The world of journalism has lost one of its most courageous and distinguished figures with the death of Peter Arnett at the age of 91. The Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondent, renowned for his frontline reporting from Vietnam to Baghdad, passed away, leaving behind a legacy of fearless truth-telling.
A Career Defined by Courage and Controversy
Arnett first rose to prominence with his gripping coverage of the Vietnam War for the Associated Press in the 1960s, work for which he was awarded the prestigious Pulitzer Prize. He remained in the country until the fall of Saigon to North Vietnamese forces in 1975. Demonstrating an early commitment to preserving history, he famously saved the AP bureau's papers from destruction, shipping them to New York where they now reside in the agency's archives.
He later became a household name as a correspondent for CNN during the First Gulf War in 1991. While most Western journalists evacuated Baghdad ahead of the US-led assault, Arnett stayed put, delivering live broadcasts via cellphone from his hotel room as missiles struck the city.
The Daily Mirror's Defiant Hire in 2003
Arnett's path crossed with the British press during the Second Gulf War in 2003. After being controversially fired by NBC in a dispute over impartiality, he was swiftly recruited by the Daily Mirror. The newspaper, which opposed the invasion of Iraq, ran a now-iconic front page declaring: "Fired by America for telling the truth. Hired by the Mirror to carry on telling it."
Reflecting on the moment, Arnett said the Mirror had handed him a "journalistic lifejacket." From Baghdad, he filed powerful dispatches focusing on the increasing peril for Iraqi civilians and the media as American forces advanced. He was an eyewitness to a tragic US tank attack on the Palestine Hotel, which killed journalists Taras Protsyuk of Reuters and Jose Couso of Telecinco, and wounded three others.
A Legacy of Kindness and Unflinching Reporting
Fellow war reporter Paul Martin, who helped bring Arnett to the Mirror, paid tribute to his colleague, describing him as "the bravest journalist I ever worked alongside -- and also one of the kindest men you would ever meet." Martin highlighted Arnett's daring assignments, including trekking across Afghanistan to find a then little-known Osama Bin Laden for CNN and his contentious interview with Saddam Hussein.
Peter Arnett's career, spanning conflicts from Vietnam and Cambodia to both Gulf Wars, embodied a relentless pursuit of the story from the heart of the danger. His death marks the passing of a titan of war reporting, whose work was defined by immense personal risk and an unwavering commitment to bearing witness.
