née Zylberfuden), a homemaker, and David Blitzer, a home builder.[3][4][5] His parents were Polish Jewish refugees from German-occupied Poland who survived the Nazi concentration camps; his grandparents, two uncles, and two aunts on his father's side were all murdered in Auschwitz.[6][7] His maternal grandparents were rounded up in Poland and sent to a labor camp to make ammunition for the German war effort, and later died of typhoid fever.[8]

Blitzer and his family immigrated to the United States under the provisions of the 1948 Displaced Persons Act.[7] He was raised in Buffalo, New York, and graduated from Kenmore West Senior High School.[6][7] He received a Bachelor of Arts in history from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1970. While there, he was a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi. In 1972, he received a Master of Arts in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). While at SAIS, he studied abroad at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he learned Hebrew.[9]

Blitzer has said he has frequently been asked about his name, which has been characterized as seemingly made for TV. He explained that his surname goes back for generations, and that "Wolf" is the same first name as that of his maternal grandfather.[10] His middle name, Isaac, comes from his paternal grandfather.[8]

Career

Washington and Jerusalem

Blitzer began his career in journalism in the early 1970s, in the Tel Aviv bureau of the Reuters news agency. In 1973, he caught the eye of Jerusalem Post editor Ari Rath, who hired Blitzer as a Washington correspondent for the English-language Israeli newspaper. Blitzer remained with The Jerusalem Post until 1990, covering both American politics and developments in the Middle East.[11]

Fluent in Hebrew, Blitzer also published articles in several Hebrew-language newspapers. Under the name Ze'ev Blitzer, he wrote for Al HaMishmar. Using the name Ze'ev Barak, he had work published in Yedioth Ahronoth.[12] Ze'ev (זאב) is the Hebrew word for "wolf", and Barak (ברק) is the Hebrew word for "lightning" (which in German/Yiddish is Blitz/blits).

In the mid-1970s, Blitzer also worked for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as the editor of their monthly publication, the Near East Report.[13][14] While at AIPAC, Blitzer's writing focused on Middle East affairs as they relate to United States foreign policy.[15][better source needed]

At an April 1977 White House press conference, Blitzer asked Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat why Egyptian scholars, athletes and journalists were not permitted to visit Israel. Sadat responded that such visits would be possible after an end to the state of belligerence between the two nations. In November of that year, Sadat made a historic visit to Israel, and Blitzer covered the negotiations between the two countries from the first joint Israeli-Egyptian press conference in 1977, to the final negotiations that would lead to the signing of the Egypt–Israel peace treaty two years later.[11]

In 1985, Blitzer published his first book, Between Washington and Jerusalem: A Reporter's Notebook (Oxford University Press, 1985). The text outlined his personal development as a reporter, and the relations between the United States and Israel.

Jonathan Pollard

In 1986, he became known for his coverage of the arrest and trial of Jonathan Pollard, a US Navy intelligence analyst who was charged with spying for Israel.[11] Blitzer was the first journalist to interview Pollard, and he later wrote a book about the Pollard Affair titled Territory of Lies.[16] In the book, Blitzer writes that Pollard contacted him because he had been reading Blitzer's byline for years, and because Blitzer "had apparently impressed him as someone who was sympathetic".[17] Pollard also hoped that Blitzer would help him "reach the people of Israel, as well as the American Jewish community."[18]

Blitzer's interview with Pollard was controversial in the context of the legal action against him, as it was construed by some media voices as a possible violation of the terms of Pollard's plea deal, which forbade media contact. Blitzer's subsequent book about the affair was included in The New York Times list of "Notable Books of the Year" for 1989.[19] In its review, the Times praised the book as "lucid and highly readable" and called Blitzer's judgment of Israeli officials "harsh but fair".[20]

A review in The New York Review of Books was more critical, prompting a letter from Blitzer accusing the reviewer of making several inaccurate statements. Reviewer Robert I. Friedman responded to Blitzer's criticism by characterizing Territory of Lies as "a slick piece of damage control that would make [Blitzer's] former employers at AIPAC (not to mention Israel's Defense Ministry) proud."[21]

Pollard was released on November 20, 2015, in accordance with federal guidelines in place at the time of his sentencing.[22]

CNN

Blitzer interviews U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at NATO headquarters in Brussels, April 18, 2012.

In May 1990, Blitzer moved to CNN and worked as the cable network's military affairs reporter. His team's coverage of the first Gulf War in Kuwait won a CableACE Award and made him a household name.

In 1992, Blitzer became CNN's White House correspondent, a position he would hold until 1999. During this period, he earned an Emmy Award for his coverage of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. In 1998, he began hosting the CNN Sunday morning interview program Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer, which was seen in over 180 countries. Blitzer's first assignment as an anchor was on the daily newscast The World Today, in 1999. In 2000, he started anchoring his own show, Wolf Blitzer Reports, which ran until 2005.

CNN selected Blitzer to anchor their coverage of all U.S. presidential elections since 2004.[23] Since August 8, 2005, Blitzer has hosted The Situation Room, a two-hour afternoon/early evening program on CNN.[24][25]

In 2013, he began anchoring the 1pm ET hour of CNN Newsroom; in 2014, the program was renamed to Wolf. Wolf ended in 2018 and was replaced by CNN Right Now, hosted by Brianna Keilar.

In January 2021, CNN announced programming changes, shortening The Situation Room to one hour (6–7 p.m. (ET)) beginning April 26, and expanding Jake Tapper's role at the network to become Lead Washington anchor and expanded his show The Lead with Jake Tapper to 4–6 p.m. (ET). Blitzer will remain hosting documentaries and serving "as principal anchor for all major breaking news."[1] However, Jim Acosta is now regarded as the network's "chief domestic correspondent".[26]

In 2022, he hosted The Newscast with Wolf Blitzer on CNN's short-lived streaming service, CNN+[27] from its late March launch to its late April end.[28][29]

Awards

Blitzer has won multiple awards, including the 2004 Journalist Pillar of Justice Award from the Respect for Law Alliance, and the 2003 Daniel Pearl Award from the Chicago Press Veterans Association. His news team was among those awarded a George Foster Peabody Award for coverage of Hurricane Katrina, an Alfred I. DuPont Award for coverage of the 1999 Southeast Asian tsunami, and an Edward R. Murrow Award for CNN's coverage of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

In November 2002, he won the American Veteran Awards' Ernie Pyle Journalism Award for military reporting. In February 2000, he received the Anti-Defamation League's Hubert H. Humphrey First Amendment Freedoms Prize. In 1999, Blitzer won the International Platform Association's Lowell Thomas Broadcast Journalism Award. Blitzer won an Emmy Award for his coverage of the Oklahoma City bombing. Blitzer was also part of the CNN team that was awarded a Golden ACE award for their 1991 Gulf War reporting. In 1994, American Journalism Review cited him and CNN as the readers' choice for the Best in the Business Award for network coverage of the Clinton administration.[24]

In May 1999, Blitzer was awarded the honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters by the University at Buffalo. On May 20, 2007, Blitzer was awarded the honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by the George Washington University at their undergraduate commencement exercise.[30] On May 23, 2010, Blitzer was awarded the honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by Niagara University at their undergraduate commencement exercise. Also, on May 14, 2011, he received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Penn State University.[31] On September 25, 2011, Blitzer was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by the University of Hartford.[32] On May 10, 2014, Blitzer received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Howard University.[33] On September 13, 2014, Blitzer received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member Rick Atkinson.[34][35] On May 16, 2024, Blitzer received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from The Jewish Theological Seminary.[36] In August 2024, it was announced Blitzer would be the 2024 recipient of the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism.[37]

Other media appearances

Blitzer and Ted Turner at the LBJ Auditorium in Austin, TX

On September 17, 2009, Blitzer competed on an episode of Celebrity Jeopardy!, finishing the Double Jeopardy round with negative $4,600, prompting host Alex Trebek to comment: “Wolf, things have not worked out as well as you had hoped for".[38] Blitzer was given $1,000 to bet in Final Jeopardy!, finishing with $2,000, losing to comedian Andy Richter.[39][40]

Blitzer, along with fellow CNN anchor John King, is a fan of the Washington Wizards NBA team and participates in a pre-game video update for the team at home games known as the "Wizards Situation."[41]

Blitzer has appeared in numerous films as himself reporting on events, including the James Bond film Skyfall.[42][43] Blitzer also made guest appearances in Netflix's political drama House of Cards, portraying himself. He also makes a brief cameo in the 2016 movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,[44] in Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018),[45][46] and in an episode of Ben 10: Omniverse.[47]

Blitzer played a prominent supporting role in the 2009 documentary Back Door Channels: The Price of Peace, in which he relayed his experiences as a journalist working for the Jerusalem Post, which traces the confluence of factors that made the 1979 Peace Treaty between Israel and Egypt possible.

Personal life

Blitzer is a fan of his hometown NFL team, the Buffalo Bills.[48]

Books

  • Blitzer, Wolf (January 1, 1989). Territory of Lies: The Exclusive Story of Jonathan Jay Pollard, the American Who Spied on His Country for Israel and How He Was Betrayed. New York: Harper & Row Publishers. ISBN 9780060159726. OCLC 18835427. Retrieved April 10, 2024.

References

  1. ^ a b "CNN Announces New Washington-Based Anchor Roles". Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  2. ^ Encyclopedia of television news, By Michael D. Murray, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999, ISBN 978-1-57356-108-2.
  3. ^ a b Bisco, Jim (Winter 2004). "History in the Making: CNN's Wolf Blitzer, B.A. '70, covers the world through history lessons learned at UB". UB Today. University of Buffalo. buffalo.edu. Archived from the original on February 3, 2017.
  4. ^ David J. Kim (2007). "Blitzer, Wolf". In Clifford Thompson (ed.). Current Biography Yearbook 2007. New York: The H. W. Wilson Company. p. p. 69. ISBN 9780824210847. OCLC 194143931. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  5. ^ "20 Questions with Wolf Blitzer". The Hill. August 2, 2010. And my dad was a homebuilder in Buffalo, N.Y., and if I hadn't developed the journalistic bug early on, I might've stayed in Buffalo and built homes, which wouldn't have been too bad, either.
  6. ^ a b "Wolf Blitzer, the son of Holocaust survivors, discusses his new CNN special on the US Holocaust Memorial Museum". Jewish Telegraph Agency. August 26, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  7. ^ a b c Torok, Ryan (November 21, 2017). "Q&A with Wolf Blitzer on Muslim Refugees, 'Fake News' and His Favorite Journalism Movie". Jewish Journal. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  8. ^ a b Blitzer, Wolf; Bash, Dana (April 22, 2023). "Reporters' notebook: An intensely personal trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau". CNN. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  9. ^ New York Magazine. February 11, 1991, p. 36.
  10. ^ Sheridan, Patricia (October 3, 2005). "Wolf Blitzer". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on June 16, 2006. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  11. ^ a b c Makovsky, David (April 29, 1990). "Wolf Blitzer, 'Symbol of Integrity', Leaves Post for Cable Network Job". The Jerusalem Post.
  12. ^ Blitzer, Wolf. Between Washington and Jerusalem. 1985, page ix.
  13. ^ Himmelfarb, Joel (December 13, 2006). "Jimmy Carter's 'Jewish Problem'". The American Spectator. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  14. ^ "Ross officially joins Israeli lobby". Mid-East Realities. January 19, 2005. Archived from the original on April 30, 2005.
  15. ^ "Wolf Blitzer". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  16. ^ Luxenberg, Steven (May 21, 1989). "The American Who Loved Israel Too Much: Book Review". The Washington Post.
  17. ^ Blitzer, Wolf. Territory of Lies. 1989, page xv.
  18. ^ Blitzer, Wolf. Territory of Lies. 1989, page xix.
  19. ^ "Notable Books of the Year". The New York Times. December 13, 1989. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  20. ^ Pear, Robert (May 7, 1989). "The Spy from South Bend" (Book Review). The New York Times. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  21. ^ Friedman, Robert (February 1, 1990). "Territory of Lies" (letter by Blitzer, response by Friedman). The New York Review of Books. Retrieved February 16, 2007.
  22. ^ "After 30 Years, Jonathan Pollard Released From American Prison". Haaretz. November 20, 2015.
  23. ^ "CNN TV – Anchors/Reporters:Wolf Blitzer". Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  24. ^ a b "Wolf Blitzer". CNN. Retrieved February 9, 2007.
  25. ^ Who's Who in America – 2007. Marquis' Who's Who Ltd. 2006. Retrieved February 9, 2007.
  26. ^ "Jim Acosta". CNN. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  27. ^ Maas, Jennifer (January 19, 2022). "Wolf Blitzer to Host CNN Plus Nightly Show 'The Newscast'". Variety. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  28. ^ Johnson, Ted (April 27, 2022). "CNN+ To Cease On Thursday, Two Days Earlier Than Announced". Deadline. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  29. ^ "The Newscast with Wolf Blitzer". CNN+. Archived from the original on April 28, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  30. ^ "GW News Center". gwu.edu.
  31. ^ "Blitzer address among commencement exercises University-wide". Penn State University. May 14, 2011. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  32. ^ "CNN's Blitzer Takes Audience into the 'Situation Room'". University of Hartford. September 26, 2011. Archived from the original on July 4, 2013.
  33. ^ "Entrepreneur and Entertainment Mogul Sean Combs to Deliver Howard University's 146th Commencement Address – Howard University Newsroom". howard.edu.
  34. ^ "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
  35. ^ "2012 Summit Highlights Photo". CNN news anchor Wolf Blitzer, with his wife Lynn, at the 2012 Banquet ceremonies.
  36. ^ "2024 Commencement Exercises and Ordination". jtsa.edu.
  37. ^ "CNN's Wolf Blitzer to receive 41st Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism". Editor and Publisher. August 27, 2024. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  38. ^ Yahr, Emily (May 17, 2016). "A look back at Wolf Blitzer's infamous 'Jeopardy!' downfall". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  39. ^ Linkins, Jason (September 18, 2009). "Andy Richter Crushes CNN's Wolf Blitzer In Celebrity Jeopardy". HuffPost. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  40. ^ "Adventures in 'Celebrity Jeopardy': What is, Get a clue, Wolf Blizter?". Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  41. ^ "CNN's Wolf blitzes D.C.'s Wizards". Politico. December 26, 2012. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  42. ^ Weinger, Mackenzie (November 9, 2012). "Blitzer cameos in new Bond film 'Skyfall'". Politico. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  43. ^ "Wolf Blitzer In 'Skyfall': CNN Host Makes Cameo Appearance In James Bond Movie". HuffPost. November 9, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  44. ^ Harding, Amanda (January 31, 2019). "What Is CNN Anchor Wolf Blitzer's Net Worth?". Showbiz CheatSheet. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  45. ^ Keegan, Rebecca (July 27, 2018). "Mission: Impossible—Fallout's Wolf Blitzer Cameo and the Possible Perils of Fake Fake News". Vanity Fair. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  46. ^ Sims, David (December 28, 2018). "A Mission: Impossible Fake-Out for the Ages". The Atlantic. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  47. ^ "Ben 10 – Ben Changes Benwolf Name". Deviant Art. November 8, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  48. ^ "Why I'm a Fan: Wolf Blitzer". Buffalo Bills. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
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