Peter Arnett

Peter Arnett (born 1934) is a New Zealand born journalist. Arnett worked for the National Geographic, and then for television. He is well known for his coverage of war, including the Vietnam War and the Gulf War. He was awarded the 1966 Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting for his work in Vietnam.

Arnett worked for CNN for 18 years ending in 1999. In 1998 Arnett broadcast a report on Operation Tailwind, stating that the US Army had used sarin against a group of deserting US soldiers in Laos in 1970. The Pentagon refuted the report as inaccurate, and Arnett was reprimanded by CNN. A few months later he was let go by CNN, according to some after pressure from the Pentagon.

Interview in Iraq

On assignment for NBC and National Geographic, Arnett went to Iraq. After a press meeting there he granted an interview to state-run Iraq TV on March 31, 2003, in which he stated, "Now America is reappraising the battlefield, delaying the war against Iraq, maybe a week and rewriting the war plan. The first plan has failed because of Iraqi resistance. Now they are trying to write another plan...[There is a] growing challenge to President Bush about the conduct of the war and also opposition to the war."

When Arnett's remarks sparked a firestorm of protest, NBC initially defend him, saying he had given the interview as a professional courtesy and that his remarks were "analytical in nature". A day later, though, NBC, MSNBC and National Geographic all severed their relationships with Arnett.

In response to Arnett's statement on Iraqi TV, the corporation stated, "It was wrong for Mr. Arnett to grant an interview with state-controlled Iraqi TV, especially at a time of war and it was wrong for him to discuss his personal observations and opinions." Arnett responded, "My stupid misjudgment was to spend fifteen minutes in an impromptu interview with Iraqi television...I said in that interview essentially what we all know about the war, that there have been delays in implementing policy, there have been surprises."

Peter Arnett wrote the 1994 book Live from the battlefield : from Vietnam to Baghdad : 35 years in the world's war zones

Quotes

• When asked what he intended to do after being fired from NBC:

"There's a small island, inhabited in the South Pacific, that I will try to swim to."