Peter Arnett, a renowned Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist acclaimed for his brave reporting during the Vietnam and Gulf Wars, has passed away at the age of 91. His son, Andrew Arnett, confirmed that he died on Wednesday in Newport Beach, surrounded by loved ones. Arnett had been battling prostate cancer.
Arnett earned the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for international reporting in 1966, recognizing his exceptional coverage of the Vietnam War for The Associated Press. Fellow journalist Edith Lederer, who reported alongside him in Vietnam, described him as “one of the greatest war correspondents of his generation,” highlighting his fearlessness and storytelling prowess, which will inspire future journalists and historians for years to come.
While Arnett’s work as a wire-service correspondent in Vietnam from 1962 to 1975 was primarily known within journalistic circles, he gained widespread recognition in 1991 during the first Gulf War. Amidst the chaos, as most Western journalists evacuated Baghdad, Arnett remained behind, delivering live updates from his hotel room as missiles struck the city.
His calm voice, marked by a New Zealand accent, captured the harrowing moments as he reported, “There was an explosion right near me, you may have heard,” even as air-raid sirens blared in the background. His commitment to reporting was evident as he noted the impact of missile strikes on the telecommunications center in the heart of the city.
Arnett’s career was marked by close encounters with danger. In January 1966, during an operation against North Vietnamese snipers, he stood perilously close to a battalion commander when a sniper’s bullets struck just inches away. Reflecting on the incident years later, he recounted how the colonel fell at his feet, an experience that left an indelible impact on him.
Having joined the AP shortly after reporting on the dire economic situation in Indonesia, which led to his expulsion, Arnett quickly established himself in the Saigon bureau, working alongside notable journalists who would also earn Pulitzer Prizes. He credited his colleagues with imparting vital survival skills that would serve him well throughout his career in conflict zones.
Arnett continued reporting from Vietnam until the fall of Saigon in 1975. During this period, he faced directives to destroy sensitive documents, but instead, he preserved them, believing in their historical significance. These documents now reside in the AP’s archives.
After remaining with the AP until 1981, Arnett joined CNN, where he covered the complexities of war, including exclusive and controversial interviews with significant figures such as Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. His memoir, “Live From the Battlefield: From Vietnam to Baghdad, 35 Years in the World’s War Zones,” was published in 1995.
His career faced challenges, including a resignation from CNN in 1999 after the network retracted a segment he narrated about the use of nerve gas on American soldiers. Later, while covering the second Gulf War for NBC and National Geographic in 2003, he was dismissed for an interview with Iraqi state television, where he criticized U.S. military strategies.
Despite predictions that his television career was over, Arnett quickly found opportunities to report on the war for various international stations. In 2007, he transitioned to academia, teaching journalism at Shantou University in China. After retiring in 2014, he and his wife, Nina Nguyen, settled in Fountain Valley, California.
Born on November 13, 1934, in Riverton, New Zealand, Arnett’s journalism journey began at the Southland Times shortly after high school. His path took him to larger publications, but a serendipitous stop in Thailand led him to a lifelong career covering war while working for the Bangkok World and later for AP.
He is survived by his wife and their children, Elsa and Andrew. Retired AP photographer Nick Ut, who shared the battlefield with Arnett in Vietnam, expressed his deep sorrow, stating, “He was like a brother. His death will leave a big hole in my life.”
