Wolf Blitzer | |
|---|---|
 Blitzer in 2017 | |
| Born | Wolf Isaac Blitzer (1948-03-22)March 22, 1948 (age 77) Augsburg, Germany |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University at Buffalo (BA) Johns Hopkins University (MA) |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Years active | 1972–present |
| Employer | CNN |
| Title | Anchor,The Situation Room, CNN Chief Anchor |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | www |
Wolf Isaac Blitzer (born March 22, 1948) is an American journalist,television news anchor, and author who has been aCNN reporter since 1990, and who currently serves as one of the principal anchors at the network.[1] He has been a host ofThe Situation Room, now formally known asThe Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown, since 2005. Since March 2025, Blitzer co-hosts the show withPamela Brown; previously he served as the network's leadpolitical anchor until 2021 and as the sole host of ''The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer during the show's early evening run between 2005 and 2025.
Blitzer was born inAugsburg, Bavaria, Germany nearMunich in 1948, during thepost–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 werePolish Jewish refugees fromGerman-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 oftyphoid fever.[8]
Blitzer and his family immigrated to the United States under the provisions of the 1948Displaced Persons Act.[7] He was raised inBuffalo, New York, and graduated fromKenmore West Senior High School.[6][7] He received a Bachelor of Arts in history from theState University of New York at Buffalo in 1970. While there, he was a member ofAlpha Epsilon Pi. In 1972, he received a Master of Arts inInternational Relations from theJohns Hopkins UniversitySchool of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). While at SAIS, he studied abroad at theHebrew University of Jerusalem, where he learnedHebrew.[9]
Blitzer has said he has frequently been asked about his name, which has been characterized as seeminglymade 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]
Blitzer began his career in journalism in the early 1970s, in theTel Aviv bureau of theReuters news agency. In 1973, he caught the eye ofJerusalem Post editorAri Rath, who hired Blitzer as a Washington correspondent for the English-language Israeli newspaper. Blitzer remained withThe Jerusalem Post until 1990, covering both American politics and developments in the Middle East.[11]
Fluent inHebrew, Blitzer also published articles in several Hebrew-language newspapers. Under the name Ze'ev Blitzer, he wrote forAl HaMishmar. Using the name Ze'ev Barak, he had work published inYedioth Ahronoth.[12]Ze'ev (זאב) is theHebrew word for "wolf", andBarak (ברק) is theHebrew word for "lightning" (which in German/Yiddish isBlitz/blits).
In the mid-1970s, Blitzer also worked for theAmerican Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as the editor of their monthly publication, theNear East Report.[13][14] While at AIPAC, Blitzer's writing focused on Middle East affairs as they relate toUnited States foreign policy.[15][better source needed]
At an April 1977White House press conference, Blitzer asked Egyptian leaderAnwar 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 theEgypt–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.
In 1986, he became known for his coverage of the arrest and trial ofJonathan 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 titledTerritory 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 inThe New York Times list of "Notable Books of the Year" for 1989.[19] In its review, theTimes praised the book as "lucid and highly readable" and called Blitzer's judgment of Israeli officials "harsh but fair".[20]
A review inThe New York Review of Books was more critical, prompting a letter from Blitzer accusing the reviewer of making several inaccurate statements. ReviewerRobert I. Friedman responded to Blitzer's criticism by characterizingTerritory 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]
In May 1990, Blitzer moved to CNN and worked as thecable network's military affairs reporter. His team's coverage of the firstGulf War in Kuwait won aCableACE Award and made him a household name.
In 1992, Blitzer became CNN'sWhite House correspondent, a position he would hold until 1999. During this period, he earned anEmmy Award for his coverage of the 1995Oklahoma City bombing. In 1998, he began hosting the CNN Sunday morning interview programLate Edition with Wolf Blitzer, which was seen in over 180 countries. Blitzer's first assignment as an anchor was on the daily newscastThe 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 hostedThe Situation Room, a two-hour afternoon/early evening program on CNN.[24][25]
In 2013, he began anchoring the 1pm ET hour ofCNN Newsroom; in 2014, the program was renamed toWolf.Wolf ended in 2018 and was replaced byCNN Right Now, hosted byBrianna Keilar.
In January 2021, CNN announced programming changes, shorteningThe Situation Room to one hour (6–7 p.m. (ET)) beginning April 26, and expandingJake Tapper's role at the network to become Lead Washington anchor and expanded his showThe 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 hostedThe 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]
In January 2025, it was announced thatThe Situation Room would move from its afternoon time slot and air in the mornings from 10 a.m. to noon EST in March 2025, withPamela Brown also serving as Blitzer's co-anchor when the time slot switch takes.[30] The changes to the Situation Room would officially go into effect in March.[31][32]
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 aGeorge Foster Peabody Award for coverage ofHurricane Katrina, anAlfred I. DuPont Award for coverage of the 1999 Southeast Asiantsunami, and anEdward R. Murrow Award for CNN's coverage of theterrorist 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 anEmmy Award for his coverage of theOklahoma City bombing. Blitzer was also part of the CNN team that was awarded a Golden ACE award for their1991 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 theClinton administration.[24]
In May 1999, Blitzer was awarded the honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters by theUniversity at Buffalo. On May 20, 2007, Blitzer was awarded the honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by theGeorge Washington University at their undergraduate commencement exercise.[33] On May 23, 2010, Blitzer was awarded the honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters byNiagara University at their undergraduate commencement exercise. Also, on May 14, 2011, he received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Penn State University.[34] On September 25, 2011, Blitzer was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by theUniversity of Hartford.[35] On May 10, 2014, Blitzer received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters fromHoward University.[36] On September 13, 2014, Blitzer received the Golden Plate Award of theAmerican Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council memberRick Atkinson.[37][38] On May 16, 2024, Blitzer received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters fromThe Jewish Theological Seminary.[39] In August 2024, it was announced Blitzer would be the 2024 recipient of theWalter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism.[40]
On September 17, 2009, Blitzer competed on an episode ofCelebrity Jeopardy!, finishing the Double Jeopardy round with negative $4,600, prompting hostAlex Trebek to comment: “Wolf, things have not worked out as well as you had hoped for".[41] Blitzer was given $1,000 to bet in Final Jeopardy!, finishing with $2,000, losing to comedianAndy Richter.[42][43]
Blitzer, along with fellow CNN anchorJohn King, is a fan of theWashington WizardsNBA team and participates in a pre-game video update for the team at home games known as the "Wizards Situation."[44]
Blitzer has appeared in numerous films as himself reporting on events, including theJames Bond filmSkyfall.[45][46] Blitzer also made guest appearances in Netflix's political dramaHouse of Cards, portraying himself. He also makes a brief cameo in the 2016 movieBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,[47] inMission: Impossible – Fallout (2018),[48][49] and in an episode ofBen 10: Omniverse.[50]
Blitzer played a prominent supporting role in the 2009 documentaryBack Door Channels: The Price of Peace, in which he relayed his experiences as a journalist working for theJerusalem Post, which traces the confluence of factors that made the 1979 Peace Treaty between Israel and Egypt possible.
Blitzer is a fan of his hometown NFL team, theBuffalo Bills.[51]
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.
CNN news anchor Wolf Blitzer, with his wife Lynn, at the 2012 Banquet ceremonies.
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| Preceded by | CNN SeniorWhite House Correspondent 1993–1999 | Succeeded by |
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